NATE CLASSIC READING

written and devised byPeter Thomas

Series editor: Robert Protherough

{hNATE

The C/assic Reading series is published jointly by the National Association

for the Teaching of English (NATE), the UK subject teacher association for

all aspects of the teaching of English from pre-school to university, and

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@ Peter Thomas 1998

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Acknowledgements

IntroductionWhy Shakespeariences?

Part OneWorking with story

Structure and detaiiMime and improvisation

Working with languageElizabethan and modern

Working with text (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Working towards performancePreparing to act the scene

Part TwoWorking with stagecraft

Cues for action and propsSound cues

Cues for feeling and emphasisCue action! Storying the gaps

Working with text (Twelfth Night)

Part ThreeWorking with ideas

On human society, politics and leadershipOn general human experiences

Working with draftsWorking with text (Much Ado A-bout Nothing)

Connections

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t3t3I3t5I924

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Contents

A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s ....,,,

For Michaet (Mick) McManus, gifted teacher and friend, who knew what

Shakespearience was and who shared it with so many, with passion and

laughter.

\[Ie are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce photographs:

Robert Harding Picture Library/Adam Woolfitt, page 2 left.

British Library, London/The Bridgeman Art Library, tondon, front cover and

page 2 right:title page with a portrait of william shakespeate,ftom Mr

william sfi akespea re's comedies, Histories and Tragedies edited by J.

Heminge and H. Condell, engraving by Droeshurt, 1623.

JohnTramper, pagre 16.

Shakespeariences? '

This guide provides a range of activities that invite you to e>rperience

Shakespeare's plays in a practical way by performing them.It contains:

. ways of sharing your ideas about Shakespeare and the way that theman and his reputation have been presented to us

. some methods of working with Shakespeare's stories, through mimeand improvisation

. activities that encouragre you to work with Shakespeare's langruage andto consider ways of staging the words of the text

. some practical approaches to Shakespeare's stagecraft: the impliedstage directions for actions and style of speaking

. activities relating to the ways that Shakespeare presents ideas abouthuman experiences and the world of action

. arl introduction to thinking about the texts of the plays

. three short plays adapted from Shakespeare for you to perform

. a rangte of ideas for writing and research, that will enable you todevelop your Shakespeariences

. some ideas for your further reading.

Why Think about and discuss the following:

Iillhat's the first thought that comes into your head when you hear theword Shakespeare?

Anne Hathaway with Shakespeare

Shell hathaway with cars

GO WELL-GO SHELL

DRAM,{fICLICtrNCE

tsE@

. \Mhy do you think his pictureappears on bank notes,cheque guarantee cards,postage stamps, boardgames, hotel signs, beer matsand bottles?

. \Mhy do you think thatShakespeare is the onlyauthor to be compulsorilystudied in the NationalCurriculum?

. lIlhy do so many Americanand Japanese tourists visit a

small country town on theRiver Avon betweenBirmingham and Oxford?

2 Shakespeariences

we all know something aboutwilliam shakespeare, but not all of us know

much. And nobody knows everything.we are not sure how he spelt his

name (in his lifetime it appeared as Shakspele, shagspere and

Shakespeare).We don't even know what he looked like for sure, though

there are likenesses in portraits and statues, created after his death'

Bust of Shakespeare, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford

Portrait of William Shakespeare, an engraving byDroeshout,1623

Shakespeare has had a Iasting influence on the language we all use'l]lhen

we say that someone has gone on a wild goose chase or is living in a fool's

paradise, when we say that the grame is up or that the wheel has come full

circle or that you can have too much of a good thing, then we are quoting

Shakespeare. Some of his lines are familiar even to people who have never

read or seen any of his plays. can you fiII in the short missing words from

these quotations?

lntroduction 3

To -

or not to -.A- | A- ! My kingdom for a- !

Out, damned -

! Out, I say!

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your -

.

A rose by any other name would smell as -

.

William Shakespeare, writer of plays, always hoped that his talent wouldbring more than applause at the end of Act Five. His retirement to a fine

house - one of the finest houses - in the Midlands town from which he dexited as a youth, pursued by a scandal, must have pleased him. Since

shuffling off this mortal coil, he has become more famous than he wouldhave dreamed. He has become a symbol of national greatness, providingwords of soothing beauty, moral philosophy or whatever else needs asafely dead sponsor.

And that is the problem. Shakespeare the icon, Shakespeare the paragton,

Shakespeare the universally approved, revered, a Very Good Thingr, does

not appeal to everyone.\Me've lost sight of the things that made himpopular with ordinary people in his own day - his ability to write vividlyand memorably for performance. And that's what this book is about.

The activities that follow aim to overcome any awe, suspicion or fear ofShakespeare that you may have. They work on simple aspects of story, ofsound effects, of words as cues to performers. Hence the focus is on typicalfeatures of Shakespeare as a writer, rather than on individual whole texts.

This book invites you to experience his performability, his theatricality -the showmanship of thought and action.

Working with storY

Part One iiiriil*i,

Structure and detail

Follow this passage slowly while it is read aloud, then close the book and

see how well you have remembered it'

onceuponatime,alongtimeago,inScotland,therewasaKingcalledDuncan. He was a very old King and needed someone to fight against

the Norwegians. one of his bravest supporters was the Thane of Glamis,

whose name was Macbeth.

Test your recall of the details. Either:

a) in pairs re-tell the story so far, getting all six facts right, or

b) choose a narrator to read the passage aloud, omitting the underlined

words, which the rest of the group call out'

On with the story:

Macbeth and his friend Banquo were proud to go and serve the King, so

with their army they went to fight the Norwegians. They got on their

horses and rode for days over hills and down dales, across rivers and

marshes and bogs and rock), places until they met the Norwegians. Then

there was a fierce battle. Macbeth lunged and stabbed and hacked and

chopped until the Norwegians were vanquished. A sergeant who saw

Macbeth fighting said he unseamed one foe from the nave to the chaps

with one stroke of his sword'

Then Macbeth and Banquo and their army rode back to see King

Duncan. They rode for days over rocky places, bogs, marshes and rivers,

down dales and up hills until they came to a murky place that was evil

and sinister and weird, where, suddenly, out of nowhere, there emerged

three witches. They were evil and sinister and weird and they cackled.

One said, 'Hail Macbeth. Thane of Glamis', which surprised him

because he was. Another said, 'Hail Macbeth. Thane of cawdor" which

surprised him because he wasn't. The third then said, 'Hail Macbeth.

that shall be King hereafter" which surprised him even more because he

wasn't a member of the royal family. Banquo asked, 'what about me?'

and one of the witches said, 'You won't be King. but your children's

children will be'. Then suddenly, just like that, they disappeared into

thin air.

Macbeth and Banquo rode on, deep in thought. Then they reached

Duncan's palace and they knelt before him to tell him about defeating

the Norwegians. The King was pleased, and made Macbeth Thane of

Cawdor. Macbeth thought, 'The witch knew that alreadlr. I wonder if ...But no!'

So he wrote a letter to Lady Macbeth, telling her about these strange

events. when she read the letter, she started to think. And what she

started to think was, 'Hmmm. Aha. What if. . .' and 'So ' ' ''

Part One 5

Activities

I Knowing the facts

Challenge anyone in the class to tell the story as accurately as possible.Any omission of detail means that the story passes to the person whogets it right. (Alternatively, the teacher can prompt the story-teller,allowing three, four or five faults before choosing someone else to tellthe story from the start.)

The story can be split into parts for different grroups to work on.

2 Speed trialThe teacher can read this narrative very fast to make it more difficutt.Ifpupils can repeat the story accurately at normal speed, they can bechallenged to repeat it at superfast speed.

Mime and improvisation

Now that you are familiar with the story, we are going to introduce theelements of mime and improvisation.

I Auditions for mime parts (in grroups or with the whole class)Four volunteers are needed to be Macbeth, Banquo, Duncan and LadyMacbeth. Three more are needed to be witches.Volunteers to play theparts must first undergo the audition challenge. The audition tests forplaying the roles are as follows:

lunging and hacking and stabbing and chopping

riding up hills and down dales and across rivers andbogs and marshes and rocky places

being a dignified royal person;a wise and kind butweary old king

Lady Macbeth: reading and thinking and plotting and scheming andsaying'Hmmm' (silently)

Three witches: cackling and stirring and filling a cauldron with nastystuff.

2 Miming the storyA narrator reads the story slowly, emphasising the underlined parts,repeatingi if necessary while the performers make suitableexaggerated gestures and movements (silently).

3 Speed trial mimingA narrator reads the story very rapidly, forcing the performers to mimeat double speed, as in a silent movie.

4 Modern English improvisationThe narrator disappears. The performers accompany their mimeroutine with improvised dialogue,

5 Learning lines without reading themTexts are forbidden! Paper and pens are forbidden too! Rtrythm and

Macbeth:

Banquo:

Duncan:

6 Shakespeariences

Working withIanguage

repetition will help you to learn a sixteen-Iine passage from

shakespeare's Macbeth. The passage below is an adaptation of the

witches'chants.

Divide into two gEoups, A and B. Practise repeating A and B lines of

each couplet, stopping after a few minutes to run through all the

couplets learned so far. Rtrythm can be helped by clapping or

thumping desks'

Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble'

Round about the cauldron go;

In the Poisoned entrails throw'

Sweltered venom sleePing got,

Boil thou first in the smellY Pot'

Fillet of a fennY snake

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork and blindworm's sting,

Lizatd's leg and barn owl's wing'

For a charm of Powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble'

Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble'

6 Creating a text

Add the Shakespeare text for the witches'chant to the improvised text'

You should now have confident story knowledge, rehearsed action

sequences, a modern English script and some original learned lines

from Shakespeare. Prepare for Oscars!

Elizabethan and modern

shakespeare wrote between about 1585 and 1608. His plays were

performed for the general public, not just educated people' and were

written in a language that was understood by everybody at the time' Some

of the greatest moments in his plays were then, and are now written in

very simple language. Look at the examples given below and try speaking

them aloud effectivelY.

