Initially, this role feels like exposition because, well, it is… But nobody does exposition better than Shakespeare. As the actor playing Horatio, this speech isn’t about you. It’s all about painting the image for Hamlet; everyone else in the room, including the audience, has seen this unfold already. So focus on telling your friend. Make it clear.

Context 

Hamlet is the son of the late King of Denmark who, after a mysterious death, was succeeded by his brother Claudius. In a Game of Thrones-style turn of events, Claudius has married Hamlet’s mother, solidifying a creepy triumvirate of uncle-father-king. Hamlet is, understandably, miffed.

In the opening of the play, the guards of Castle Elsinore have seen the ghost of the King stalking the battlements. Not thinking anyone will believe them, they get the smartest and most logical person they know, Horatio, to come with them on the third night and see the ghost for himself. When Horatio bears witness, the three of them go to Hamlet to break the news.

After some small talk and some light jokes about the rushed marriage of Hamlet’s uncle to his mother, conversation leads to the topic of Hamlet’s father. Horatio doesn’t beat around the bush and says “I think I saw him Yesternight…” Hamlet rightly is shocked and Horatio tells him to chill for a second and let him explain.

Original Text

HORATIO
Two nights together had these gentlemen,
Marcellus and Barnardo, on their watch
In the dead waste and middle of the night
Been thus encountered: a figure like your father
Armed at point, exactly cap-à-pie,
Appears before them and with solemn march
Goes slow and stately by them; thrice he walked
By their oppressed and fear-surprised eyes
Within his truncheon’s length whilst they, distilled
Almost to jelly with the act of fear,
Stand dumb and speak not to him. This to me
In dreadful secrecy impart they did,
And I with them the third night kept the watch
Where, as they had delivered, both in time,
Form of the thing, each word made true and good,
The apparition comes. I knew your father,
These hands are not more like.

Unfamiliar words

First step in deciphering the text? As always, make a glossary of any unfamiliar words or phrases contained within. Research and understand them, so that you might unpack all the intended meaning—especially when they contribute to such vivid imagery.

Cap-à-pie— Head to toe.

Truncheon — A weapon, most likely a staff or baton, often used by police or guards.

Solemn — Formal and dignified, but also relating to funerals and mourning.

Apparition — Ghost.

Oppressed — Distressed, troubled, burdened.

Modern Translation

HORATIO
Two nights in a row had these gentleman,
Marcellus and Bernardo, at their posts on duty,
In the middle of the night, the following happened:
A figure like your father dressed from head to toe in his war uniform
appeared before them and walked directly past them quite slowly:
Three times he walked past their terrified faces, so close his weapon
could have touched them, while they, not moving because they were so scared, did nothing and didn’t even make a sound.
They told me this in secret and I went with them to work on the third night, where
just as they had told me, the exact time, the exact shape, the ghost of your father appeared.
I knew your father, this ghost was to him as my hands are to each other: exactly the same.

Annotated text

This speech boils down to four thoughts. Below, I have underlined the last three words at the end of each thought. I do this when I breakdown a script to make sure I drive to the end of them with strength and clarity.

Two nights together had these gentlemen, 10
Marcellus and Barnardo, on their watch 10
In the dead waste and middle of the night 10
Been thus encountered: a figure like your father 11
Armed at point, exactly cap-à-pie, 10
Appears before them and with solemn march 10
Goes slow and stately by them; thrice he walked 10
By their oppressed and fear-surprised eyes 10
Within his truncheon’s length whilst they, distilled 10
Almost to jelly with the act of fear, 10
Stand dumb and speak not to him. This to me 10
In dreadful secrecy impart they did, 10
And I with them the third night kept the watch 10
Where, as they had delivered, both in time, 10
Form of the thing, each word made true and good, 10
The apparition comes. I knew your father, 11
These hands are not more like. 6

The first thought is your introduction: “Okay, Hamlet. Strap in, here’s what happened.”

The second thought is what the watchmen saw.

The third is what you saw: “Hamlet, buddy, I saw it with my own eyes.”

The final thought is your conclusion: “I knew your dad. It was him.”

I like to think with any speech in Shakespeare, at the end of every thought you are asked a question or provoked somehow, and that prompts you to go on. Maybe the questions here are based on what you see in Hamlet’s face. The questions/provocations to these thoughts might be the following:

Been thus encountered; “Will you hurry up and tell me please?!” “I don’t believe you.”

speak not to him. “Have you told anyone else this?” “Okay, but where do you come into this?”

The apparition comes “Is this a joke?”

Notes on the Annotated Script

The numbers at the end of the lines are the number of syllables; I’ve included these because they can offer up clues to the character’s state of mind you can use in performance. For example, most lines have the regular amount of ten syllables, suggesting that Horatio is calm and level-headed. Most of Shakespeare’s ‘Best Friend’ roles tend to be—somebody for the main character to bounce ideas off.

But if a regular line of verse has ten, then what does it mean if it goes to eleven? If iambic pentameter is based on a heartbeat (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM) then is eleven Horatio’s heart rate going up? In both lines of eleven syllables he says the words ‘your father’. Is he nervous to say this to his friend? It’s definitely worth consideration.

The six syllables of the final line are completed by Hamlet’s response “But where was this?” So nothing huge to take away from that.

Do be on the lookout for unusual stress patterns. In the last four lines, the stress is clearly on the first word rather then the second. This style of stress is “trochaic” rather than “iambic”: “DUM-da” as opposed to “da-DUM”. It pushes poetic vese forward with a rhythm rather than heart-beating along. In this context, it suggests that Horatio is driving his point home to Hamlet, who seems to struggle with this news.

Hendiadys: a Fun Shakespeare Literary Device

A Hendiadys is a figure of speech wherein two verbs, separated by a conjunction describe the one noun: “nice and warm”. They show up a lot in Shakespeare, and two examples appear in this very passage: “dead waste and middle of the night” and “slow and stately“.

The poet Ted Hughes thought this was how Shakespeare taught his audience new words, by using a mixture of familiar/unfamiliar to provide context. In addition, they add colour to the storytelling. The trick with hendiadys is to make both descriptions individual and vivid. The dead waste of the night is different to the middle of the night. The ghost didn’t just move slowly or stately, it moved both ways. Imbue each word with its own colour.

Notes on Performance

When playing Horatio, I like to take big breath in and out before this piece begins. It’s huge information you’re dropping on Hamlet. How will you say this? And how might you prepare yourself to drop this bombshell?

