I bought a new book yesterday, called “Speak the Speech! Shakespeare’s Monologues Illuminated,” and I really love it. It’s just a whole bunch of monologues (>150 total) from all the different plays, with commentary and analysis of each one. I guess it’s meant to help with auditions and monologue-choosing, but I think it’s great just to read. I kind of wish there were another volume of less-famous monologues, or monologues from Shakespeare’s contemporaries or something, but I’m just being greedy (I guess I tend to choose obscure monologues…*cough*histories*cough*). Anyway, I’m enjoying it, and the commentary is often funny. I wouldn’t recommend relying on it alone for choosing a monologue, because the context of they play they give is very brief (I mean, just read the play!), but already knowing all that, it’s great.
My roommate asked me yesterday why I like Shakespeare so much, and I couldn’t really answer without either saying almost nothing besides “I just do,” or offering a much much longer explanation than she was looking for. It’s fun and it makes me happy and overall it’s been a really positive influence on my life. I’ll leave it that I guess.
oooo where did you get it? who’s it by? I want one! now i just need to find a non-professional shakespeare acting group here heh
I just got it at Borders…I had a 30%-off coupon that I used on it, so it ended up being about the same price it would have been on Amazon…it’s by Rhona Silverbush and Sami Plotkin.
Ah, the why Shakespeare question. I’ve had trouble with that one too. Sure he has great insight into human nature, but so do a lot of other artists, so what makes Shakespeare special?
The best answer I’ve come up with actually came out of a discussion I had with an Aikido master who’s Japanese restaurant I go to for lunch on Saturdays. We were discussing the similarities between practicing Aikido and acting Shakespeare, and there seemed to be a common element of extension. Either you need to be unafraid to use your motion or your voice clearly and confidently to reach out and affect other people. Shakespeare’s language when spoken matches his characters emotions so well that it’s perfect for reaching out and touching an entire audience – certainly more so than modern theater, according to Linklater anyway.
Sorry to go on like that . . . but the whole extension thing has become part of my personal philosophy of why art is worthwhile ever since I had that conversation. Heh – if you told me 10 years ago that I’d appreciate poetry I would have laughed at you.