Recently we visited William Strachy of Jamestown in 1611, to hear his incredible adventure that was immortalized by a famed playwright of his day.
Because of Strachey’s vivid imagery that influenced William Shakespeare, we now have…The Tempest.
Strachey’s story had me on the edge of my seat, intensely caught up in his word choice that made the drama come alive.
SHIPWRECKED ON AN ISLAND
In 1609, Strachey embarked on an adventure to the New World on a ship fittingly…or forbearingly called, The Sea Venture.
Ten days before the anticipated arrival at Jamestown, a hurricane unleashed its fury, tossing the Sea Venture about its tempestuous waves.
He knew this was no ordinary storm at sea when the sailors became full of fear.
For six days the passengers became groups of three, taking turns either baling, pumping or sleeping.
Strachey told the tale in such a way that we easily imagined the storm-tossed ship careening upon giant waves.
About give up hope, they sighted land.
Captain Newport skillfully drove the ship between the coral reefs so they could row ashore on the smaller boats.
They had arrived at the Bermuda Islands, known to them as Devil Islands, where no one could survive.
Surprisingly, none of the men, women, children, or dog, perished, because they discovered an abundance of resources.
With crystal clear spring water and abundant food, their wants were few.
As a result, there were weddings and births.
Life was good.
However, riches of promised discoveries of gold awaited in Jamestowne.
During their ten months of abundance, Strachey and the other men built two new ships from the wreckage of the Sea Venture.
Fittingly these new ships were named the Patience and the Deliverance.
FINALLY ARRIVING TO JAMESTOWNE
When they finally arrived in Jamestowne, they found a stark contrast to the land they had left behind.
The wealth of resources on the island sharply juxtaposed against the emptiness of starvation and death of the Jamestowne colony.
Strachey and his comrades had arrived at the starving time.
Of the four hundred inhabitants they expected to meet at Jamestowne, only 50 were still alive…barely.
Hopelessness and despair so pervaded the colony that leadership failed.
By the next year the men sought to abandon ship fort, allowing their mission for the King of England to sink.
Spellbound, I heard Strachey proclaim: The Tempest of dissention was worse than their own shipwreck.
As the men abandoned the fort, they ran into the newly arrived Lord De La Warre, who put the men to work to clean and rebuilt the work and established martial law.
First things first though, in that Lord De La Warre dedicated the venture to Providence.
During his time at Jamestowne, Strachey served as secretary, a perfect job for him, since he had an incredible gift of choosing words.
STRACHEY RING
During Strachey’s presentation, I noticed he was wearing a ring.
That struck me at the time, but I forgot about it during the Q&A.
I am guessing that he was wearing a reproduction of the famed Strachey ring, found by Jamestowne archaeologists in 1996.
This ring bears the image of the Strachey family crest, which served Strachey in striking his stamp into hot wax when sealing paperwork.
STRACHEY’S INFLUENCE ON SHAKESPEARE
Strachey was even friends with noted literary figures such as Ben Johnson and John Donne.
Famously, Strachey wrote a letter to a dear lady, which was full of vivid descriptions of the tempestuous storm he and his colleagues endured.
It is thought that this lady was a wife in the Virginia Company who shared the letter with others, eventually reaching William Shakespeare.
Whipping up a play called The Tempest, Shakespeare included much of the imagery, drama, and even some of the same verbiage in Strachey’s letter.
Familiar with The Tempest from having read children’s versions years ago, the kids and I reread it Reader’s Theater style before meeting Strachey.
HOMESCHOOL STUDIES TESTIFY VALIDITY
Thusly prepared, we can testify that we were indeed reminded of Shakespeare’s drama as we listened to Strachey’s tale.
Hoping to find a copy of Strachey’s account to compare to The Tempest, I learned that the Strachey interpreter said he did that, and it was a fascinating study!
STRACHEY’S INFLUENCE ON JAMESTOWNE
Strachey told us he would soon return to England, where he planned to write an account of everything he saw.
Strachey indeed wrote The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia in 1612, but no one ever published it.
In the present day it has become invaluable to historians.
Strachey wrote in such incredible detail that archaeologists today use his writings to determine details of life in the colony, as well as specific details as to the location of certain buildings.
Today we know exactly where the Jamestown fort was because of him.
LAST WORDS
Unpublished he met death in 1621.
His last written words were:
Hark! Twas the trump of death that blew
My hour has come. False world adieu
Thy pleasures have betrayed me so
That I to death untimely go.
