Friday 7th November, "Bags for Shakespeare's Heroines"

  

A talk by Ann Rodgers

The idea behind making bags for the heroines in Shakespeare's plays came accidentally after Ann attended Diane Bates’ workshop using unwanted ‘rubbish’ to machine and convert into new fabrics. A sample using pansy petals developed into a bag for Olivia from ‘Twelth Night’. By making the bits and pieces relevant to Olivia, the bag became symbolic of her character.

A bag for a Shakespearian heroine

 A favourite saying of Welsh women on hearing of the treatment of their sisters by an offending male is “Why diden’ you ‘ittim with you’re ambarg then?” This led Ann to consider which Shakespearean heroines might have followed this course of action. Cleopatra might have done. Beatrice certainly did. Lady Macbeth did, but she lived to regret it. Kate did, then abandoned it, but after the ‘taming’ would probably have reverted to it. Ophelia didn’t, neither did Hero nor Desdemona.

Cleopatra's bag

Shakespeare’s plays are peppered with anachronisms, and so are Ann’s bags. She has not kept to the historical styles contemporary to the setting of the plays, but has skipped from ancient to modern times interpreting the characters through the bags as she sees fit.