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Behind the Banners: How I Unlock Shakespeare

2 September 2016

To essay, or not to essay?

There is nothing wrong with knowing the themes of the plays, nor reading the text and writing essays but that is not whyShakespeare wrote what he wrote. He wrote these words to be read out loud, to be performed, to inspire and excite people. The best advice I was given when tackling Shakespeare was “make it your own”. I think that this means something slightly different to everyone so all I can do is give a few pointers and talk through a few of the things that I do when I first pick up a piece of Shakespeare.

What does that even mean?

One of the first ways that I make the language my own is to go to a dictionary. I always go through the play reading it aloud. From the simple to the obscure a dictionary can help to demystify what the characters are talking about. A great example of this is one of Hamlet’s famous lines: “Now might I do it pat, now ‘a is a-praying.” ‘Pat’ often trips me up and depending on the dictionary/footnotes it can mean a variety of things. When unlocking Shakespeare it is really about having as many tools at your disposal as possible so get defining those words and phrases.

She said what?

Great, so now I know what the words mean, I know what the characters are talking about and I guess I know what is going on generally. The next thing I do is get up out of my chair. I would highly recommend finding a buddy (or a small group) and tacking the text scene-by-scene, speech-by-speech, reading it aloud. Get up and improvise some blocking. If you are studying a comedy I find that this is the best way to uncover the majority of the jokes.

In other words…

So now you know what the words mean, you have had a bash at speaking the language, and you’ve moved around a bit. Now it is time to literally put the text into your own words. I find that this is a really important step in making Shakespeare sound like me, so that it fits my body rather than a performer more than 400 years ago. If you still have your buddies around you can discuss (in your own words) what the characters are saying, where they are, and what is happening to them.

Treat yo’self

If you have time, and are really enjoying the discovery of Shakespeare and want to explore a little further check out any performances you can, interviews of actors or find a different text with different footnotes. Take Shakespeare’s plays off of their pedestals and throw them around a bit, give them a run for their money and see how much you can pull them apart. This is how I unlock Shakespeare.

For more from the Players, head to https://meettheplayers.wordpress.com/. For more information on Bell Shakespeare’s Learning programme visit www.bellshakespeare.com.au/learning.

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Image: Bell Shakespeare Tour 2016 at Cobar High School (c) Olivia Wynne

Some websites/resources that I keep coming back to:

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