For secondary schools, community theatre groups, reading groups

Chapter 31

Reading Shakespeare Aloud

IN THIS CHAPTER, selected material from part 1 is condensed for secondary English and drama teachers, and students who may not have time to study the complete book. High school students could begin their Shakespeare studies with this chapter. Shakespeare reading groups and persons who simply enjoy reading the plays and poems could also begin here. When more detailed instruction is needed, refer to part 1.

Worksheets are included. These may be enlarged and reproduced so that each reader or student has a copy. Combined with the worksheets, a teacher might use this chapter as an outline for a unit of instruction on Shakespeare. Selected scenes and monologues suitable for student practice are listed.

While studying specific skills, examples of film and video performances in part 4 may be helpful. For the student who wants additional study, many useful works are included in the bibliography.

What is the end of study, let me know?

LOVE'S LABOR'S LOST, I, i

PREPARATION

Many people do not realize that Shakespeare is meant to be read or spoken aloud. Not only is the work better aloud, it is ten times better! By learning only a few reading {and acting) skills, anyone can read and enjoy the plays, sonnets, and poems.

Most Shakespearean studies concentrate on one of these:

• "Meaning" of the thoughts, metaphors, or imagery
• The historical significance of specific events as they relate to the plays
• Analysis of characters—why do they do this or that?

These types of studies are important and will help you as an actor or reader. They are especially helpful when acting or reading a "realistic" play, which means a play with language written like modern speech. On the other hand, with a Shakespearean play, that research and background won’t help you in the same way.

Background knowledge is useful only after you've taken a preliminary step not usually necessary with a realistic play. With Shakespeare, or any play written in "heightened" language—which is language composed with a specific rhythmic pattern—you must first learn what the language is doing and read it according to its rhythm and meter. If you don't first learn the skills required to speak the language, information from other studies won't do you one bit of good, because the listener will have no idea what you are saying.

You may already believe that Shakespeare is too difficult to understand. Perhaps you have heard it read aloud, or read it aloud yourself, and concluded that it makes no sense. If that is the case, you are simply reading without applying the speaking skills required to clarify the language, or you are hearing someone else read who is not using the skills. Of course once you have learned the skills, any background information can and should be used to make your reading or acting as complete and truthful as possible. But first you must know and use the speaking skills.

Here is a helpful analogy: You want to play a song on the piano. You bang away at the keys, but don't know which ones to hit. How many listeners will know the song? With Shakespeare, the words are the notes. Hit the right notes, and the listener will know what you mean.

FOUR SIMPLE SKILLS

The key to reading Shakespeare aloud is knowing which words to emphasize. Selecting these words is really quite simple, and the following easy-to-learn skills will get you started. If this information is completely new to you don't feel alone. Most people, including many actors, haven't a clue how to do this. But if you use these four skills and read the verse aloud, it will make sense:

• Support the final word in each line
• Emphasize the stressed words or syllables
• Separate the thoughts (phrasing)
• Breathe only at punctuation points

Follow these simple guidelines and discover that Shakespeare is, indeed, better—a lot better—than it might have first seemed. It is, in fact, remarkably beautiful.

Continues…

Click to review a Worksheet example