This speech is basically a description of the play’s first scene. Shakespeare doesn’t start his plays at the beginning of the plot; we often enter them halfway though and play catch-up. To check the audience is onboard, he employs speeches like this where information (already seen or heard in the play) is repeated. For the actor playing Horatio, they have the chance to flavour the information based on the impact it will have upon the intended recipient (in this case Hamlet.)

It’s also a terrific scene to think about status. While Horatio and Hamlet are friends from university, it’s important to remember they are not socially equal. Horatio is talking to his friend, but also his Prince. How does this modify the way he speaks, or the actions/tactics he might use? Is there a point where he says “Aww the hell with it!” And starts talking to his friend instead of the Prince? (Spoilers below.)

The second and third thoughts are long. You have to keep the ideas in the air; often the sentence is set up, extensively described and then concluded. It’s in the description that you need to keep the ideas vivid and then land that conclusion.

Finally: the last thought. It’s always the most characterful line of the speech for me. Talk to your friend in that line. A lot of this speech is to your Prince, that line is to your friend.

The post Horatio Monologue (Act 1, Scene 2) appeared first on StageMilk.

Context

Macbeth is set in Scotland around the year 1030, based on the true story (with some obvious supernatural additions) of the rise of the Scottish King Macbeth. The play opens at the end of a war between the vaguely united Scottish forces and the Norwegian vikings. In a very Game of Thrones turn of events, some Scottish thanes (or Lords) like Macdonwald have sided with the Vikings. In this speech, the captain describes the battle between the traitor Macdonwald and the forces of the Scottish army, led by the titular character.

As for the traffic of the stage … not much has actually happened yet. We have met the three weird sisters—who say they plan to meet again, at the end of the day, on a heath with Macbeth. Then, immediately, we meet King Duncan and his son Malcolm. Duncan asks who the bloody man is before him, and Malcolm says it’s the good soldier who freed him from captivity. Malcolm then asks the captain to tell the King what happened.

As an actor playing this role, it’s important to remember that the information you are providing is new and important both to the characters on stage and (more importantly) the audience. It’s also the first big speech in verse of the play: you’ll be teaching some of the audience to engage with heightened language.

Original Text

CAPTAIN
Doubtful it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald
(Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villainies of nature
Do swarm upon him) from the western isles
Of Kernes and Gallowglasses is supplied;
And Fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,
Show’d like a rebel’s whore: but all’s too weak;
For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name),
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel,
Which smok’d with bloody execution,
Like Valour’s minion, carv’ d out his passage,
Till he fac’d the slave;
Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops,
And fix’d his head upon our battlements.

Unfamiliar Language

As with all of our Monologues Unpacked, we suggest the first thing you do to decode Shakespeare’s language is to note and research all the unfamiliar words and phrases. Be brutally honest with yourself: don’t leave anything to chance.

Kernes —Kerns were Irish or Scottish light-armed foot soldiers. A kern would carry a shield of wood and either a sword or bow and arrow.

Gallowglasses — Mercenary armoured warriors who served primarily as bodyguards to Celtic chieftains. They were hand-picked for their strength and massive size, and they would usually carry a battle axe or a halberd (an axe on long pole).

Fortune — fortune becomes a person in this context. He is potentially a reference to the Roman god Fortuna. She is depicted as a woman holding a rudder, to control destiny.

Valour’s minion — just as he personifies Fortune, Valour here becomes a person. In this context Valour’s minion (Macbeth) is closer to a favourite rather than someone who serves. 

Ne’er — Never.

Bade — Past form of bid.

Unseam’d — to open the seams of. In this context, to slice something (or someone) open.

Nave to the chops — navel (or stomach) to the cheeks.

Notes on Pronunciation:

“Fac’d”, “fix’d”, “carv’d”, etc. are all pronounced with one syllable. “Damned” is pronounced with two syllables: “damn-ed”. This aids the rhythm of the text.

Translated Text

It was looking doubtful, both sides we dragging the other down
Like two tired swimmers drowning. The unmerciful Macdonwald
(It makes sense why he became a traitor being that such qualities are within him) had fierce soldiers from Ireland on his side; and that Lady Fortune, luck personified,
Was clearly smiling on Macdonwalds side: but it wasn’t enough;
For brave Macbeth, well he deserves to be called brave, with no respect for the plans of Lady Fortune, with his sword held high, like the servant of Courage, cut out his path till he faced Macdonwald, who neither shook hands with him or said goodbye to him, until Macbeth cut him from the stomach to the cheeks and then cut off his head and put it on our battlements.

Annotated Text

There is a lot to think about with Shakespeare, but when it comes down to it: drive to the end of your thoughts to find some sense. To help you drive to/land your thoughts, I have underlined and put in bold the last three words of each thought. 

CAPTAIN
Doubtful it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together 11
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald 11
(Worthy to be a rebel, for to that 10
The multiplying villainies of nature 11
Do swarm upon him) from the western isles 10
Of Kernes and Gallowglasses is supplied; 10
And Fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, 11
Show’d like a rebel’s whore. But all’s too weak; 10
For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), 10
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel, 10
Which smok’d with bloody execution, 9
Like Valour’s minion, carv’ d out his passage, 10
Till he fac’d the slave; 5
Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, 10
Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops, 11
And fix’d his head upon our battlements. 10

Notes on Rhythm and Verse

The numbers at the end of each line represent the number of syllables. As we know, a line of blank verse should have 10 syllables (5 weak and 5 strong) that sound a little like a heartbeat (da dum da dum da dum da dum da dum). The fancy name for this is iambic pentameter. As Shakespeare got further into his career, he played around a lot more with this form—bending and breaking the rules for dramatic effect.

Think of the rule breaks as clues being left behind by the writer. If we say 10 syllables is a regular heartbeat and someone speaking in regular verse is calm and steady, what does this say about our captain? Is he panicked? Out of breath? We know he is bleeding. Does he keep gaining and then losing his composure? What about the line with only 5 syllables? Perhaps it leaves time for a pause while he’s trying to pull himself together?

Shakespeare was a writer, but he was also an actor: he knew how to use words to support performers and give them interesting things to do. While respect for Shakespearean language is important, remember that it’s there to work for you (and not the other way round.)

