Hello!! I went to go see a Shakespeare play this past Wednesday with a special from my Nottingham. As you can probably guess from the title, it was called Measure for Measure. Every year, the Royal Shakespeare Company picks three cities in the UK to perform and Nottingham happens to be one of them this year! Lucky for me! Also, it is quite nice that they offer ridiculously cheap prices for students. That is really one of the great things about England, because 90% of the shops, restaurants, and entertainment places you go to will have a student discount. It makes it more affordable for students get off campus, which is highly appreciated.
Anyways, back to the play. This play was one of his more serious ones because it is about a Duke that abuses his position’s power. There is a nun who’s brother got thrown into jail and is scheduled to be executed for his crime and she goes to this Duke to beg for him to pardon her brother from execution. He propositions her to get into a sexual relationship in exchange for her brother’s release. When she goes to her brother to tell him of this, he was enraged that she did not accept the Duke’s proposition. A friar, who was a high rank Duke, overheard her conversation with her brother and decided to help her. That is the gist of it without giving anything away! Although, I will say, the ending was not expected…
This play is quite relatable to today’s concerns. You often hear stories about victims of sexual harassment in the workplace from their superiors. The generic excuse those who abuse their power is “they were being flirty or giving hints of interest”. As someone in a high position, they should take the responsibility to be professional, regardless of any ‘advance’ another employee gives them. Like any other space, the work place should be a place where people feel comfortable. It is honestly quite sad that sexual harassment cases happens more often that people might think. And it is even more sad that many cases go unreported because victims feel that no one will believe them. This is an issue that needs more spotlight because there are people losing their jobs because of it.
On a different note… my spring break plans are shifting quickly due to the Corona virus. Sadly, Italy is at level 3 according to the CDC and Malta is at a level 1, but people have been having to self isolate themselves for 2 weeks after visiting. So far Greece is the only country left on my list of places to visit that hasn’t been too effected by the virus. I hope everyone is staying safe by washing their hand and taking extra precaution as you travel! My flat is required to wash our hands every 3 hours and use hand sanitizer as we enter the door. Even though we are young and would not be affected as seriously as some who has a weaker immune system, we honestly do not know who around us is vulnerable. Plus, it does hurt to be cautious.
I am planning on going for a hike this weekend with some friends, so hopefully the weather is nice! There will be beautiful pictures coming soon of the Peak District! Have a wonderful and productive week everyone!
Nottingham Adventures 