LEARNING SHAKESPEARE’S LINES.

February 19, 2008 · Literature, Shakespeare, Theater

LEARNING SHAKESPEARE’S LINES. Ben Brantley writes here about how Tom Stoppard and Edward Albee use words. In the course of the article, he makes a comparison that is very timely for me: He describes how their use of language “makes actors say that mastering these playwrights’ ornate, fast-footed language requires the sort of hard study demanded by Shakespeare.” The comment is very timely because of my circumstances. The local community theater is performing JULIUS CAESAR and a last-minute illness means that I will be performing as Julius Caesar for the first weekend (beginning March 6) with a real actor coming in for the next two weekends. Which means that I have been applying brute force to the learning of Caesar’s lines (144 of them). My current experience has been different from that of the actors that Brantley references. Striking, vivid lines are easier to memorize than simple bland ones. The lines that have been most difficult have been the simple ones–greetings, for example. Fortunately, almost every line that Caesar has is vivid and brilliant. I hope and trust that if I say the lines loudly and clearly that Shakespeare’s words will carry the day.