Notes on Performance

Bring your attention back to this speech’s three thoughts: one small opening thought and then two loner ones. (In some editions, there is no full stop after “rebels whore”, so it really could be one small thought and one huge thought.) As an exercise, work out the most economical way of conveying the captain’s thoughts. Cut out all poetic images and focus on the logic:

CAPTAIN
Doubtful it stood.
The merciless Macdonwald from the western isles
Of Kernes and Gallowglasses is supplied.
But all’s too weak; For brave Macbeth with his brandish’d steel
carv’ d out his passage, till he fac’d the slave.
Unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops,
And fix’d his head upon our battlements.

Next, use the poetic description to fill out the story with as much detail as you can. For example: where are the two spent swimmers? In the ocean? A pool? A waterhole in the desert? How long have they been treading water before they start clinging together to try and save themselves? As you get to this image, discover it as you search for the words—the best description the captain can think of in the given moment.

To get the movements of the text into your head and body, try dividing your rehearsal room in two halves: the logical plot and the colourful description. You can then speak the plot to one half and the description to the other, running back and forth as needed. (You’ll be doing a lot of running.) Then stand still, and find the definition using your voice alone.

Finally, be wary of the bracketed sections. Think of them as being said to somebody else: if the bulk of the text is said directly to the king, then think of the bracketed sections being said to Malcolm as a clarification. That will help to break them up and remind the audience they are comments on the main plot, not directly crucial to it.

The post Bleeding Captain Monologue (Act 1, Scene 2) appeared first on StageMilk.

Context

We learn about Benedick before he’s even appeared on stage from what the other characters say about him – we know that he’s a soldier returning from a successful war and we know that he and Beatrice have met before. From her we learn that he’s argumentative and fickle. And once Benedick enters the scene we quickly learn that he’s a notorious flirt, a lothario and resolutely anti-marriage. Upon his arrival Benedick and Beatrice begin a verbal spar almost immediately. They can’t seem to help themselves. The fireworks between them is the stuff dramatic tension is made of. Their competitive one-upping sets us up perfectly for the dramatic irony of the play: they’re perfect for each other but can’t – or won’t – see it. What a feast for the audience. Just prior to this speech, Benedick and Beatrice have danced with each other at the masked ball, however it’s only the men wearing masks. Beatrice speaks candidly to Benedick about not liking him and he is irate.

Original Text

O, she misused me past the endurance of a block! An oak but with one green leaf on it would have answered her. My very visor began to assume life and scold with her. She told me – not thinking I had been myself – that I was the prince’s jester, and that I was duller than a great thaw, huddling jest upon jest with such impossible conveyance upon me that I stood like a man at a mark, with a whole army shooting at me. She speaks poniards, and every word stabs. If her breath were as terrible as her terminations, there were no living near her, she would infect to the North Star. I would not marry her, though she were endowed with all that Adam had left him before he transgressed. She would have made Hercules have turned spit, yea, and have cleft his club to make the fire too. Come, talk not of her, you shall find her the infernal Ate in good apparel. I would to God some scholar would conjure her, for certainly, while she is here, a man may live as quiet in hell as in a sanctuary, and people sin upon purpose, because they would go thither: so indeed all disquiet, horror and perturbation follows her.

Unfamiliar Language

Misused – abused
Block – an unsensible thing i.e. something that cannot feel
Visor – mask, he was wearing a mask because they were at a masked ball
Scold – argue with her
Great thaw – the spring, when winter melts away leaving boring wet weather and muddy puddles
Huddling – piling
Poniards – daggers
Terminations – descriptive terms (a Shakespeare-coined word, maybe with the sense of her
terms being very determined because she is opinionated and vocal with her opinions?)
Have turned spit – Beatrice is so overbearing she would even have made Hercules do such a
menial and effeminate task as turning the roasting spit over the fire
Cleft – split
Ate (pronounced ah-tay) – Greek Goddess of discord
Perturbation – great disturbance

Modern Translation

Urgh, she abused me to the point even an inanimate object would have protested. A young oak tree, having been violently attacked like I was, would have found its voice and yelled out. Even the mask I was wearing came to life and was compelled to answer back. She told me, not realising it was me behind the mask, that I was even more boring than wet weather, hurling joke
after joke about me at such speed and volume that it was as if I were a man standing in front of an armed battalion with a target on my head. Her speech stabs like daggers. If her breath were as bad as her language, nothing with a pulse could bear to be near her, she would poison every living thing from pole to pole. I wouldn’t marry her, even if she was as perfect as Adam was before he fell from grace. She could even emasculate a man like Hercules by forcing him into the kitchen and making him chop up his club for firewood. Give it a rest, stop going on about her, she’s nothing but the Goddess of Discord in a disguise of nice clothes. I wish a scholar could exorcise her back to hell, because while she’s here on earth a man may as well go live in hell, a comparative sanctuary, with people sinning on purpose in order to get into hell and away from her: so really she’s turned the world upside down with how disagreeable she is and how much she disturbs everything around her.

Notes on Performance

– Tendency with Benedick to approach it…
– To only know the things you know when you know it – Benedick doesn’t know he’s
secretly in love with Beatrice, he discovers it along with you

Benedick is a funny guy. But it’s always funnier to an audience when he doesn’t know it. There can be a tendency to play Benedick with a knowing smile – as if he already knows how the play’s going to end. But remember the all important dramatic irony. The audience need to know Benedick is head over heels for Beatrice (as she is with him) long before he does. The way he goes on in this speech, after a seemingly throwaway comment from Don Pedro, is delightfully funny for an audience who can see where the play is heading. Enjoy the challenge of finding a new provocation for each line. A new reason to keep talking about her. Make sure you colour the text with images of imagined moments where Beatrice has driven you mad. Make your map through the text as complex as a maze, and then you lessen the risk that you’ll be playing the speech for gags. Audiences are clever and they want to see you really go through it – and that’s a far more enjoyable thing to watch (and perform) than simply clowning.

The post Benedick Monologue (Act 2 Scene 1) appeared first on StageMilk.

Context

Malvolio is head-servant to Olivia, a noble-woman who lives in Illyria alongside a number of other colourful characters. Notably in this instance Maria, another of Olivia’s servants, Fabian, another servant, Sir Toby Belch, another ‘noble’-man in Illyria and Sir Andrew Aguecheek his best friend and all around buffoon. Throughout the play Malvolio has been a thorn in their sides and so these four decide to hatch a plan to get their revenge and humiliate him. Knowing that Malvolio is secretly in love with Olivia, they forge a letter in her handwriting professing her ‘love’ for him and leave it for him to find. They hide and wait for him to find it. When he happens upon the letter this is what he says…

Original Text

[Sees letter.]

