We Celebrate Shakespeare Week in Poetic Fashion

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We celebrate shakespeare week in poetic fashion

A true English national treasure and one of the most renowned writers in history, nothing says romantic like the poetic verse that once poured from the quill of ‘The Bard’ William Shakespeare. From 18th to 24th March, events are run across to UK to celebrate Shakespeare Week. At Viking, we’re partial to some poetic prose ourselves, so we decided to celebrate the man’s great works by getting together a lovely group of bloggers for a creative evening of prosecco, poetry and more.

Hosted at the truly beautiful Bull and Gate in London’s historic Kentish Town, the tone was perfectly set from the off. The high ceilings, ornate furnishing and historic ambience of the Boulogne Bar gave us all the feeling of being transported through time to The Bard’s own personal study.

We celebrate shakespeare week in poetic fashion

As our guests arrived at 6pm, they were welcomed with a glass of sparkling prosecco and a banquet of food that even the Elizabethans themselves would have been proud of! To complement the décor of the room, we also brought along a special guest of honour…a life-size cut out of the great Mr. Shakespeare himself.

Once everyone had grabbed a drink and some food, it was time for our Shakespearian workshops to begin. The groups were split into two. One half would learn about the beautiful and sophisticated art of calligraphy, whilst the other studied the history of sonnets, reading some classic Shakespeare and taking a shot at writing their own sonnet.

The teams excelled in getting those creative juices flowing, producing work that even Shakespeare himself would have approved of. After fifty minutes, our guests swapped and tried their hand at the other activity.

We celebrate shakespeare week in poetic fashion

Having mastered the art of calligraphy and had the chance to put together their perfectly formed and beautifully poetic sonnets, it was time to leave. However, before they headed off into the night, our guests were provided with goodie bags to take with them. These included a quill, ink, and a wax stamp maker so they can continue to create those poetic masterpieces at home. They also contained envelopes,  stamps and paper to keep up the romantic vibe, as well as a Shakespeare poem and rose petals.

Armed with their goodie bags, our guests could then disappear into the London springtime air. We hope they can put the contents of their goodie bags to good use and continue to build on their new-found skills, putting them into practice to create more Shakespeare-inspired prose. It’d be perfect for sending a letter to a sweetheart with a beautifully crafted sonnet or impressing friends with some decorative calligraphy.

We celebrate shakespeare week in poetic fashion