I A tense scene on the castle battlements with some supernatural

business:

MaRcpt-lus: What! Has this thing appeared again tonight?

2 A moving moment when long-time friends falls apart:

Femr.qr"p: Banish plump Jack and banish all the world'

Pnmce: I do,I will.

3 The tense moment when a father asks his daughter to say how much

more she loves him than her sisters do:

Part One 7

CoRoslrR: Nothing.

LeaR: Nothing will come of nothing.

4 The agony of being disturbed by guilt and conscience:

MACestH: My mind is full of scorpions.

5 The anguish of believing your wife has been unfaithful:

OrHEU-o: But yet the pity of it, Iago! O, Iago, the pity of it, Iago!

Language changes over time, even over a few years. Some words andphrases which parents use may seem ancient to their children, so it's notsurprising if English, as well as England, has changed since Shakespeare'sday. Think of words which have come and grone in this century -'wireless','telegram','gramophone'- and think what might happen in the next fiftyyears to'Walkman','CD','rave'and'chill out'. Think about the change inmeaning over recent years of words like'gay','sad','safe','wicked' and'anorak'. Some words disappear from everyday use and others changetheir meaning.

Make yourself familiar with some of the words in common use fourhundred years ago. Here is a sample of words you may come across in yourreading.You can use these lists to practise writing some authentic-sounding Elizabethan English. That should amaze your parents and friends!

. Some familiar words can be recognised even thougrh they've changedtheir endings:

e.g. canst - can hath - has

doth - does ist - is itdurst - dare to wilt - will

' Others are recognisable because they still survive in dialect or recentwriting:

e.g. betwixt - between thou, thine - you, yours

quoth - says (as in quoted) twain - two

thee - you (to a friend) yon, yonder - there, over there

. Other words seem very strange to us now. Here is a list of words youmay come across in a play by Shakespeare:

avaunt! - go away! entreat - beg, plead

avouch - testify, prove enow - enough

betimes - soon ere - before

caitiff - cowardly wretch fain - inclined to

capon- chicken fardel- burden

choler - irritable temper fell - terriblecon - study forsooth - truly, honestly

conceit - idea groat - a small coin

cozen - cheat humour - mood

divers - various husbandry - maintenance

drab - an immoral woman ifaith - honestly

8 Shakespeariences

jade - worn out horse

jakes - lavatorY

Iest - unless

lief (I had as lief) - Prefer

methinks - I think

naught - nothing

noisome - harmful

o'er - over

parley - talk

pate - head

prithee-lbegYouquaff - drink

repair - make your waY to

riggish - playful

rude - rough

sack - wine

sith - since (because)

taper - candle

varlet - Iow-class rogue

visage - face

welkin - sky

wench - young woman

yore - time gone/ago

zounds! - God's wounds!

Activities

I Working in pairs, give these sentences a touch of the seventeenth

century:. Honestly,I think your face has the look of a worn-out horse.

. Go away! I've had enough of this quarrelling between you two.

. Truly,I cannot drink this unpleasant wine'

. Let's make our way to the pub and have a talk about this terrible

business immediatelY.. I suspect you've gtot some terrible burden on your mind'

. That wretched coward has cheated you.l would be inclined to testify

how he has treated you in a harmful manner'

2 What do the following mean in modern English?

. Prithee,let us repair post-haste to yonder tavern for a pot of sack

and some caPon'. Yon wench seems in a choler. Her humour hath been thus sith days

of yore.. Ifaith, the caitiff hath been justly punished for cozening divers

townsfolk.

' Yon jade hath not the worth of a groat.

. Con this page for divers conceits concerning husbandry'

3 Now try these lines from plays by Shakespeare. Not all the words are in

the lists above, but you should be able to work out their meanings'

. I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines'

. To be up late is to go to bed betimes'

. lllho would fardels bear, to gTunt and sweat under a weary life?

. we that have free souls, it touches us not: let the galled jade wince,

our withers are unwrunq.. unless hours were cups of sack and minutes capons why shouldst

thou demand the time of the daY?

Part One 9

Working with text Working towards performance

(A Midsummer Vfle've worked on all the ingredients - story, mime, speech and old-

Night's Dream) fashioned language. So,let's get our act together!We are going to performfor ourselves a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream in Shakespeare'swords. Here's the story, in modern English:

The Tragic Love of Pyramus and ThisbyOnce upon a time there were two young people who lived next door to

each other, a boy and a girl. The boy was handsome and brave and in

love with the girl. The girl was beautiful and intelligent and in love withthe boy. But their parents did not approve, and told them not to see each

other. The boy's name was... and the girl's name was... [No - you'rewrong: they are not Romeo and Julietll Pyramus and Thisby. The closest

they could get to each other was talking through a chink in the wall at

the bottom of their gardens. There they would whisper sweet words oflove, but they were afraid of being found out by their parents.

One night Pyramus had an idea. He was so fed up that he suggested they

should run away together. Thisby agreed. They planned to meet that

night, at midnight, in the churchyard, near Ninny's tomb ... etc., etc.

[We'll keep the tragic bit for later.]

Now you have read the story, try some of the following warm-up activities:

. Test your knowledge of the story by re-telling it in pairs or groups.

. Mime the story, either in groups or with volunteers performing as thestory is read again, with suitable pauses and emphasis.

. Perform a double-quick silent movie mime to accompany a rapid storyreading.

. Perform a normal speed mime, without the story.

. Create tableau snapshots (film stills) with promo captions.

. Perform a modern English improvisation.

One of the things you need to know in order to act this scene is thatShakespeare wanted to make his audience laugh. He builds in comedy in anumber of ways.

Firstly, he makes fun of the way amateur actors can make a mess ofperforming a play. They may over-act, miss cues, get into trouble withprops, mispronounce words, and try to hog the limelight.

Secondly, these uneducated mechanicals are putting on a show to impressthe aristocrats at a wedding party, for which a story with a tragic endwould not be very suitable. However, they think their choice of play willappeal to their educated audience. Their only worry is that their acting willbe so realistic that people will be frightened of the lion and saddened bythe deaths!

10 Shakespeariences

Thirdly, all parts in the play are performed by male actors, so there is

scope for fun in casting. This is also true of the actors griven the job of,playing the part' of awall, of Moonshine and a Lion. They may have no

Iines to learn, but they wiII all want to show what they bring to the part!

Preparing to act the scene

working as a whole class, volunteers to play the parts below must first

undertake a stage test. Their brief should be to demonstrate suitable

gesture and movement for each part, as follows:

being love-sick and dYing

being frightened and cold in the dark and dyingPyramus:

Thisby:

WaII: standing still when people do things around you (no

cracking up!)

Moonshine: shimmering gently in the sky

Lion: a) roaring b) Pouncingc) roaring and pouncing at the same'time

d) Iooking fierce when not roaring and pouncing.

Remember that Pyramus and Thisby should be reading and acting in an

exagrgerated, melodramatic style. others can help them by dramatic

audience reaction.

The scene needs grroups of five (maximum seven) to play Pyramus and

Thisby, theWa1l, the Lion, Moonshine/narrator/Ninny's tomb.It could well

occupy three lessons, including time to make the costumes, a Moon effect, a

wall (a cardboard box painted). other props include a blanket and a

dagrgrer. Special thought will be needed to create a lion costume! Each grroup

may need one non-performer to be in charge of props and costumes.

The Ttagic Love and Death of Pyramusand ThisbY

Scrxz' l: the secret meeting place, a wall which divides the gardens of the two

families. It is night.

PvRauus: O! Grim-looked night! O night with hue so blackl

O! Night, O night!Alack!Alackl Alack!

I fear my Thisby's promise is forgot!

And thou, O wall, O sweet, O lovelY wall,

Behind whose stones my Thisby's garden lies,

Show me thy chink, to blink through with my eyes'

But what see I? No ThisbY do I see.

O wicked wall, through whom I see no bliss!

Cursed be thy stones for thus deceiving me!

Enter Thisby.

Tutssv: O wall, full often hast thou heard my moans

Part One 11

For parting my fair Pyramus and me!

My cherry lips have often kissed thy stones;

The stones I kiss because I can't kiss he.

Pynnuus: I see a voice! Now will I to the chinkTo see if I can hear my Thisby's face.

Thisbyl Thisby!

THrsgy: My love thou art, my love I think.

PyRettus: O kiss me through the hole of this rough wall!

THtssy: I kiss the stone and not your lips at all.

PyRelaus: Wilt thou at Ninny's tomb meet me straightway?

THIssy: O Pyramus, O Pyramus, I'll come without delay.

They go off.

Scetto 2: later that night in the churchyard near Ninny's tomb.Enre r Thi sby. nervously.

Tntssy: O night! O dark! O cold! Be still, my heart!

No more shall cruel father keep us two apart.

I've left with mantle but no scarf or glove _

Here is the tomb, now where's my love?

Enter aferocious lionwhich pounces on her She escapes, leavingwhich the lion tears before going off.

En[er Pyramus.

PyRauus: Sweet moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams;

I thank thee, Moon, for shining now so bright.For by thy gracious, golden, glittering beams

I trust to take of truest Thisby sight.But stay! O spite!

O woe! O night!

What dreadful deed is here?

Eyes, do you see?

O how can it be?

The mantle I know you wear

With rip and blood and rear!

To live without my love I cannot bear!He draws his sword.

Thus die I, thus and thus and thus.

Now I am dead.

Now I am fled.

My soul goes to the sky -Idie! Idie! Die... die... die... die... die... die...

Enter Thisby, frightened.

THIssy: Asleep, my love?

What, dead my dove?

O Pyramus, arise!

Speak, speak. Quite dumb!

her mantle,

12 Shakespeariences

Dead! Dead! A tomb

Must cover thY sweet eYes.

These lilY liPs,

This cherrY nose,

These yellow cowsliP cheeks

Are gone, are gone!

Tongue, not a wordl

Come, trustY sword!

And farewell friends,

Thus ThisbY ends .,.