What employment have we here?

FABIAN
Now is the woodcock near the gin.
SIR TOBY
O peace, and the spirit of humours intimate
reading aloud to him.

MALVOLIO
By my life, this is my lady’s hand. These be her very c’s, her u’s and her t’s, and thus makes she her great P’s. It is in contempt of question her hand.

SIR ANDREW
Her c’s, her u’s and her t’s. Why that?

MALVOLIO
[Reads.]

To the unknown beloved, this, and my good wishes. Her very phrases! By your leave, wax. Soft – and the impressure her Lucrece, with which she uses to seal. ’Tis my lady. To whom should this be? [Opens letter. ]

FABIAN
This wins him, liver and all.

MALVOLIO
[Reads.]

Jove knows I love,
But who?
Lips, do not move,
No man must know.
‘No man must know.’ What follows? The numbers altered. ‘No man must know.’ If this should be thee, Malvolio?

SIR TOBY
Marry, hang thee, brock!

MALVOLIO
[Reads.]
I may command where I adore,
But silence, like a Lucrece knife,
With bloodless stroke my heart doth gore.
M.O.A.I. doth sway my life.

FABIAN
A fustian riddle.
SIR TOBY
Excellent wench, say I.

MALVOLIO
[Reads.]
M.O.A.I. doth sway my life. Nay, but first let me see, let me see, let me see.

FABIAN
What dish o’poison has she dressed him!
SIR TOBY
And with what wing the staniel checks at it!

MALVOLIO
[Reads.]
I may command where I adore. Why,
she may command me. I serve her, she is my lady.
Why, this is evident to any formal capacity. There is
no obstruction in this. And the end – what should
that alphabetical position portend? If I could make
that resemble something in me! Softly – [reading] M.O.A.I.

SIR TOBY
O ay , make up that! He is now at a cold scent.
FABIAN
Sowter will cry upon’t for all this, though it be as
rank as a fox.

MALVOLIO
‘M.’ Malvolio. ‘M’ – why, that begins my name!

FABIAN
Did not I say he would work it out? The cur is excellent at faults.

MALVOLIO
‘M.’ But then there is no consonancy in the sequel. That suffers under probation: ‘A’ should follow, but ‘O’ does.

FABIAN
And ‘O’ shall end, I hope.
SIR TOBY
Ay, or I’ll cudgel him and make him cry ‘O!’

MALVOLIO
And then ‘I’ comes behind.

FABIAN
Ay , an you had any eye behind you, you might
see more detraction at your heels than fortunes before
you.

MALVOLIO
[Reads.]
M.O.A.I. This simulation is not as the former. And yet to crush this a little it would bow to me, for every one of these letters are in my name. Soft, here follows prose.

[Reads.]

If this fall into thy hand, revolve. In my stars I am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness. Some are
born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them . Thy fates open their hands: let thy bloodand spirit embrace them, and, to inure thyself to what thou art like to be, cast thy humble slough and appear
fresh. Be opposite with a kinsman, surly with servants. Let thy tongue tang arguments of state; put thyself into the trick of singularity . She thus advises thee that sighs for thee. Remember who commended thy yellow stockings and
wished to see thee ever cross-gartered – I say remember. Goto, thou art made if thou desir’st to be so; if not, let me see thee a steward still, the fellow of servants and not worthy to touch Fortune’s fingers. Farewell. She that would alterservices with thee, The Fortunate Unhappy.

Daylight and champaign discovers not more. This is open. I will be proud, I will read politic authors, I will baffle Sir Toby, I will wash off gross acquaintance, I will be point-device the very man. I do not now fool myself to let imagination jade me; for every reason excites to this, that my lady loves me. She did commend my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my leg being cross-gartered, and in this she manifests herself to my love and with a kind of injunction drives me to these habits of her liking. I thank my stars, I am happy. I will be strange, stout, in yellow stockings and cross-gartered even with the swiftness of putting on. Jove and my stars be praised! Here is yet a postscript.

[Reads.]
Thou canst not choose but know who I am. If thou entertain’st my love, let it appear in thy smiling – thy smiles
become thee well. Therefore in my presence still smile, dear, my sweet, I prithee.

Jove, I thank thee. I will smile, I will do everything that thou wilt have me.

Exit.

Unfamiliar Language

Employment: Work, action
Wax: Wax seal used to seal a letter
Soft: Wait a minute, hold on
Gore: Bleed
Sway: Guides, moves, commands
Portend: Mean
Revolve: Consider
Slough: Public persona
Point–Device: Precisely, exactly, perfectly
Jove: God

Modern Translation

MALVOLIO’S TEXT ONLY

What do we have here?
I swear on my life this is Olivia’s handwriting.
These are her C’s, her U’s, and her T’s and here she’s written one of her amazing P’s.
It is without a doubt her handwriting.
‘To my beloved who doesn’t know of my love, this and my best wishes.’
Those are things she says often! Excuse me for breaking your wax seal. But wait! This is her seal! This is definitely a letter from Olivia but who is it for?

[Reads]
“God knows I love.
But who?
I cannot say it.
No one can know.”
‘No one can know’?
But wait, the poetry has changed rhythm.
‘No one can know’
What if she’s talking about me?

[Reads]
“I may commande the person I love,
But silence like a sharp knife,
Cut’s my heart open and leaves a bloodless wound,
M.O.A.I rules my life”

‘M.O.A.I rules my life’, No, but first, let’s see, let’s see, let’s see.

‘I may command the one I love’, she may command me, I am her servant. That’s easy to figure out for anyone. There’s no doubt about that. But what do those letters at the end mean? If only I could figure out a way to match them to me. Wait! M.O.A.I!

M. But then the next letter is wrong. It should be ‘A’ first but it goes to ‘O’.

And then ‘I’ comes at the end.

M.O.A.I. The secret of this isn’t like the other one but at a stretch, I can make it work, because all of those letters are in my name. Wait a minute there’s more prose.

