Ophelia and Shylock

On Sunday I fulfilled a long held ambition by going to the Tate Britain to see Ophelia by Millais. It did not disappoint - the painting is absolutely exquisite. It's colours are so vibrant and the tragic yet beautiful central figure is framed by perfectly detailed plant life and even a wee robin looks on. I could have stood there for hours. I also enjoyed quite a few other pre-Raphaelite paintings of the late 19th century,  but the other painting that really stood out for me was Queen Elizabeth by Van der Meulen, painted in the 1560s. I have seen it in books but the life sized portrait is even better - what a gorgeous red dress! 

As if this wasn't enough excitement for one day, James had a surprise for me - tickets to the Globe Theatre to see the matinee performance of The Merchant of Venice! I have wanted to see Shakespeare at the Globe for years so I was thrilled. And the cream on the coffee was that Shylock was played by the wonderful Jonathan Pryce. Our seats in the Lower Gallery were really good and the weather was so warm that we didn't need to wear our jackets even though the middle of the circular theatre is open to the elements. The Merchant of Venice is not an easy play, and in fact it is downright anti-semitic and vengeful, so quite rightly modern directors try to interpret it differently than the Elizabethans did. However it's still worth tackling because of course religious intolerance is still very relevant today. Jonathan Pryce's Shylock was complex and conflicted, persecuted as well as vengeful. He is such an amazing actor, and the rest of the cast were excellent too, including Pryce's own daughter Phoebe who played Shylock's daughter Jessica.

After the performance we jumped onto a riverboat and travelled to Greenwich where we strolled up to the observatory and sat on the grass overlooking the river and chatting. It was a truly lovely afternoon. 

We ended up back at the Globe, this time at the Swan Restaurant, where we had a delicious dinner. The service was very friendly and the atmosphere was pleasant; I would definitely return there on a future visit to London.