Adieu, adieu, adieu '..

(from A Midsummer Night's DreambY

William Shakespeare, adapted by A.N. Other)

Performance notes and queries

I How do the lovers speak to each other through the wall?

2 'They go off'- Hou/? (urgently? looking back? in slow motion?)

3 How long does the Lion follow Thisby before she sees it?

4 How many different stages to each tragic death?

I

t

Working with Cues for action and props

StageCraft Shakespeare never wrote stage directions for his plays - partty because hedidn't want to give away too much information to other theatres. There wasno law of copyright in his day, and another theatre company might steal ascript and put on its own version of the play, so he gave different actorstheir own parts separately and didn't give away too many tricks.

His method was to write lines that contain the necessary information foractors about the business on stag,e. The exercise which follows, based on ascene from Othello, is about the effect of a prop on stage, and the way ithelps to create character, relationship and situation.You will need ahandkerchief or paper tissue. This is the background to the scene:

Iago is a soldier who bears a grudge against his commanding officer,Othello. He wants to find a way of spoiling Othello's happiness by makinghim think his new wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful. The prop is importantbecause Iago uses it as evidence that Desdemona has given away thisprecious gift from her husband to another man. Emilia is Iago's wife. She

picked up the handkerchief when Desdemona dropped it accidentally. Shethinks that her'wayward'husband will be pleased with her for getting itfor him.

The scene: focus on the stage prop

When Emilia sees her husband, she tries to make the most of her chance togain approval from Iago. Read the passage below using different kinds ofemphasis and tone of voice to bring out the personalities and moods of thetwo characters, and the dramatic interest the prop gives the scene.

Use the prompts that follow the passage to think about feelings andmotives which lie beneath the words spoken.

Iaco: How now. What do you here alone?

Etr,tnra: Do not you chide. I have a thing for you.

Iaco: A thing for me? It is a common thing -Eruu-re: Ha?

Iaco: To have a foolish wife.

Enlrra: O, is that all? What will you give me now

For that same handkerchief?

Ieco: What handkerchief?

Euu-te: What handkerchief?

Why that the Moor first gave to Desdemona,

That which so often you did bid me steal.

Lqco: Hast stole it from her?

14 Shakespeariences

Eurr-rl:

l,q,co:

El,nr-l,q:

Ieco:

Ettttlte:

No, faith, she let it drop by negligence,

And, to the advantage, I being here, took't up.

Look, here it is.

A good wench. Give it me.

What will you do with it, that you have been

So earnest to have me filch it?

ISnatching it] Why, what's that to you?

If it be not for some purpose of import,

Give't me again. Poor lady, she'll run mad

When she shall lack it.

Be not you known on't, I have use for it ...Go, leave me.

In co:

lExit Emilial

Performa nce and i mprovisation

Working in pairs, try out different ways of treating speech and action in

this text. Or you may want to work in threes, with one person acting as

audience or director.

. Try saylng lago's first line:

a) as if pleasantly surprised to see her

b) as if annoyed to be interruPted.

\Mhich do you think is more appropriate?

. Is his'lllhat handkerchief?'

a) keen and interested, or

b) annoyed and not really listeningr?

Which is more effective?

. Which words in Emilia's and lago's speech tell us that there is some

friction in their relationshiP?

. lMhen does Iagto first notice the handkerchieP

. Does Emilia hide the handkerchieP Is it:

a) screwed up in her hand, or

b) concealed about her Person, or

c) held behind her back?

. What is Iago thinking when he asks if she has stolen the handkerchieP

. Does she show it to him then hide it?

. Why does Iago'snatch it'?

. Is there a struggle over the handkerchief?

. How does Iago say'Go, leave me'' Is it:

a) tenderly, with an affectionate embrace, or

b) harshly, no longer interested in her now he has what he wants?

Which do you think is more appropriate?

Part Two 15

. How does Emilia exit - and what is she thinking and feeling?

Playing the scene will give you some ideas about the two characters andtheir relationship. It wiII also give you a chance to see if the scene can befunny, or sad - or both.

Discussion

In your pairs, or groups of three, discuss how your performance of the lineshas helped you to judge the characters and their relationship. Try thesequestions about the scene and make brief notes. Check what you thinkagainst details in the text.

I What does it show about Iago?. Is he wrapped up in his own thoughts at the beginning of this

scene?. Is he affectionate to his wife before he sees the handkerchieP. Is he grateful to her for finding it?. Is he quick to see how this can help him in his plans?. Is he warm and lovingf. Mlhen and why does he show any feeling for her?. Does he take/snatch/pull the handkerchief from her?

2 What does it show about Emilia?. Does she give him the handkerchieP. Is she keen to give it to him because she wants to please him?. Is she sorry after she has griven it to him?. Does she realise what damage he may cause if he gets the

handkerchief?. Is she angry at his treatment of her?

3 What does it show about the relationship between them?. Is it a relationship of love on both sides?. Are they equal partners in the relationship?. Does she submit to his orders? Does her plan work?

4 \i\Ihat makes the scene interesting to an audience?. Is there anything comic in the scene?. Is there anything emotional in the scene?

After your discussion, you may wish to play the scene again.

Sound cues

A modern theatre is purpose-built to enable an audience to see and heareverything in comfort.It will have:

. a stereophonic sound system with speakers all around

. house lights that go down to leave the audience in the dark

' lights to make everything visible on the stage and spottights to pick outdetails

16 Shakespeariences

. a curtain to come down between acts or scenes to hide changes of the

set

. raked seating so that members of the audience can see over the heads

of those in front of them.

Shakespeare's plays were performed in open air theatres without any of

the benefits of a sound system or good acoustics. The reconstruction of the

Globe Theatre in London shows how much the play was at the mercy of

surrounding noise and the weather. The actors'words had to be heard by

everyone, even at the back - and the mood of the characters had to be

clear from meaning and sound. Sometimes, Shakespeare would pack a line

with suitable sounds so that an actor was helped in projecting feeling.

In the following passagles, consider how various sounds are being worked

on to give more expression. Actors are being cued to expless emotion in

sound effects. Actors are helped to speak their lines by signals in the

sounds of vowels and consonants and by sentence structure.

Consonant cues

Example 1:

In this passagte, Leontes is watching his wife, Hermione, talking and

laughing with his best friend, Polixenes, and is becomingrfiercely jealous'

Shakespeare wants the actor to speak in a whisper so that others on stage

d.on't hear what he says, but the audience does.It is important that his

mood of bitter anger is clearly expressed. Shakespeare loads the lines with

sibilant sounds. Count the sibilants and practise saying the lines with as

fierce a hiss as you can.

lnterior of the reconstructed Globe Theatre, London

I

Part Two 17

SSSSSSSSSS!

Is whispering nothing?

Is leaning cheek to cheek? is meeting noses?

Kissing with inside lip? stopping the career

Of laughter with a sigh (a note infallibleOf breaking honesty)? horsing foot on foot?

Skulking in corners? wishing clocks more swift?

Hours, minutes? noon, midnight? and all eyes

Blind with the pin and web, but theirs, theirs only.

That would, unseen, be wicked? is this nothing?

(The Winter's Tale)

Example 2:

In this passage, Prospero is angry with the monster Caliban, whom hebefriended until he tried to rape his daughter, Miranda. Shakespeare wantsthe actor to be angry and threatening. He loads the lines vurt}:. fricatives,which are harsh sounds made in the throat. He also makes the actor drawin lots of air to thrust out again by stacking the opening lines with a

number of. aspirates.

H_K.G-RHag-seed, hence!

Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou'rt best,

To answer other business. Shrug'st thou, malice?

If thou neglect'st, or dost unwillinglyWhat I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps,

Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar,

That beasts shall tremble at thy din.

(The Tempest)

Example 3:

In this passagfe, the proud young soldier Coriolanus is being banishedfrom Rome by the people he'd saved from being conquered by theirenemies. Harsh fricatives are loaded into these lines to make the speechharsh and contemptuous. Count them and practise saying the lines.

C-K_H_RYou common cry of curs! whose breath I hate

As reek o' th' rotten fens, whose loves I prize

As the dead carcasses of unburied men

That do corrupt my air: I banish you!

(Coriolanus)

18 Shakespeariences

Example 4:

In these lines, Macbeth is guiltily talking through his plan to kill the good

King Duncan, who is a gruest at his castle. shakespeare wants the speech to

sound whispered and nervous, with lots of 'T' sounds. count them and

practise saYing the lines.

T_SIf 'twere done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well

It were done quickly: if the assassination

Could trammel up the consequence, and catch

With his surcease, success " '

(Macbeth)

Vowel cues

Long open vowels can sugl'gest sorrow and passion. Look at the way these

Iines are packed with long vowels:

Example 5:

Here is old King Lear's anguished plea to his daughters, who have refused

to let him have as many comforts and servants as he wants, now that he has

given the rule of his kingdom to them:

O, reason not the need!

Example 6:

Here is a king making a public speech in which he wants the audience to

think him sad and sincere. claudius poisoned his brother in order to win

the crown and marry his brother's wife'

Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death

The memory be green and that it us befitted

To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom

To be contracted in one brow of woe " '

(Hamlet)

Here he has moved on, trying to change the subject and the mood, trying

to impress the people with his brisk efficiency in taking decisions, a

reliable leader who can defend his country and do what's necessary'

Thus much the business is: we have here writ

To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras -Who, impotent and bed-rid - scarcely hears

of this his nephew's purpose, to suppress his further gait herein ...

(Hamlet)

Activity - sound test:

Remember that in English all vowels have two sounds, described as short

and long.

e.g. Short: act, eglg, ill, off, uncle

Long: art, below, dive, bone, use

Part Two 19

Read the two parts of Claudius'speech (in example 6) for the vowels only.This will sound very strange but reading it without the consonant soundswill show how different the two parts of his speech are.Write out the textand underline ( _ ) each long vowel sound and put a blob (.) over eachshort vowel. Count the number of long and short vowels in the two parts ofthis speech.

