Includes index. Previous edition: London: Methuen, 2002.
Contents:
Where are we?. The work -- Communication -- Preparing the equipment -- Delivery. Presence : the three circles of energy -- The body -- Working your body -- Breath -- Support -- Freeing the voice -- Placing the voice -- Speech -- Form. The givens : serving the text. The word -- Alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia -- Rhythm Pauses and irregularities of rhythm -- The line -- The thought and the structuring of thoughts -- The structure of scenes -- Antithesis -- Rhyme -- Prose -- Irony -- Puns -- Language games -- Repetition -- The story -- Location -- Stage directions, props, entrances and exits -- Soliloquy -- Final thoughts on form and the givens -- The imaginative. The imaginative exploration of the text -- Anchoring the text -- Owning the text from the character's experience -- The speeches. Richard III, Act I Scene ii - Lady Anne -- Julius Caesar, Act III Scene i - Antony -- Measure for Measure, Act III Scene i - Claudio -- King Lear, Act I Scene iii - Goneril -- King Lear, Act II Scene iii - Edgar -- As You Like It, Act III Scene v - Rosalind -- Much Ado About Nothing, Act II Scene iii - Benedick -- The Merchant of Venice, Act III Scene i - Shylock -- Othello, Act II Scene I - Iago -- Henry V, Act II Scene iii - The Hostess -- The Winter's Tale, Act IV Scene iv - Autolycus -- Macbeth, Act II Scene ii - Lady Macbeth and Macbeth -- Twelfth Night, Act I Scene v - Viola, Olivia and Maria -- A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II Scene i - Oberon and Puck -- Antony and Cleopatra, Act II Scene ii - Enobarbus and Agrippa -- Coriolanus, Act I Scene iv - Coriolanus -- Cymbeline, Act II Scene v - Posthumus -- King John, Act III Scene iv - Constance, King Philip and Pandulph -- Working on a whole play. Not just Shakespeare -- Last thoughts.
Summary:
"From A Midsummer Night's Dream's Puck to Othello's Desdemona, this new edition of Speaking Shakespeare gives you all the necessary tools to bring any of Shakespeare's eclectic characters to life. Patsy Rodenburg uses practical exercises and textual analysis to hone in on your dramatic resonance, breathing and placement in order to unlock your potential for playing these iconic characters. Speeches and scenes such as Mark Antony's 'O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth' and the bloody scene in which Macbeth admits to Lady Macbeth that he has 'done the deed' are placed in context and discussed in depth. Combining clear practical, textual and imaginative work with a brilliant analysis of scenes and speeches from the whole range of Shakespeare's plays, this is an essential and inspiring guide for anyone working on his plays today. It brings a renewed focus on the language of power, so frequently spoken in the worlds of politicians and company directors, which will give readers insight into the potency of clear, direct communication, specifically in the context of Shakespeare. Each chapter has been revised following the author's 20 additional years of experience as a voice coach and includes techniques necessary for a clear and convincing performance."--Page 4 of cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.