[Reads]
“If this should make its way to you, think about it well. By my birth I am of a higher class than you, but don’t be afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Your fate is welcoming you with open arms. Let your body and spirit accept it. And to prepare yourself for the high life, cast off your servant’s appearance and appear new and fresh. Be rude to friends and mean to servants. Speak loudly and often about politics and make a habit of being unique and weird. The woman who sighs out of love for you says you should do this. Remember who it was that complimented your yellow stocking and asked you to always be cross gartered. Remember her, I say. Go now. You are now a gentleman should you choose to be, and if not, stay a servant, and a friend of other servants and unworthy of greatness. Farewell, signed: the one who would be your servant. The fortunate but sad.”

The sun in an open field couldn’t be clearer than this. This is undeniable. I will be proud, I will study politics, I will get back at Sir Toby, I will cast off my lowly friends, and I’ll be the perfect man! I know for certain now that I can’t be making this up. My lady Olivia is in love with me! She praised my yellow stockings a lot lately, and she complimented me being cross-gartered and in doing so has proven her love for me. I thank my lucky stars. I am happy! I will be proud, yellow stocking wearing and cross gartered as soon as I can. God and the stars be praised! Wait, there’s a postscript.

[Reads]
“You surely must know who I am. If you love me too, let it show in your smile, you have such a lovely smile. So when you see me, smile my sweet, I beg you.”

Thank you God! I will smile! I’ll do anything she asks!

Notes on Performance

So the first thing to keep in mind is character. Malvolio is characterised by his innate inability to take a joke. The more seriously the actor takes this scene, the funnier it becomes to the audience. So don’t play for laughs. Play off the fact that the cold hearted Malvolio thinks someone might be in love with him.

Secondly, and this will come as a no-brainer to some, but try not to just actually read the letter. Learn all of the text. Yes you should be playing it as you’re reading it for the first time but you should also know the text in the letter like you’d know any other monologue. Once you’ve mastered the text, you can manipulate it.

Lastly, you should work to physicalise this piece. It’s not the most interesting piece in the world if we’re just sitting and watching someone read a letter. Use your body to tell the story as well as your words.

For more Male Shakespeare Monologues

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Context

Escaping the life of being forced into an unwanted marriage, the Jailer’s daughter has fallen madly in love with Palamon and has now busted him out of jail and left him in the forest. She has bravely decided to head back to the jail to get some files to cut off his shackles, and on her way there she finds the audience and tells them everything that has just happened! She’s confessed her love for him and worryingly for her – he has not echoed her sentiments. And unfortunately during this monologue as she tells the audience all that has happened, she sees Palamon running away in the distance. Determined to keep the flame of her passions a-burning, and optimistically undeterred by this setback she announces her grand plan to the audience to run away with him and
follow him through the forest until he falls in love with her. She throws herself head first into this plan and exits the stage. She’s not to be seen again until act thee scene two – lost and alone in the forest, not having eaten, drank or slept at all for two days straight. Still determined and still only just holding on.

Original Text

Let all the dukes and all the devils roar,
He is at liberty! I have ventured for him
And out I have brought him; to a little wood
A mile hence I have sent him, where a cedar
Higher than all the rest spreads like a plane
Fast by a brook, and there he shall keep close
Till I provide him files and food, for yet
His iron bracelets are not off. Oh, Love,
What a stout-hearted child thou art! My father
Durst better have endured cold iron than done it.
I love him beyond love and beyond reason,
Or wit, or safety; I have made him know it;
I care not, I am desperate. If the law
Find me and then condemn me for’t, some wenches,
Some honest-hearted maids, will sing my dirge
And tell to memory my death was noble,
Dying almost a martyr. That way he takes,
I purpose, is my way too. Sure he cannot
Be so unmanly as to leave me here;
If he do, maids will not so easily
Trust men again. And yet he has not thanked me
For what I have done, no, not so much as kissed me,
And that methinks is not so well; nor scarcely
Could I persuade him to become a free man,
He made such scruples of the wrong he did
To me and to my father. Yet I hope,
When he considers more, this love of mine
Will take more root within him. Let him do
What he will with me, so he use me kindly
For use me so he shall, or I’ll proclaim him,
And to his face, no man. I’ll presently
Provide him necessaries and pack my clothes up
And where there is a path of ground I’ll venture,
So he be with me; by him, like a shadow,
I’ll ever dwell. Within this hour the hubbub
Will be all o’er the prison: I am then
Kissing the man they look for. Farewell, father!
Get many more such prisoners and such daughters
And shortly you may keep yourself. Now to him.

Unfamiliar Language

Ventur’d – Abbreviation of ‘ventured’. Old form – run a risk, or take a chance.
Hence – From this time. (Or in this context from this place)
Fast – (In this context) Firmly fixed or attached. Secure; firmly established.
Plane – (In this context) A plane tree. Any tree of the genus Platanus often growing to great heights.
Files – (plural) A tool with a roughened surface or surfaces used for smoothing or shaping wood. Or in this case, cutting through shackles.
Stout-hearted – Courageous or determined
Thou – (In this context) You. Second person singular pronoun.
Art – Are. Second person singular, present tense
Durst – Archaic past use of ‘Dare’
Endur’d – Abbreviation of ‘endured’
For’t – Abbreviation of ‘for it’
Wenches – (plural) A female servant, typically young
Dirge – A lament for the dead
Thank’d – Abbreviation of ‘thanked’
Kiss’d – Abbreviation of ‘kissed’
Methinks – It seems to me
Scruples – 1. Regard to the morality or propriety of an action. Or 2. A feeling of doubt or hesitation caused by this. In this case I prefer to use a mix of both definitions to make sense of the line. (I think; suspicion, misgiving, doubt.)
Whoobub – Hubbub, confused yelling.
O’er – Abbreviation of ‘over’

Modern Translation

Let all the dukes and all the devils roar,
He is free! I took a risk for him,
And out of the prison I have brought him to a little forest
a mile from here. I have sent him where a cedar,
The tallest one aprund, spreads like a plane tree
Right next to a brook, and he’ll stay right there
Until I bring him some files and food, as
He still has his shackles on. Oh Love,
What a courageous child you are! My father
would rather dare to be put in jail (or meet the end of a sword) than do this.
I love Palamon beyond love and beyond reason
Or good sense, or safety; I’ve made sure he knows it.
But I don’t care, I’m desperate. If the authorities
Find me and convict me for it, some wenches,
Some honest-hearted maids, will sing my dirge,
And tell the story that I died a noble death,
Almost achieving martyrdom. He’s going the same way
I’m going too. Surely he cannot
Be so unmanly as to leave me here.
If he does, young women won’t trust men so
Easily ever again. That said, he has not thanked me
For what I’ve done, no, not even a kiss.
And that, I think, is not a good sign. I could barely
Even persuade him to become a free man.
He expressed so much doubt
To me and my father about his crimes. Yet I hope
When he thinks about this some more, this love I have
Will just fix itself within him. I’ll let him do
whatever he wants with me, so he’s uses me lovingly,
because I know that this is what he’ll do. And if not I’ll tell him that he is,
And straight to his face, not a real man. Right now,
I’ll go and get some essentials, and pack all my clothes up,
And I’ll go wherever the road leads me,
So he’ll be with me, and by him like a shadow
I’ll forever follow him. Within an hour the hubbub
Will be all over the prison. I will then
Be kissing the man they’re looking for. Goodbye forever father,
If you get any more prisoners or daughters like this,
then sooner or later you’ll be jailing yourself. Now, to Palamon.