(You could even re-write these two parts of the speech in vowel sound. only.This would certainly help the actor to bmphasise the sound and mood ofthe lines.)

Cues for feeling and emphasis

Example 1:

In this speech, Hamlet is very disturbed. His thoughts about his mother'sswift remarriage are disrupted by strongifeelings which break into theorder of what he is thinking. The actor is cued into giving a realisticimpression of someone who interrupts his own speech with freshrememberings and feelings.

Heaven and earth,

Must I remember? Why; she would hang on himAs if increase of appetite had grown

By what it fed on; and yet within a month -Let me not think on't - Frailty, thy name is woman -A little month, or ere those shoes were'old

With which she follow'd my poor father's body,

Like Niobe, all tears - why, she -O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason

Would have moui"ned lorrger - marridd with my uncle,

My father's brother - but no more like my father

Than I to Hercules.

(Hamlet)

On a sheet of paper, add notes on what is happening in Hamlet's head thataccompanies each of the eleven parts of this speech on the next pagre:

20 Shakespeariences

Heaven and earth, / Must I remember?

1

Why, she would hang on him / As if increase of appetite had grown

By what it fed on;

2

and yet withrn a month -aJ

Let me not think on't -4

Frailty, thy name is woman -5

A little month, or ere those shoes were old / With which she follow'd my poor

father's body, / Like Niobe, all tears

6

- why, she -7

O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason / Would have mourned longer

8

- married with my uncle,

9

My father's brother

10

- but no more like my father / Than I to Hercules.

11

Part Two 21

Example 2:

Here Shakespeare writes lines which help the actor to show how disturbedMacbeth has become, fragmenting the speech in a disjointed fashion toshow a loss of control - not just of his own thoug,hts and feelings, but ofevents around him. The speech includes plenty of hints about how otherson stagre, who have no lines to speak, should be behaving.

Throw physic to the dogs; I'll none of it. -Come, put mine armour on, give me my staff. -Seyton, send out - Doctor, the thanes fly from me. -Come sir, despatch. - If thou couldst, Doctor, cast

The water of my land, find her disease,

And purge it to a sound and pristine health,

I would applaud thee to the very echo,

That should applaud again. - Pull't off, I say. -What rhubarb, senna, or what purgative drugWould scour these English hence? - Hear'st thou of them?

(Macbeth)

Now, in pairs or grroups, share your answers to these questions:

I How many people are on stage?

2 what do you think the doctor feels when his medicine is rejected?

3 How does he feel when Macbeth then turns to him and confesses hisfeelings?

4 At what points does Macbeth seem emotionally disturbed?

5 At what points does he seem to gather himself and recover his sense ofpurpose and authority?

6 what do you think the armourer is feeling and doing during thisspeech?

7 \Mhen do you think Seyton goes off and comes back?

8 If Macbeth keeps turning around to talk to different people, whatimpression does it create on stage?

on a sheet of paper, make notes on mood and action that would help anactor playing Macbeth. Number your notes to fit the nine parts of thespeech, as shown on the next pagre:

22 Shakespeariences

Throw physic to the dogs; I'll none of it. -1

Come, put mine armour on; give me my staff' -2

Seyton, send out -3

Doctor, the thanes flY from me. -4

Come sir, desPatch. -5

If thou couldst, Doctor, cast / The water of my land, find her disease, / And purge

it to a sound and pristine health, / I would applaud thee to the very echo, / That

should applaud again. -6

Fbll't off, I say. -7

What rhubarb, senna or what purgative drug / Would scour these English hence? -

8

Hear'st thou of them?

9

Part Two 23

Example 3:

Here is a challenging piece for an actor, but one that can be used to get

some laughs. Proud and reckless young Hotspur is called to face the Kingfor not carrying out his orders to send prisoners to the King so that he

could ransom them for large sums of money. He knows the King is angryand has to find a reason for apparently failing to do what he was told. If he

can make the King laugh and blame someone else, he can get himself offthe hook. So the actor on stagte has to act as Hotspur acting as the

messenger.We don't know the truth of the matter, and we don't know what

the messenger was really like, but Hotspur gives a vivid performance.

My liege, I did deny no prisoners,

But I remember, when the fight was done,

When I was dry with rage, and extreme toil,

Breathless and faint, leaning upon my sword,

Came there a certain lord, neat and trimly dressed,

Fresh as a bridegroom, and his chin new reaped,

Showed like a stubble land at harvest home.

He was perfumed like a milliner,

And twixt his finger and his thumb he held

Apouncet-box, which ever and anon

He gave his nose, and took't away again -Who, therewith angry, when it next came there,

Took it in snuff, and still he smiled and talked:

And as the soldiers bore dead bodies by,

He called them untaught knaves, unmannerly,

To bring a slovenly unhandsome corpse

Betwixt the wind and his nobility.

With many holiday and lady terms

He questioned me, amongst the rest demanded

My prisoners in your majesty's behalf.

I then, all smarting with my wounds being cold,

To be so pestered with a popinjay,

Out of rny grief and my impatience,

Answered neglectingly, I know not what ...

(Henry IV Part 1)

Working in groups, discuss these questions:

I What actions do you think Hotspur will be using to mimic the

messenger?

2 V\Ihere (and how) will he be changing his voice to imitate the man's

style of speech?

3 Which words does he deliberately choose to make the messeng'er

seem like a woman?

4 Which actions does he think will make the King feel critical of the

messenger?

24 Shakespeariences

I

5 How does Hotspur remind the King of his own efforts in his cause?

6 Where does he hope to make his listeners and the King laugh?

Example 4:

In this speech, which is the start of Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare

shows us what two Roman soldiers think of Antony, their leader. As

soldiers, they take a stern view of his weaknesses, and Shakespeare gives

them language which is based on their military experience. He also uses

sounds which suggest anger and contempt.

Acr ONr, ScsNn lEnter Demetrius and Philo.

Pstt-o: Nay, but this dotage of our general's

O'erflows the measure: those his goodly eyes

That o'er the files and musters of the war

Have glowed like plated Mars, now bend, now turn

The office and devotion of their view

Upon a tawny front. His captain's heaft,

Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst

The buckles on his breast, reneges all temper,

And is become the bellows and the fan

To cool a gypsy's lust.

Flourish. Enter Antony, Cleopatra, her Ladies, the Train,

with Eunuchs fanning her.

(Antony and CLeopatra)

Jot down your answers to these questions, and compare your list withothers:

. Which words suggest a soldier's language?

. Which sounds suggest ang'er and contempt?

Cue action! Storying the gaps

V\Ihat has to be done on stage to bring alive for an audience thecharacters'feelings and to fill in the gaps in the story? Try working on thisexample from Antony and Cleopatra.

The two grreat Roman leaders, Antony and Caesar, are to meet in the house ofLepidus, the third member of the leadership. He is nenrous because he knows

that the two generals are jealous of each other and may fall out. Antony ismuch older than Caesar, and resents the way he behaves as an equal. Caesar

thinks Antony is old and past it, wasting his time on wild Iiving in Egrypt. It is a

potentially e:rplosive situation, and Lepidus does all he can to make itpeaceable, appealing to Antonyb friend, Enobarbus, to keep things calm.

Lspnus: It shall become you well to entreat your captain

To soft and gentle speech.

ENoe,ARsus: I shall entreat him

To answer like himself.

Part Two 25

Lnptnus: 'Tis not a tirne for private stomaching.

But small to greater matters nrust gir,e u'ay.

ENos,qRsus: Not if the small conte first.

LEptnus: I pray yilu, stir no embers up. Here comes

the noble Antony.

Erttar Antort.y ruttl Vt:riidiu.s bLtsil.t, toLking to ettt'h other right.

ENOeenBus: And yonder, Caesar.

Ente r Cuer'or rtncl Moecenu.s ctrul Agrippu, bLr.sil.t' tulkirtg leli.

ANroNv: If we compose r.vell here, to Parthia.

Hark. Ventidius.

I do not know, Nlaecaenas. Ask Agrippa.

Noble fiiends.

That which combined us was most great, so let not

A leaner action rend us. What's amiss,

May it be gently heard. Touch you the sourest

Pornts with sweetest terms, I beg, my Lords.

C,qEsnn:

LEprnus:

ANroNv: 'Tis spoken rvell.

F I ouri s lr of truntpet,s.

C,qES,tR: Welcome to Rome.

Axloxy: Thank you.

C.q,Es.AR: Sit.

AlroNv: Sit. sir.

CeEs,q.R. Nay, then.

He sits, followed by Antony.

With the last ten words of this script, Shakespeare creates a very tense andhostile atmosphere.What is each character thinking at each stage of thisexchangre? \trIhat must they do on stage to make this an exciting sceneabout power and rivalry?

Jot down on paper the thoughts that each of the two characters has beforeand after each numbered bit of speech, showing what is the underlyingmotive and the response to the other in this exchang'e.

F I o uri,v h o.f t rum p ets.

I Caps,qn:

2 ANroNv:

3 C,qssln:

4 ANroNv:

5 Cars,qn:

Welcome to Rome.

Thank you.

Sit.

Sit, sir.

Nay, then.

He si.ts, Jollott,etl by Antom'.

25 Shakespeariences

Practical activities

Here are some active things to do with the scene. They can be done by one

group in front of the class, then other grroups can practise on their own

before returning to show how they treat the script and use chairs as props.

See what difference there is using a) three identical chairs and b) one

chair better than the others.

I The anxious host (one performer)As host, Lepidus needs to make the arrangements for the meeting. Avolunteer to play Lepidus can be arranging the chairs for the meetingr,

thinking out loud what wiII happen if Caesar or Antony thinks he has

the second best chair, or an inferior position - or if either of themthinks that Lepidus is making himself more important.

2 Status and positionPractise ways in which one person sittingrand the other standingrcanconvey different messages about status. Here are some possiblesituations for improvisation:. A pupil is called in to talk to the Head about work. The Head sits; the

pupil stands.. A suspect is sitting in a police cell, answering questions. The

suspect sits; the detective stands.. A job applicant is called into an interview in front of a panel of four

people. AII sit. Try one interviewee nervous, the other confident.

