The Francis Bacon Research Trust
Wisdom of Shakespeare Summer School

Disintegration & Reintegration
(‘Julius Caesar’ & ‘As You Like It’)

5-9 August 2009
Holycombe, Whichford, Warwickshire, England

Five-day Summer School
led by
Peter Dawkins & Jill Line

This 5-day Wisdom of Shakespeare summer school in the heart of Warwickshire provides a chance to investigate more deeply the wisdom embodied in Shakespeare's plays and understand them as a major part of and vehicle for the Western Wisdom tradition.

In Julius Caesar we see the slaying of a leader who would be king and the subsequent disintegration of society, with faction ranged against faction and friend fighting friend. In As You Like It we see the reintegration of a divided society and the healing of wounded relationships, with the final restoration of the deposed ruler to his rightful place. In these two superb plays Shakespeare gives us profound insights into how society can and often is set against itself in a destructive way, and how this can be healed and built up again to something far better than before. Both plays are about initiation and, taken together, give clues to what is called death and resurrection—disintegration and reintegration.

RSC Performances and Excursions
During the summer school we shall visit Stratford-upon-Avon to see performances of two Shakespeare plays, Julius Caesar and As You Like It , by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

We will also make an excursion to Dovers Hill and the lovely Cotswold town of Chipping Campden.

Dovers Hill is a spur of the Cotswold escarpment near Chipping Camden. It has glorious views over the surrounding countryside and a natural amphitheatre that is the site of the ‘Cotswold Olympicks’, a mixed sporting event that was founded by Robert Dover in 1612, during the reign of James I, as an antidote to the restrictions imposed by the growing puritan movement. The games, held during the week of Whitsuntide, continued for many years until the outbreak of the civil war. They were re-started after the reformation and grew in popularity so much that they had to be stopped in the mid-19th century because the crowds had become too rowdy. They were reintroduced in 1963 and continue to be celebrated annually in May.

Academy/House Party
“With lectures, play-acting and outings punctuated by great food and stimulating conversation, Wisdom of Shakespeare summer schools take on the magical and indescribable air of a combined esoteric academy and house party, and are a delight to the senses as well as the intellect.”

Programme
The summer school will start on Wednesday at 10:00 am and finish on Sunday at 4:30 pm.

Venue
The group will gather at Holycombe, a beautiful home and retreat set in the ancient village of Whichford in the rolling green Cotswold hills of England’s ‘Shakespeare Country’. Nestling in a valley, Holycombe has extensive gardens, a lake and a stone circle (modern) standing on a ‘sacred hill’ and surrounded by a moat that once encircled a Norman castle.

Holycombe is 15 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon, 12 miles from Banbury (and the M40), 5 miles from Moreton-in-the-Marsh and 3 miles from the pre-historic Rollright Stone Circle. Banbury and Moreton-in-the-Marsh both have railway stations with rail links to London. (See map.)

Accommodation and Meals
Bed & breakfast accommodation (residential) is available at Holycombe.
Lunches and evening meals as well as refreshments will be provided.

Cost and Booking
£450 per person (non-residential)
£570 per person (residential – 4 nights B&B single or shared accommodation)
The fee is inclusive of refreshments, lunches, dinners, tuition and two top-price theatre tickets.
Extra nights B&B @ £30/night (2 extra nights max.)

To book a place, please select button.

NB. The number of attendees is limited to 20 persons maximum.
If you are late in booking and want to book less than three weeks before the event, please contact the FBRT to see if this is possible.

	For further information, please select button.
	Wisdom of Shakespeare books by Peter Dawkins are available for purchase. Select button to go to online Bookshop.