Notes on Performance

Ultimately the beginning of the end for her, whether you were performing this piece stand alone orin the play with its full context, this is the beginning of what will ultimately end in a horrible journey of The Jailor’s Daughter becoming consumed with grief in isolation, which in turn leads to her trying to drown herself in a river and (without pathologizing her too much here) having an episode of sorts, or however her journey in the forest until she is found reads to you. Similarly to her soliloquy in act two scene four which I’ve broken down here(insert link here). This piece has gear changes that actor can only dream of. Notably, and possibly one of my favourite tragicomedy moments to ever play or watch, is the moment between:

“Dying almost a martyr.”
and
“[…] That way he takes
I purpose is my way too. Sure he cannot
be so unmanly as to leave me here.”

There must be a very clear moment in this, where you see Palamon literally running away. Exactly what you see here is up to you; Palamon awkwardly running away still in his shackles looking over his shoulders and disappearing into the woods, or having already cut his shackles off somehow and bolting into the darkness of the night. You can imagine Palamon running however you’d like but how this looks to the audience is super important. It’s a helpful idea to pitch that line ‘dying almost a martyr’ right out there to the second circle, pitching your eyeline just above the furthest audience member away from you so your face already up and out, and it can be a slight shift of your eyeline or direction of your body slightly changing angles so that the audience sees your thought process stop, shift and see something else that ultimately is the first thing that bursts her reality and dreams
of love in her own world. This all sounds hyper technical but in short, that moment just has to be super clear in order to tell the story effectively. The next significant gear change we find here;

“[…] Yet I hope,
When he considers more, this love of mine
Will take more root within him.”

Similar to act two scene four, you can really grab that ‘yet’ with both hands. Phrases that start with a, is ‘caesura’d’ by a or enjambed with a; yet, but, however, moreover etc. I really use those words to change the gear from one place to the next. Sometimes I even over emphasize it while rehearsing to really get it in my body, and pair it back over time (unless I’m directed to keep it as a choice.) So here Jailor’s Daughter is taking us down a garden path in her mind, figuring out what she’s going to do, and sorting out her game plan right up until…..

“[…] I’ll presently
Provide him necessaries, and pack my clothes up,
And where there is a path of ground I’ll venture,
So he be with me.”

Here she’s mobilised back into action, stating exactly what she’s going to do right now – rather than ruminating. The audience is very much on the journey with her now and she’s directing them to the next part of the story. She’s also providing the audience with important exposition here, so the next time they see her, there won’t be any logistical or narrative blanks for them to fill in. Keep that energy and pace going and you’ll absolutely sail through to the end and off the stage with a game plan and a purpose. Really place that final thought that final thought in the space and hold that energy with you as you exit. There’s a lot of hope, purpose and determination that is overriding and delaying the inexorable heartbreak that is to come later on in the play.

Some Notes on Style

Something that helped me amplify this piece significantly was understanding what category of play the Two Noble Kinsmen fell into which is: The Romances. It allowed me to view the piece and the whole play outside the categories of; the comedies, the tragedies, the histories, and even the plays I personally categorise in the ‘fantasy realm’ (The Tempest and Midsummer Night’s Dream). Understanding the style within the style is how I would put it. The Romances don’t explicitly imply courtships, but rather literary forms written in the romance languages. The heart of the romance plays are tragic, all whilst resolving themselves as comedies and neatly tying up all the strings. Knowing where the Gaoler’s Daughter fits in this world of fast paced plot and action driven by love both opened up opportunities to play and equally crystallized . It gives you a lot of opportunities to play with completely improbably stories that are ultimately resolved by the gods. For the romances, think tragi-comic, fantastical, melodramatic all the while being grounded in empathy as you are after all portraying a living breathing human on either the best or worst (or both) days of their life. Circle your keywords, count out those beats, run around the room a few times, get properly puffed out and go for it!

The post Jailers Daughter Monologue (Act 2, Scene 6) appeared first on StageMilk.

Context

Richard III is the final part of a long and winding story of civil war, blood, destruction and death known as The War of the Roses. The two houses of York (of which Richard and Elizabeth are a part), and Lancaster (of which Queen Margaret is a part) have fought each other for control of the English throne for years. With it ultimately going to the house of York, meaning King Edward the IV and his bestest little bro Richard had won. Throughout this particular play Richard has been working to usurp the throne from his brother Edward and subsequently his wife Queen Elizabeth, and at this point in the play he has succeeded and is now King Richard the III.

Now, Queen Margaret was the wife of King Henry the VI who lost the throne to the Yorks and is now dead. On top of that, she has been through years and years of strife, troubles, wars and loss, and when we find her in Act 4, Scene 4 of Richard the III she has lost everything, including partly, her mind.