3 Body language (five performers)Each player tries various ways of expressing' a state of mind or a status

by sitting in a chair. Try:. casual, bored and indifferent. impatient, ready to start business. angry, not wanting to start talking. confident, relaxed, poised (this is my chair, my place). waitingrnervously to be called for an interview (inspect soles of

shoe, cuffs, watch).

4 Status and chairs (one performer)Give Lepidus a problem by not making all the chairs similar. One couldbe much better than the other two - or there could be three chairs ofdifferent status.

5 Staging the sitting. How might Antony sit? (try five performers). How might Caesar sit? (try five performers). How does Caesar sit - and in which chair? (one performer). How does Antony take the remaining available chair? (reversed?

moved?). Vllhat part is played by their respective supporters? (four

performers for Maecenas, Agrippa andVentidius and Enobarbus). V\Ihat does Lepidus do?

Part Two 27

After you have completed the practical activities discuss the followingquestion.You may also choose to write about your thoughts.

. Is this scene serious and menacing - or comical?

Working with text What we've done so far has involved studying Shakespeare's technique as

(Twelfth Night) " *:1.., of playscript, a maker of drama L. n":. see.n how n: *"I.:conflicts wilhin a person come to life, and how he makes conflicts betweenpeople come to life. Personalities clashing, moods changing and situationsdeveloping all make good drama. But drama also comes from ideas, as

well as actions, as we shall see in Part Three.

Before moving on to that phase, you can put some of your enperience intoaction. Here is a script to be performed.It needs groups of six for the partsof Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Olivia, Maria, Malvolio and Fabian. Read throughthese scenes and discuss what sort of person each of the six characters is,and what sort of voice each would have. Then try to put the text into action,making it as lively and entertaining as you can.

Essential props: a letter, some ridiculous item of clothing (it doesn't have tobe cross-grarters - in this version we use a purple corduroy jacket) andsomething to represent a bush or wall to hide behind.

Other useful props: one pair of boots, a mirror, two bottles.

Scenes from Twelfth NightSctNs l: the Lady Olivia's house in lllyriaIt is one o'clock in the morning. Maria is half-asleep in a chair in the

kitchen.

MaRra: Where can he be until this time of night?

It's the same each time he goes out drinking.

There is a noise outside, then a knock. Another louder knock follows as

Maria goes to open the door.

M,q.Rre: Sir Toby! Shh! Where have you been? Shh! Oh!

What a state! Come in and keep your voice down.

Stn Toey: I have ... I have been ... out ... with my good friend.

Me,zua: Sir Toby, you must come in earlier at night.

My Lady takes exception to your hours.

Srn Toey: Well, let her.

MaRra: You must try to keep a good appearance.

StR Tosy: Appearance! Ha! These clothes are good enough to drinkin, and these boots. Give 'em a pull!

MaRm: Why do you go round with that foolish knight?

He's a scoundrel and always in trouble and drunk every

night in your company.

Stn Toey: He has raised his glass to drink my niece's health ...

He is a scholar and a gentleman.

28 Shakespeariences

He can play the flute and ... dance .. ' and speak in

French ... and he's got thirty grand ayearl

There is a noise at the doot then a crash, then a knock.

Stn Toev: Ah, that'll be him now!

Srn ANonew: Psssst! Sir Toby!

Stn Toev: Sweet Sir Andrewl

MeRIa: Shh! Both of you! You'll wake my Lady!

Srn Toev: My niece's chambermaid, Sir Andrew. Greet her!

Sn ANonBw: Ah! Erhem! Good evening, Greta. lBows)

MeRm: Enough of this, now, gentlemen.'Tis late.

Sln Tosv: Nay! To be up late ... is to be up ... late. It's not too late

for a little drink. What says Sir Andrew?

SrR ANonpw: A drink? O yes, a drink and then a song!

Mezua: A song! At this time of night? You'll have us all in

trouble. For the love of God, hold thy peace!

Stn Tosv: Yes, there's a song. 'Hold thy Peace.' fSings. Sir

Andrew joins in, singing a round]

MenIa: Now you've done it. You've woken Malvolio' lEnterMalvolio)Oh, Malvolio, Sir Toby's ... er ... a little tired.

Muvolto: My masters, are you mad? Have you no sense

or manners to be caterwauling at this hour? Do you make

an alehouse of my Lady's dwelling? She is sad and

grieving for the death of her brother. Have you no respect

for place or person or time?

SR Toev: We kept time in our singing! Go on, sup up! lOffers him

a drinkl A bit of cake and ale will do you good, you old

misery.

Mervot-lo: How dare you! I shall report you to my Lady in the

morning. You've not heard the last of this.

Malvolio strides out, followed by Sir Andrew, copying his walk.

Mnnm: Go shake your ears! O, what a pompous ass!

Sn ANnnBw: Who does he think he is, to treat us so?

SIn Tosv: God's gift, he thinks. The trouble is, he has the trust of

my niece, and she'll believe him.

M,q,RIe: 'Tis true. So let us make her trust him not.

StR Tosv: What wilt thou do? How can we shame this ass?

MeRIe: I can write very like my Lady Olivia. I will drop in his

way some note that seems to prove that she's in love

with him. We'll have some sport, I'll warrant'

Part Two 29

SR Toev: Excellentl And we can watch to see him take the bait.

ManrR: And get him to wear something outrageous when he

meets her next - remember she's in mourning.

Srn ANonew: What a good wench! Well done, Greta! Well done!

He does a skipping dance in a circle. Sir Toby claps his hands, calling

out 'Higher! Higher!'and Sir Andrew tries to lift his knees higher until

he collapses, out of brectth.

Scaus 2: Olivia's garden

SR Toev: Come this way, Master Fabian. Would you like to see MrPerfect make a fool of himself?

FaetaN: I would, man. Let me be boiled to death rather than miss

this. You know he got me into trouble with my Lady

because he saw me in the betting shop.

SIn ANoRpw: Well, Yll bet we get the better of him. Hee hee!

M.c,Rte: Get ye all three into the box-tree. Malvolio's coming this

way. He's been practising putting on his manners for the

last half hour. I'11 drop the letter here.

All four hide and watch Malvolio talking to himself, practising

handshakes and bowing. He carries a pocket mirror.

Me,Lvot-to: If only I could be Lord Malvolio.

StR Tosv: Whatl The rogue!

FeeraN: Shh !

MnlvoLto: I would wear my velvet gown and call my servants about

me. You, Andrew Thingy, fetch me some paper ...

Sm ANonew: Oh, what a cheek!

Ma,LvoLto: And you, Sir Toby, leave the house, you drunken sot.

Stn Toev: I'll cudgel him!

FaetaN: SHH! He's seen the letter.

Mnrvot-to: Ah! What's this? This looks like Olivia's writing.'I cannot stop thinking about my darling M-. I love to

hear his voice and I love the way he walks. I dream

about him inhis llturple corduroy jacker). But my love

must stay a secret in this diary. If only he felt for me the

way I feel for him. O my dearest M-! One smile from

him would ...' 'Tis torn; there is no more. She loves me!

Thanks, God! I will smile indeed.

Malvolio puts the paper next to his heart andwalks off, muttering, 'Lord

and Lady Malvolio ... His worship, Malvolio and his wife, Olivia',

followed by the plotters.

30 Shakespeariences

Scerc j: Olivia's study

OLtvn: Maria! Where is Malvolio?

MRRr.q.: He's coming, madam, but in a very strange manner.

Olrvtr: Why, what's the matter?

MaRIe: He does nothing but smile, your Ladyship. You'd best be

careful, for I'm sure he's lost his wits.

OlIvIe: Go call him hither. Ah, how now, Malvolio?

Ma,Lvor-Io: Sweet Lady, Ho, \'tsr. [He winks at her]

Olrvn: Ho, ho? I sent for you because I needed you'

Melvot-to: Needed me? You needed me? I'm here, my dearest.

OLNr,q: My dearest!

M.qlvoLro: Yes darling! lMoving towards her)

Or-tvIR: Darling!r.l [Backing awayl

Melvot-to: You see what I'm wearing? I know what you like ...

Olrym: Are you mad?

Melvot-Io: Mad for your love. 'One smile from him would ...'What

would it do for you, mY love, mY sweet?

Or-wt,q: I don't know what to say. Words fail me!

M,qrvollo: Dearest, let your sweet lips do all the talking.

OlIvm: This is ridiculous boldness! You should go to bed.

Melvot-to: To bed, my love? Oh yes, at any time!

Olivia tries to keep the table between them but he follows her round. She

looks for help. He has her trapped against the wall.

Melvor-to: Some are born great ...

Olwte: What?

Mu-volro: Some achieve greatness ... lHe kneels in front of her]

OlIvta: What are you saYing?

MalvoLlo: And some have greatness thrust upon them ...

Malvolio tries to embrace her. She escapes from his clutch and runs out.

Malvolio pauses to admire himself in the mirror. He picks up her pen

and kisses it.

Mnt-vot-to: She loves me! She's mine, all mine! The lucky girll

(script by William Shakespeare and A.N. Other)

Part Two 31

Performance notes and queries

I What can be made amusing in Maria's removing of Sir Toby'sboots?

2 How does Malvolio enter in Scene I?What is he wearing?V\Ihat ishe carrying?

3 How can his exit be made amusing?

4 How can the box tree (or equivalent) be used to make the sceneamusing?

Working with ideas In this section we will look at the ideas which shakespeare explores

through different characters. He puts words in the mouths of kings and

lords, sold.iers and tradesmen, showing how all see the world differently.

Members of an audience may react differently to the ideas they hear and

vary in their sympathies.It is very hard to tell whether the words

shakespeare puts into a character's mouth are his own feelings or not' For

example, this is what Hamlet says about the way that theatre and life are

connected:

...thepurposeofplaying,whoseend,bothatthefirstandnow,wasandis, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature,

scom her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form

and Pressure.

