How to Read Shakespeare: William and the Scone

A long and meandering presentation that goes no

where in particular

This is William Shakespeare

He is the inventor of the pogo stick and designed a high powered laser which he used to write dirty words on the moon.

JK! Actually, William

Shakespeare is a 16th

century playwright/actor (allegedly) responsible for 37 plays and 154 sonnets.

I am a literary genius! Kneel before my fearsome visage! You! The nerdy looking kid! Bring me a

scone!

You should know a little about Shakespeare’s life

For Instance…It is believed Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in a town called Stratford. Although his residence was there, William spent most of his life living and working in London.

He was a playwright, actor, and poet– a triple threat!

He married an older woman for money (Anne Hathaway), and spent most of his years away from her in London. Shakespeare’s rather cold relationship with Anne later influenced his views on romance and marriage.

He had three children. His only son, Hamnet, died at age 11 (no, that’s not a typo!).

Shakespeare was one of the founding members of the Globe Theater in London, where he continued to work and perform almost to the point of his death on April 23, 1616.

My last words? They were

Good friend, for Jesus’ sake, forbearTo dig the dust enclosed here;Blest be the man that spares these stonesAnd curst he that moves my bones.

Now where’s my scone?

Shakespeare wrote three kind of plays: Tragedies, Histories, and

Comedies

Some famous Tragedies

Some famous

HistoriesSome famous Comedies

The Merchant of Venice

A Midsummer’s Night Dream

The Taming of the Shrew

Henry V

Richard III

King John

Hamlet

Romeo and Juliet

Macbeth

Shakespeare’s legacy is formidable—he wrote some of the most well known,

most admired works in Western literature

Shakespeare’s legacy is formidable—he wrote some of the most well known,

most admired works in Western literatureHowever, due to the antiquity of his language and the sophistication of his techniques, Shakespeare’s works are often challenging for modern audiences. Before reading his work, it behooves you to heed a few tips

However, due to the antiquity of his language and the sophistication of his techniques, Shakespeare’s works are often challenging for modern audiences. Before reading his work, it behooves you to heed a few tips

Lesson #1 (of 1)Lesson #1 (of 1)

Shakespeare’s work was meant to be read aloud!

Shakespeare’s work was meant to be read aloud!

Somebody volunteer! Read this out loud!

Romeo.

[JULIET appears above at a window]But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?It is the east, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she:Be not her maid, since she is envious;Her vestal livery is but sick and green, And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady; O! it is my love: O! that she knew she were.

Each time a character is speaking, they are presenting a single thought, also known as the thru-thought. The first task an actor/reader must accomplish is figure out what is the main idea of the speech—why does it exist?

Read the speech again. In your own words, what is the main thought Romeo expresses?

Okay, so you figured out Romeo’s overwhelmed with love– the next step is

to read it that way!! Romeo.

[JULIET appears above at a window]But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?It is the east, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she:Be not her maid, since she is envious;Her vestal livery is but sick and green, And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady; O! it is my love: O! that she knew she were.

Shakespeare would give each actor their lines about three days before the performance. The only way his actors could memorize—and make sense of—the parts was to figure out the main idea—or thru thought—of each line of dialogue. Remember, just because a line ends, does not mean the thru thought is over! Keep going until it’s done!

Read this with passion! Like you are overcome! You will find that even if you don’t understand the words, you still understand the point of the dialogue because you recognize the underlying emotion.

Next, pay attention to all the little clues William left you to help you figure out

how it should be read Romeo.

[JULIET appears above at a window]But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?It is the east, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she:Be not her maid, since she is envious;Her vestal livery is but sick and green, And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady; O! it is my love: O! that she knew she were.

End-stop punctuation like periods (.), question marks (?), and exclamation points (!) means the thought is complete. In other words, STOP and breathe!

Commas indicate an elaboration of the main point—they continue the thru-thought in greater detail. When an actor encounters a comma, they should usually pause, but not long enough to take a breath.

Colons and semi-colons indicate the initial thought is complete, but not the thru-thought. They should be treated like a comma—pause, but just for a moment!

When you see one of these—”O”– do not say “oh!” This is meant to be a cry of passion, and is known as Ecphonesis O.

Now! Try this one! With more belly-fire!

First, figure out what the main point—the thru-thought—is!

Next, read it from the actor’s perspective—what are you supposed to be conveying in this dialogue excerpt?

Finally, pay attention to punctuation! Stop where it’s necessary and pause where it’s suggested!

Juliet'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;Thou art thyself though, not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O! be some other name:What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name;And for that name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself.

I say, jolly good show! I’m Richard Burbage,

William’s favorite actor, and I proclaim your

performance top drawer, old dog! A real cavalcade

of whimsy, yes yes!

Be patient! Mastering Shakespeare takes time!

Of course, figuring out the thru-thought in each line is your main challenge. It will vex you. You shall tug at your hair, bang your pate against the wall, and shout obscenities to the heavens.

But if some witless, low-grade, borderline illiterate of a 16th century actor can figure this out, then, by gum, so can you!

The End!

But what about the scone?!?