Queen Margaret has just left the palace after learning of the death of Richard’s two young nephews, who he has had assassinated in order to secure the crown. She tells the audience that she’s going to go to France to make sure her enemies all die gruesome deaths. Just then Queen Elizabeth and The Duchess of York, Richard’s mother, enter. They lament the death of the two young boys and Margaret rubs salt into the wound, saying in more eloquent words than mine that this was an eye for an eye and that she has lost loved ones too. The Duchess emplors her to feel some compassion for her but Margaret doesn’t let up. She tells them that this is all Richard’s fault. Queen Elizabeth says she remembers when Margaret cursed her before… and Margaret remembers too…

Original Text

I called thee then vain flourish of my fortune;
I called thee then, poor shadow, painted queen,
The presentation of but what I was,
The flattering index of a direful pageant,
One heaved a-high , to be hurled down below,
A mother only mocked with two fair babes,
A dream of what thou wast, a garish flag
To be the aim of every dangerous shot,
A sign of dignity, a breath, a bubble,
A queen in jest, only to fill the scene.
Where is thy husband now? Where be thy brothers?
Where be thy two sons? Wherein dost thou joy?
Who sues, and kneels, and says, ‘God save the Queen’?
Where be the bending peers that flattered thee?
Where be the thronging troops that followed thee?
Decline all this, and see what now thou art:
For happy wife, a most distressed widow;
For joyful mother, one that wails the name;
For one being sued to , one that humbly sues;
For queen, a very caitiff crowned with care;
For she that scorned at me, now scorned of me;
For she being feared of all, now fearing one;
For she commanding all, obeyed of none.
Thus hath the course of justice whirled about
And left thee but a very prey to time,
Having no more but thought of what thou wast
To torture thee the more, being what thou art.
Thou didst usurp my place, and dost thou not
Usurp the just proportion of my sorrow?
Now thy proud neck bears half my burdened yoke,
From which, even here I slip my wearied head
And leave the burden of it all on thee.
Farewell, York’s wife, and queen of sad mischance.
These English woes shall make me smile in France.

Unfamiliar Language

Flourish: Imitation
Painted: Fake
Direful: Ominous/Bad
Garish: Tacky
Jest: Jokingly
Sues: Requests
Thronging: Large densely packed
Caitiff: Wretch/Downtrodden person
Yoke: A tool used with animals to pull a load
Mischance: Misfortune
Woes: Troubles

Modern Translation

I called you back then a self important imitation of a queen.
I called you back then; poor forgery, false queen.
Just a presentation of what I was fully.
The exciting contents page to a horrific tragedy,
Someone lifted up high just to be tossed into the pits of hell.
A mother who was given two beautiful children as some kind of sick joke only to lose them.
Just a dreamer, a tacky flag to be shot at.
You were just a sign of dignity, a breath and a bubble,
Only a joke queen to keep the throne warm.
Where is your husband now?
Where are your brothers?
Where are your two sons?
Where is your happiness now?
Where are the crowds that bowed to you and said ‘God save the queen’?
Where are the favour asking friends that flattered you?
Where are the masses of soldiers that followed you?
Get rid of all of this and see what you are?
Instead of a happy wife you’re a grieving widow.
Instead of a joyful mother, you’re one that cries out the names of her children.
Instead of being a queen you’re just a wretch with a crown fears.
Instead of the one giving favours, you’re the one that asks for them.
The person who scorned me is now being scorned by me.
Someone who was feared by all is afraid of just one person.
Someone who commanded all now commands no one.
The course of justice has left you as nothing but prey and all you have now is memories which torture you even more now that you know what you’ve become.
You did take my throne and now rightly so you are taking my sorrow.
Now your proud neck holds half my torture device, which now I will slip my tired head from and leave it all to you.
Goodbye York’s wife and queen of sad misfortunes.
These English troubles will make me smile in France

Notes on Performance

This is an incredible speech for working on inner life in that Margaret is one of Shakespeare’s longest running characters. We get to see Margaret go from young hopeful courtier all the way through to now as a hardened, mentally unstable and vicious ex-queen. Take into account just how much she has been through as you paint these words and ideas with colour.

Next big focus of this speech should be antithesis.

Meaning: Antithesis – a rhetorical or literary device in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed.

In regards to acting what I mean is the understanding that your character is two opposing points to paint their picture. For example; in this speech Margaret says things like ‘For happy wife, a most distressed widow;’. This is a pretty glaring example of Shakespearean antithesis. The only more glaring one being ‘to be or not to be’. Hunt for the antithesis in this speech and use it to drive you through

Lastly, attack your target directly. Don’t get lost in a maelstrom of vague anger and Jove forbid do not play ‘madness’ please. Stay in the moment, stay in the character, and affect your scene partner.

For more Female Shakespeare Monologues

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Context

King Lear of Britain has decided to pack it in as King as he is growing older and wants to have less responsibility and so he calls his three daughters, Goneril the oldest, Regan the middle child, and his favourite Cordelia, the youngest, to come see him.

He’s decided that he will divide his realms amongst the three daughters depending on who loves him most. Goneril speaks first telling him how fabulous he is and how much she loves him. After she’s finished speaking Lear immediately bequeaths her, her share of the kingdom. Next is Regan who does much the same and is also immediately bequeathed her share of the Kingdom. Lastly is Cordelia who not wanting to flatter her Father more so than is truthful says that she does love him deeply and refuses to guild her speech too much saying that she reserves some love for her future husband. Lear flies into a rage and disinherits and disowns Cordelia and says he’s off to live equally between Goneril and Regans homes for the rest of his days.

After this when Regan and Goneril meet they divulge just how they only lied to get their inheritance and that secretly they think Lear is just a dithering old fool.

Not long after this Lear makes his way to Goneril’s home where he treats her staff with contempt and rudeness. When Goneril catches wind of this she has this to say.

Original Text

GONERIL
By day and night he wrongs me. Every hour
He flashes into one gross crime or other
That sets us all at odds. I’ll not endure it.
His knights grow riotous and himself upbraids us
On every trifle. When he returns from hunting,
I will not speak with him; say I am sick.
If you come slack of former services
You shall do well; the fault of it I’ll answer.

[Horns within]

OSWALD
He’s coming, madam, I hear him.

GONERIL
Put on what weary negligence you please,
You and your fellows; I’d have it come to question.
If he distaste it, let him to my sister,
Whose mind and mine I know in that are one,
Not to be overruled. Idle old man,
That still would manage those authorities
That he hath given away. Now by my life
Old fools are babes again and must be used
With checks as flatteries, when they are seen abused.
Remember what I have said.

OSWALD
Very well, madam.

GONERIL
And let his knights have colder looks among you,
What grows of it no matter; advise your fellows so.
I would breed from hence occasions, and I shall,
That I may speak. I’ll write straight to my sister
To hold my very course. Go, prepare for dinner.