Discuss the following questions:

1 What d'oes Hamlet think is the .mirror'purpose of drama?

2 How may people learn from drama and other literature about'virtue'

and things to'scorn'?

3 Can d.rama teII us anything about the'form'or structure of society, or

the'pressure'or forces and conflicts in it?

4 Do you think this speech reflects shakespeare's own ideas?

The following examples from shakespeare's writing show how well he

understood a range of human experiences and attitudes to society.

Because each is spoken by a character in a play, remember that other

characters may feel differently. The questions after each passage may

serye as a basis for discussion.Working in gnoups, try speaking the lines

aloud in different ways, or improvise a discussion with a speaker who

d.isagrees with the viewpoint presented'

On human society, politics and leadership

I Read, for example, this long comparison between a human kingdom or

society and a hive of bees.It is spoken by the Archbishop of

Canterbury early in HenrYV.

Therefore doth heaven divide

The state of man in divers functions,

Setting endeavour in continual motion;

To which is fixed, as an aim or butt,

Obedience: for so work the honey-bees,

Creatures that by a rule in nature teach

The act of order to a peopled kingdom.

They have a king and officers of sorts;

Where some, like magistrates, correct at home,

Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad,

Part Three 33

Others, like soldiers, armed in their stings,

Make boot upon the summer's velvet buds,

Which pillage they with merry march bring home

To the tent-royal of their emperor;

Who, busied in his majesty, surveys

The singing masons building roofs of gold,

The civil citizens kneading up the honey,

The poor mechanic porters crowding in

Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate,

The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum,

Delivering o'er to executors pale

The lazy yawning drone. I this infer,

That many things, having full reference

To one consent, may work contrariously:

As many arrows, loosed several ways,

Come to one mark; as many ways meet in one town;

As many fresh streams meet in one salt sea;

As many lines close in the dial's centre;

So may a thousand actions, once afoot,

End in one purpose, and be all well bome

Without defeat.

(Henry V)

Discuss:. \i\Ihat view of society (being like a beehive) is emphasised in this

speech?. What arguments might you raise against the comparison of humans

and bees?. How far are your attitudes affected by knowing that the speaker is

an archbishop?. In the play, this speech ends by urging King Henry to go to war with

France. How do you think this follows from the passage you have read?

Here Shakespeare comrnents on the behaviour of people who try hard tobecome powerful and then change when they have got what they wanted.Brutus is thinking to himself about his fears of Caesar's ambition.

But 'tis a common proof

That lowliness is young ambition's ladder,

Whereto the climber-upward turns his face;

But when he once attains the upmost round,

He then unto the ladder turns his back,

Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees

By which he did ascend.

(lulius Caesar)

Discuss:. \Mhat is the method of winning popularity in order to become

politically powerful here?

34 Shakespeariences

. lllhat is the attitude of the politician once he has got what he was

after?. Do you think what shakespeare saw in politicians in his day is true

of politicians today? \Mhat examples could you find of politicians

who are or are not like this?

3 In this passagre, King Richard describes to his cronies how Henry

Bolingbroke made people want to support him' (Later in the play

Bolingbroke succeeds in taking the crown from Richard.)

[We] Observed his courtship to the common people,

How he did seem to dive into their hearts

With humble and familiar courtesy;

What reverence he did throw away on slaves,

Wooing poor craftsmen with the craft of smiles ...

Off goes his bonnet to an oyster-wench;

A brace of draymen bid God speed him well,

And had the tribute of his supple knee ...

(Richard III)

Discuss:. \trIhat do the words'courtship'and'wooing'suggest about his way of

relating to peoPle?. v\Ihy was he so keen to show that he cared for common people like

'craftsmen' and an' oyster-wench' and' draymen'?. Vllhat is suggested about his behaviour when his knee is described

as'supple'?

4 On the eve of the Battle of Agiincourt, KingrHenryV reflects on the

power of a king, and how limited it is.

Think'st thou the fiery fever will go out

With titles blown from adulation?

Will it give place to flexure and low-bending?

Can'st thou, when thou command'st the beggar's knee

Command the health of it? No, thou proud dream ...

(Henry V)

Discuss:. How does shakespeare use imagtes of health and disease to make a

comment on rank and status?

. A king can make people respectful and obedient but there are some

simple things beyond his power.V\Ihat are they?

. \fiIhat does Shakespeare mean by'proud dream'?

On general human experiences

Youth

I Jaques, in his speech about 'the seven ages of man' sarcastically

describes a typical young man's behaviour.

Part Three 35

And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress'eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth.

(As You Like It)

Discuss:. How does this mock the exaggerated behaviour of a teenage lover?. What fashionable parts of personal appearance does he refer to?

\l\Ihat makes the teenager seem ready to take offence at anything?. How does he make reputation seem something very fragile and

easily lost?. What makes the teenager seem a person likely to take grreat risks in

order to impress people with his toughness?

2 Before going away, Laertes (a young man himself) warns his young sisterOphelia to treat Prince Hamlet's approaches with caution.

The canker galls the infants of the spring

Too oft before their buttons be disclosed,

And in the morn and liquid dew of youth

Contagious blastments are most imminent.

Be wary, then: best safety lies in fear.

Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.

(Hamlet)

Discuss:. How does Laertes make youth seem a time of danger?. ilIhat does he suggest about youngsters and their need to rebel?. Is reason or fear a better guide, according to taertes?. What is the effect of comparing springtime flowers with young

people?. What helps him suggest that there are dangerous temptations in

youth?

Love

3 In this passage young Romeo has just caught his first glimpse of Juliet at

a party. He immediately forgets Rosaline, the girl he has been in lovewith until now, and thinks Juliet is the most beautiful and desirable girl hehas ever seen.

O she doth teach the torches to burn bright.

It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night

Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear;

Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!

36 Shakespeariences

So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,

As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.

(Romeo and Juliet)

Discuss:. \Mhat does he mean by his comparison with the torches?. Can this be literally true?. Can anyone be too beautiful for'use'? - too precious to be on the

earth?. Do you think all the other girls there were really like crows

compared to a dove?. Does the passage suggest

a) Romeo is being quite objective?

b) he is exaggerating as a joke?

c) he believes that she is more like a goddess than a real person?

4 Some relationships are based on first appearances. Others survivewhen appearances change. Here is Shakespeare thinking about the realtest of love - when someone you love may change. Nobody stays theway they are at the age of fifteen, eighteen, twenty-one or whatever!

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments: love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds.

(Sonnet 116)

Discuss:

. \trIhat sort of impediments may get in the way of true love?

. V\Ihat is the difference between these words: fancy,lust,love,infatuation?

. Vllhat does Shakespeare think is the best test of whether love is realor not?

War and peace

5 In this passage, King Henry threatens the French citizens of Harfleurwith what will happen if they do not surrender the town to him and theEnglish army.

The gates of mercy shall be all shut up,

And the flesh'd soldier, rough and hard of heart,

In liberty ofbloody hand shall range

With conscience wide as hell, mowing like grass

Your fresh-fair virgins and your flowering infants ...

The blind and bloody soldier with foul hand

Defile the locks of your shrill-shrieking daughters;

Your fathers taken by their silver beards,

And their most reverend heads dash'd to the walls;

Your naked infants spitted upon pikes ...

(Henry V)

Part Three 37

Discuss:. V\Ihich words in this passage seem chosen for the violent roughness

of their sound?. V\Ihich words seem chosen to make the reader feel shocked by

brutal violence?. How is war made threatening to civilians, not just dangerous for

soldiers?

6 Here, at the very beginning of Richard ///, Richard himself describeshow the end of civil war has brought the pleasures of peace.

Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths,

Our bruised arms hung up for monuments,

Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,

Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.

Grim-visaged War hath smoothed his wrinkled front,

And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds

To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,

He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber

To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.

(Richard III)

Discuss:. How does Shakespeare use contrast in this speech?. V\Ihich words make War seem like a living creature?. V\Ihich words are coupled more effectively by using repeated

sounds?

WOfking with We don't have any of Shakespeare's plays in his own handwriting. The texts

dfaftS we use are based on volumes printed in his own lifetime or just after (thefirst collected edition came out in I623, seven years after his death). Thesevolumes do not all agrree, and one of the problems for actors and directorsis to know which text to use. Because they made different choices, onerecent version of. Hamlet lasted four hours and another two and a half. Thissection provides a practical introduction to these problems.

Here is the opening of the play Hamlet as it appeared in its first printeddraft in 1603. T\nro sentries are on the castle battlements at night. They arenervous, because a ghost has been seen twice and may appear again.They have called for Horatio, a scholar, to act as a witness.

l: Stand: who is that?

2: 'Tis L

1: O you come most carefully upon your watch.

2: And if you meet Marcellus and Horatio,

The partners of my watch, bid them make haste.

1: I will. See who goes there.

HoRauo: Friends to this ground.

38 Shakespeariences

M,qRcst-t-us: And liegemen to the Dane.

O farewell honest soldier. Who hath relieved you?

1: Barnardo hath my place, give you good night.

Mence,u-us: Holla Bamado.

2: Say, is Horatio there?

HoRRrto: A piece of him.

2: Welcome Horatio. Welcome good Marcellus.

Mencpu-us: What, hath this thing appeared again tonight?

2: I have seen nothing.

MaRcBt-t-us: Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy,

And will not let belief take hold of him,

Touching this dreaded sight twice seen by us.

Therefore I have entreated him along with us

To watch the minutes of this night

That if again this apparition come

He may approve our eyes, and speak to it.

HoRerro: Tut, 'twill not appear.

In the second printed version of the play, dated two years later, the

opening reads like this:

BenNaoo: Who's there?

FReNcrsco: Nay, answer me. Stand, and unfold yourself.

BpRNeno: Long live the king!

FRaNcrsco: Bemado?

BrnN.q,oo: He.

FR,qNcIsco: You come most carefully upon your hour.

BenNepo: 'Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed Francisco.

FnnNcrsco: For this relief much thanks. 'Tis bitter cold,

And I am sick at heart.

BpRNeoo: Have you had quiet guard?

FReruclsco: Not a mouse stirring.

BrRNapo: Well good night.

If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,

The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste.

FReNcrsco: I think I hear them - Stand, ho! Who is there?

HoReuo: Friends to this ground.

Mancellus: And liegemen to the Dane.

FR.q.Nctsco: Give you good night.

Menceu-us: O farewell honest soldier.

Who hath relieved you?

Part Three 39

FRRNctsco: Bernado hath my place

Give you good night.

MaRcpl-t-us: Holla! Bemado!

BBRNaoo: Say, what, is Horatio there?

HoReto: A piece of him.

BeRNano: Welcome, Horatio. Wecome good Marcellus.

MeRcst-t-us: What, hath this thing appeared again tonight?

BpRNe,po: I have seen nothing.

MRRcsr-lus: Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy,

And will not let belief take hold of him,

Touching this dreaded sight twice seen by us.

Therefore I have entreated him along with us

To watch the minutes of this night

That if again this apparition come

He may approve our eyes, and speak to it.

Hon,qrro: Tush, tush; 'twill not appear.

Compare the two versions. Consider:

I What explicit details of setting have been added in the later draft?

2 What additional setting of mood is there in the second draft?

3 Is Horatio's disbelief more effective with the line 'Tut, 'twill not appear'or'Tush, T'ush, 'twill not appear'?

4 If you were producing the play, which version would you choose tofollow? V\Ihy?

Here is another example of a speech from Hamlet that exists for us indifferent versions.In 1603 you might have heard an Elizabethan actorbegin the most famous soliloquy in Shakespeare like this:

To be, or not to be, ay there's the point,

To die, to sleep, is that all? Ay all:

No, to sleep, to dream, I marry, there it goes,

For in that dream of death, when we awake,

And borne before an everlasting Judge,

From whence no passenger ever returned,

The undiscovered country, at whose sight

The happy smile, and the accursed damn'd.

But for this, the joyful hope of this,

Who'd bear the scorns and flattery of the world,

Scorned by the right rich, the rich cursed of the poor?

The widow being oppressed, the orphan wrong'd,

The taste of hungeq or a tyrant's reign,

And thousand more calamities besides,

To grunt and sweat under this weary life,

When that he might his full quietus make,

40 Shakespeariences

With a bare bodkin, Who would this endure

But for a hope of something after death?

Which puzzles the brain, and doth confound the sense,

Which makes us rather bear those evils we have

Than fly to others that we know not of.

Ay that, O this conscience makes cowards of us all.

Two years later you might have heard it delivered like this in the theatre.

To be, or not to be - that is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And, by opposing, end them? To die - to sleep -No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to; 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To die - to sleep -To sleep! perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil

Must give us pause. There's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life.

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The pangs of despised love, the law's delay

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a wearY life,

But that the dread of something after death -The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No traveller returns - puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience doth make cowards,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought;

And enterprises of great pitch and moment,

With this regard, their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action.

I How many differences can you find and what remains the same?

2 Vllhere there are differences, is the meaning of one clearer than the

other?

3 Which do you think is the better version for explaining Hamlet's state of

mind?

Part Three 41

4 Faced by two printed versions, how could any reader or audience haveknown exactly what Shakespeare wrote for performance?

Now read a third version of the same speech, written for modern readersby a modern author.

To live or not to live. That is the issue. Is it more noble to endure the

blows of fickle forlune, or to fight an unwinnable battle against

overwhelming odds and be overcome by them?

To die is to sleep: nothing more. And if - by a sleep - we could end the

heartaches and the thousand everyday anxieties that humans suffer, itwould be an outcome to be cordially welcomed.

To die ... to sleep ... to sleep and perhaps to dream ... Yes, there's the

snag! Those dreams that we might have during that sleep of death - after

we've cast off the hurly-burly of mortal life - must make us hesitate.

That's what makes us tolerate suffering so long.

Who would bear the torments of the world we live in - the tyrant's

injustice, the arrogant man's rudeness, the pangs of unrequited love, the

slow process of the law, the insolence of men in authority and the insults

that the humble suffer - when he could settle everything himself with amere dagger?

Who would be a beast of burden, grunting and sweating with fatigue, ifit were not that the dread of something after death - the unexplored

country from whose territory no traveller returns - boggles the mind,

and makes us choose to bear the troubles that we have rather than fly toothers that we know nothing about.

That's why our intelligence makes us all cowards, and why ourdetermination - normally so healthy-looking - takes on a sickly pallorthrough thinking over-much about precise details. This process causes

ventures of the highest importance to go astray and lose their impetus.

(from Hamlet edited and rendered into modern English

by Alan Durband, Hutchinson, 1986)

I In what ways do you find this version easier to understand?

2 Does it convey all the meaning of the original?

3 Does it have as much in sound and imagery to help an actor?

42 Shakespeariences

_H1n, To berornot to bc, I rhcrc s thcpoinf,To Dic, to fleepc,is that alll I all:No,to {lccpe,to dreame, I mrry thcrc it goes,Fcr in thac drermcofdcath, rvhcn wcc iwake,And borne beforc an cucrlaftins Iudse.F ro n: whcncc no pa(fco ger eu.ir. rui'nd,Thc vndifcoucrcd'countiy, at whofc 6ghtThc haopv finilc,and thc aco,rlcd dam"n'd.Br:t [or tlris,the ioyfull hopc ofthis,Whol'd beare the'fcorncs and flattcry of rhc world,S cornc ci by the right rich,thc rich curffcd ofthc poorc?T h e wido iv bein[ op pr. flcd, chc orphan rvrorg.<{,Thc taftc of hunger, or a rirants raig,]ne,And thoufand morc calarnitier bcfiIes,

1_9 grro, a.nd frreltg vodLr_this wearylifc,lVhcn that hc mayhisfull pxictumike,Wirh a barc bodkia, who woiild this indure,Bu r for r tropc offomcthing aftcr dead:?

Yl, i. t, p u fl is th c.b,rain e, arid dor h confound rh c feacc,Which makcs vs ratbr bcare thoG,cuillcs wchauc, 'Thanflic to otherstbat wcknow notof,I thatrO rhis confcicacemakcrcowardcs ofvs all,

IIan. T o bc, or not to bc, thac is thc quc[tion,Wtrcthcr tis noblcr in thc mindc ro (uffir

Wirh thb icgard rhiyr crurcnts rurne awry.And looG thenarne ofallion.

Thc flings and arrowes ofoutragious fortunc,Or to takc Armcs againfl aGa ofrroublegAnd by oppofing, ,i-rd themrto dic to fleepeNo morc, and by a llccpc, td 6y wc cndThc hart-akc, andthc thoufand natunll fhocksThrt fclh is hcirc to; tis a confuoationDcuoutly to bc wi(ht to dic to llccpe,To flccpg pcrchancc to dreamer l therc's therub,For in that hccpc of death wtut drcamc may coocWhen wc haui ft uffl ed off this mortatl coylcMuft eiuc vs pauG thcrctthc refpcttThas fi aker cilamitic of fo lon e IiFe :

For wLo woqld bcare the whifiandftorncrofiimc)Th'op prcflors wrong, dre proudc ma ns conomcly,Th< pangs of dcfpiz'd louc, thc lawes dclav,The infolcnce of offi cc, and thc fpurncsThat paricu mcrrit oFth'vnworthy n&cs,Wheu he himfclfc mieht his quiaas mak cWrth r bare bodlcin iwho wiuld fard;ls bcare,

To erunt md fweat-vndcr a wearic life,But that thc drcad offomabine aft et dcath,Thc rrndifcoucr'dcountry, frirn whofe borneNo trauilerreturncs, puzzels rhe will,And makes vs rathcr bcare rhoG ills we lraue,Thcn 8ic to odrersthat wc lnow not of,Thus confcience dooo nrake cowardr,And drus thc noriue hiew ofrcfoiutiooIs ficklcd orc wirh rhe pale ca0 ofrhought,

4l{ qt.rprifcsoFgrcir pirch and moicnr,This is what Hamlets's speech looked like in the first

printed copies of the play

Working with text Here is a final example to rehearse and perform in the same way as the

(MUC| AdO AbOUt scenes fromA Midsummer Night's Dream andTwelfth Night.It is about

- incompetent watchmen (an early version of the police) who take great

Nothing) pride in their importance.Try to think effective ways of distinguishing (inspeech and action) between these ignorant watchmen and the educatedcharacters like Leonato and the Sexton.

The WatchScgxn l: a street

DoceBRRv: Erhum!Are you good men and true?

VBRces: Yea, erhum, or else they shall suffer everlasting

salvation of their soul.

DocssRRy: Nay, that be small punishment if they fail in their

duty as the Prince's Watch.

VBRcBS: Well, give them their charge, neighbour Dogberry.

Part Three 43

DoceeRRv: Erhum hum! First, who think you the most disqualified

man to be constable?

Ftnsr WATcH: Hugh Oatcake, sir, or George Seacoal, for they can

write and read.

DocerRRy: Come hither, neighbour Seacoal. God hath blessed you lvith agood name and fortune hath blessed you with good looks: but to

write and read comes by your own nature and effbrt. Well done!

SsRcoaL: Both of which, Master Constable -DoceERRv: You have. I knew it would be your answer. You are the most

senseless and fit man for the constable of the Watch, therefore

bear you the lantern. This is your charge: first, you must

comprehend all fragrant men. You are to bid any man who's

there, 'Who's there?'and 'Stand, in the Prince's name'.

Spaco.ql: What if he will not?

DoGseRRv: Why, then, let him go; and thank God you are rid of a

knave.

If he will not say he is there and stand in the name of the Prince,

well, he is no true subject of the Prince.

DocseRRv: True, and they are to meddle with none but the Prince's subjects.

Second, you shall also make no noise in the streets; for, for the

Watch to babble and talk is most tolerable and not to be endured.

FInsr W,qrcH:Ha! We will rather sleep than talk. We know what belongs to a

Watch.

DocspRRv: Why, you speak like an honest watchman, for I cannot see how

sleeping can offend, only have acare that your weapons be not

stolen. Fourth, you are to call at all the ale-houses and bid those

that are drunk get home to bed.

SracoaL: What if they will not?

DocsERRy: Why, let them alone till they are sober; if they make you not a

better answer then, you may say they are not the men you took

them for.

Well sir, what if ...

Third, if you meet a thief, you may suspect him to be no true

man. And, for such men, the less you meddle with them, why the

more it is gain for your honesty.

Oarcarn: If we know him to be a thief, shall we lay hands on him?

DoceERRv: Truly, you may, but I think that they who touch pitch will be

defiled. The most peacable way, if you do take a thief, is to let

him show himself for what he is and 'steal' away from you.

Vg,RcBs: Oh, you have always been a merciful man, partner.

DocssRRv: Truly, I would not hang a dog by my will, much more a man

with any honesty in him.

Vgncr,s:

OercarB:

DoceERRy:

44 Shakespeariences

vBRCe,S: Lastly, if you hear a child cry in the night, you must call to the

nurse and bid her still it.

Sr,eco,q,l: What if the nurse be asleep and will not hear us?

DocsERRv: Why, then, depart in peace and let the child wake her, for you can

take a leopard to the trough but you can't make it change its spots.

Vgnces: Ah, true, true. Very true, very true. Very wise and true.

DocssRRy: This is the fifth of your charge: you, constable will reprehend the

Prince himself. If you meet anyone, you may stop them on

behalf of the Prince.

OarcnrB: What if I meet the Prince?

DoceeRRv: You are to stop him in the name of the Prince.

Snecoel: And what if the prince say he will not stop?

DocesRRv;. You are to report him for not stopping to himself.

Vr,Rcps: Nay, by'r Lady, that I think you cannot do.

DOcsBnnv:" Five pounds upon it, any man who knows his Law may tell you,

he may stop him, if he's willing. If he be not willing, it is an

offence to stay a man against his will.

Vr,RcBs: Ah, by the book, then I think it so. Very wise. Very true.

DoceERRv: Well, masters, good night. Any matter of weight chances, wake

me up. Good night. Be vigitant, I pray you.

SctNo 2

The Watch arrest a man they suspect to be a wrong-doer and Dogberry takes

charge. Hoping for praise and reward, he brings the suspect to Leonato.

LsoNaro: What would you with me, honest neighbour?

DocggRRy: I would, your honour, have some conference with you, hum,

about a matter that discerns your Heminence closely.

LBoNaro: Briefly, I pray you. It is a busy time with me'

DocssRRv: Well, sir, ahem, this it is, sir.

VBRGes: Yes, sir, ahem, your Esteemed Worthiness, sir, in truth it is, sir.

LBoruaro: Well what is it, good friends?

DocssRRy: Goodman Verges, sir, speaks a little off the matter - an old man,

sir, and his wits are not so blunt as they should be, but he's as

honest as the next man.

Vs,RcBs: Yes, sir, your Honour sir, thank you sir. I thank God I am as

honest as any man as honest as I am, or any man next to me'

DocseRnv: Your comparisons are odorous, neighbour Verges'

LeoNaro: Neighbours, you are tedious.

Part Three 45

DoceeRRy: Oh, sir, my thanks to your worship for saying so, we

do our best. For my part, if I were as tedious as a king,I would bestow all my tediousness on your worship, sir.

VnRcns:

LEoN,clo:

VEncEs:

DclcsERRv:

LEoNrro:

DoGepRRy:

And I also, siq too, as well, your Grace. And my odorousness.

I would like to know what you have to say.

Sir, our watch tonight hath taken an arrant knave.

A good man, sir, but he will be always talking. As they say,

'When the age is in, the wit is out', God help us. Well said,

neighbour Verges, but if two men ride a horse, then one must sit

behind. He's an honest man, sir, but you see how it goes ... AIImen cannot be the same. He tries hard, but ... lltoints to headf

Enough! I musl. leave.

But our watch hath comprehended this auspicious person, and

we have brought him here to be hexamined.

LpoNaro: You must examine him yourself. I am now in great haste.

DocssRRy: It shall be suffigent. You may entruss me entirely.

LeoNeto: Drink some wine before you go. Farewell.

DoceeRny: We must hexaminate this man.

VERces: And we must do it wisely and tediously.

DoceERRy: I shall. As fine a wine as I have tasted. Let us set to.

S.cavr 3: u prison

DoceERRy: Is our whole dissembly appeared'/

VsRcr,s: A stool and a cushion for the Sexton.

SsxroN: Which be the malefactors?

DocspRRy: That am I and my paftner.

VnRcps: Yea, that's certain. We are ready to be hexaminated.

Ssx'r'ox: No, sir. I mean which are the offenders. Let them come forth.

DocesRRy: No, let them come first. We shall begin. What is your name?

BoRlcnto: Borachio.

DocseRRy: Pray write down 'Borachio'. And yours, fellow?

CoNR,qop: I am a gentleman, not a fellow. My name is Conrade.

DocseRRy: Write down this fellow's name as Conrade. Masters, it is proved

that you are false knaves and soon this will be alleged. Howdo you answer our sentence?

CoNRaoe: We are not false knaves.

DoceERRy: Well, I say you are false knaves.

BoRecuIo: We are not!

Very false. And very knavish.

46 Shakespeariences

DocspRRv: Well, they cling to their tale! Write that down.

SexroN: Master constable, you do not go about it the right way. You must

call forth the watch that are the accusers.

DoceBRRv: Yes that's the way. Let the watch come forth. Masters, accuse

these men.

Frnsr Warcu:He, sir, said that Prince John, sir, was a villain, sir.

DocepRRv: A villain! Burglary! As bad as was ever committed. O villain,

thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this.

SexroN: Master constable, let these men be bound and brought to

Leonato's for examination.

DoceERRv: Come let them be opinionated.

VBRcss: Yes, let their hands be opinioned.

CoNR,q,os: Off, you oaf!

DocseRRv: An oaf! Write down he calls me an oaf. Thou naughty varlet!

CoNR,qog: Away, you ass. You are an ass.

DoceeRRv: Whatl Dost thou not suspect my position? Dost thou

not suspect my office? So, I am an ass. Write down Iam an ass.

VeRces: Master Constable Dogberry is an assl Shall I put a

capital A for 'ass' as well as 'Constable'?

DoceERRv: Bring him away. Thou villain, varlet, naughty knave: I am a wise

fellow, and, what is more, an officer; and, which is more, a

houseowner, and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any

in the city, and one who knows the law, and one that hath riches

and gowns and everything handsome about him. And I am an

ass! It is written down and may be used in evidence that I am an

ass, I am! An ass indeedl

(from Much Ado About Nothing by W. Shakespeare and A.N. Other)

Performance notes and queries

I \i\Ihat movements would help to show the rivalry between DogberryandVerges?

2 How will Leonato show his impatience?

3 How will the two arrested men treat the officials who have arrested

them?

4 How should the three members of the Watch look and behave inScene l?

Here are some suggrestions for you and your teachers to enable you to takeyour Shakespeariences further.

I Look at the publications of the S/rakespeare and Scftoo/s Project forother practical approaches to the plays.

2 See as many productions of Shakespeare plays as you can, in thetheatre, on film or video. Compare those that give very differentinterpretations of the same text,Iike Zeffirelli's ltalian-based film ofRomeo and Juliet and the more recent Baz Lurhman.Romeo and Julietwith its guns and gras stations. Compare Macbeth in the Polanski filmversion, the Ian McKellen video of the stage version and the TV special,Macbeth on the Estate.

3 Consider other works that have grown out of Shakespeare's plays: theChicago gangster movie,/oe Macbeth;Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and

Guildenstern Are Dead; Edward Bond's play /,ear; Robert Nye's novelFalstaff;or Al Pacino's film Looking for Richard.

4 Try to find and listen to musical works that were inspired byShakespeare's plays: operatic versions like Verdi's Otello, Macbeth andFalstaff; ballets like Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet; and modern musicalsllke West Side Story, Kiss me Kate or the rock show .Refurn to the

Forbidden Planet.

5 Here are some subjects for individual or group projects:

. Collect information about Shakespeare's theatre. Try visiting orgetting details of the replica of the Globe Theatre in London (whichhas its own web site on the Internet at

http : //www.reading. ac.uk/globe) .

. Collect programmes and reviews of current Shakespeareproductions, to see how varied the opinions of different critics cansometimes be.

. Most productions make some changres to the published texts ofShakespeare, by cutting or adding text, or by changing the order ofscenes. The play scenes in this book are all adaptations of theprinted texts.

Do you think that there should be any limits on such changes, and(if so) what should they be? Try writing down your opinions.

6 If you are studying a particular Shakespeare play for an examination,try to find books that consider it from the viewpoint of producers andactors.You may find the following useful:

Shakespeare in Performance series, Manchester University Press

S/rakespeare in Producfion series, Cambridge University Press

Players of Shakespeare series, Cambridge University Press

48 Shakespeariences

In addition, the following are some recent books about the staging ofShakespeare:

Bate, Jonathan and Jackson, Russell (eds) (1996) Sftakespeare: an

Illustrated Stage History. Oxford and NewYork: Oxford University Press

Berry, Ralph, (1989) On Directing Shakespeare: Interviews with

C ontemporar y Directors. London: Hamish Hamilton

Boose, Lynda E. and Burt, Richard (eds) (1997) Shakespeare, the Movie:

Popul arising the Pl ays on Film, W and Video. London: Routledge

Brown, John Russelt ( I 99 6) William Sft akespea re : Writing forPe rfo rm ance. Basingstoke : Macmillan

Crowl, Samuel (1992) Sftakespeare Observed;,Studies in Performance on

Stage and Screen Athens: Ohio University Press

Kennedy, Dennis (1993) Looking at Shakespeare: aVisual History ofTWe nti e th - c e ntu r y P e rfo r m ance. C ambridge and New York : C ambridgeUniversity Press