Unfamiliar Language

Upbraid: Criticise
Trifle: Problem
Weary: Tired
Distaste: Dislike
Check: Discipline
Course: Plan

Modern Translation (Monologue Only)

Night and day he does the wrong thing! Every hour he breaks some law that pits us all against each other. I’m not putting up with it anymore! His knights are growing rebellious and restless and he is criticising us for every little problem. When he comes back from hunting I’m not going to speak to him. Tell him I’m sick. And if you slack off on your courtly duties you’ll be doing what’s right and I can take the blame for it.

[Horns Within]

Be as neglectful of your duties as you want. I’ll make it so he comes to question me about it.
If he doesn’t like it he can go live with Regan. Who I know is on the same page as me and that won’t be changed. He’s an inanimate old man who seems to think he can still command the powers that he gave away! I swear old people are just babies who need discipline instead of flattery when they’ve been giving bad advice. Remember what I told you.

And don’t be nice to his knights either, no matter what, and tell your colleagues to do the same. I want this to cause more problems so that I can tell him off. I’ll write to Regan and tell her to do the same. Go and get ready for dinner.

Notes on Performance

This is a great monologue if you’re wanting to explore some villainous themes. Think about the kind of character that would be so chiding of their parent even after they had been inherited a part of a Kingdom. Lear is not without his faults but for Goneril to firstly lie to his face about how much she loves him and then chide him like this in her home speaks to us about what kind of a person she is so lean into that.

Another thing to think about is that this is a plotting speech so play with the idea of discovering these ideas in real time. Don’t just blast through the monologue as if she knew exactly what she was going to say the second she walked on stage but find the thoughts and let them fly.

For more Female Shakespeare Monologues

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Context

Quick caveat! Often forgotten in this monologue is that there is dialogue happening on the page unbeknownst to Lady M but we’re going to look at this scene as though it were a monologue because it might as well be.

So, in short, Lady M has been going through it and her mental health is reflecting that fact. Let’s go right back now.

So Lady M and Macbeth before the play has even begun have lost a child. They try to move on from that and Macbeth, her husband, goes off and does his job vanquishing foes on the battlefield for Scotland.

Upon his return he runs into some weird sisters or as we will refer to them, witches. They tell him that one day he’s going to be King. Wild. He tells Lady M about this in a letter and they get real excited. When Macbeth gets passed over and only gets a promotion to Thane of Cawdor they’re both disappointed, obviously.

So Lady M convinces him to speed up the process a little by killing the King! Easy right? No!
She convinces him to do it. Macbeth does the deed and becomes King, and this sets them off on a bloody and secretive tirade costing a number of lives of both men, women and children.

And so we find ourselves at Act 5, Scene 1. Lady Macbeth’s mental health has degraded so much that she is sleepwalking and talking to herself. With the guilt of all of those slaughters and the figurative and literal blood on her hands she sleepwalks remembering the things she’s done and saying this out loud.

Original Text

LADY
Yet here’s a spot.

DOCTOR
Hark, she speaks. I will set down what comes
from her, to satisfy my remembrance the more
strongly.

LADY
Out, damned spot: out, I say. One; two. Why
then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord,
fie, a soldier and afeared? What need we fear? Who
knows it when none can call our power to account?
Yet who would have thought the old man to have
had so much blood in him?

DOCTOR
Do you mark that?

LADY
The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?
What, will these hands ne’er be clean? No more
o’that, my lord, no more o’that. You mar all with
this starting.

DOCTOR
Go to, go to. You have known what you should
not.
GENTLEWOMAN
She has spoke what she should not, I
am sure of that. Heaven knows what she has known.

LADY
Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the
perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.
Oh, oh, oh.

DOCTOR
What a sigh is there. The heart is sorelycharged.
GENTLEWOMAN
I would not have such a heart in my
bosom, for the dignity of the whole body.
DOCTOR
Well, well, well.
GENTLEWOMAN
Pray God it be, sir.
DOCTOR
This disease is beyond my practice: yet I have
known those which have walked in their sleep, who
have died holily in their beds.

LADY
Wash your hands, put on your nightgown, look
not so pale. I tell you yet again, Banquo’s buried; he
cannot come out on’s grave.

DOCTOR
Even so?

LADY
To bed, to bed: there’s knocking at the gate. Come,
come, come, come, give me your hand. What’s done,
cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed.

Unfamiliar Language

Afeared: Afraid
Mar: Ruin

Modern Translation (Monologue Only)

There’s a spot

Come off you damned spot! Come off, I said! One ring, two rings. Well then it must be time to do it. Hell is a murky place! Come on, my love, come on! You’re a soldier and you’re afraid? Why should we be afraid that someone will find us out when no one can challenge our power? Still, who would have thought old Duncan would bleed so much?

The Thane of Fife also had a wife. What happened to her? What will these hands never be clean? Stop that my love, stop that. You’re going to ruin everything by showing so much fear.

I can still smell the blood. All the perfume in Arabia couldn’t stop my hand from smelling.
Oh! Oh! Oh!

Wash your hands and put on your robe, don’t look so sick with fear. I’ll say it again, Banquo is buried in the ground and he isn’t going to come out of his grave!

Go to bed, go to bed. I can hear knocking at the gate. Come, come, come come hold my hand. We can’t undo what we’ve done. Go to bed, go to bed, go to bed.

Notes on Performance

So as you can see from the original text there is some other dialogue happening pertaining to what the doctor and nurse are seeing but Lady Macbeth being asleep and mentally unwell is completely oblivious to that. So this can be and often is played as a monologue, or a soliloquy if you will.

Now onto the actual acting. It should be noted that Lady Macbeth’s mental health degrades so much throughout the play that it is alluded to but never confirmed that she commits suicide not long after this scene takes place. This should give you an idea of just how poorly she is.

Another huge thing I’d like to bring your attention to in this monologue is that these thoughts are not linear. Some are memories, some are pure catastrophizing. The actor is tasked with jumping from image to image, memory to memory, and thought to thought quickly. So keep moving and lean into the fact that it doesn’t really make sense. Move quickly, follow the text and the pacing will take care of itself.

For More Female Shakespeare Monologues

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In the wrong hands Othello the play can be deeply problematic. Alike many of the Bard’s plays, Othello is a riff on a short story, Un Capitano Moro, written approximately 39 years earlier. The play centres around Iago’s deep seeded jealousy and racism, after he is overlooked for a promotion. This ‘green-eyed monster’ spirals out of control across the five acts, and eventuates in Othello being convinced by Iago that Desdemona, his new bride, is cheating on him. Now, portray Iago as a ‘not very convincing player’, and you have a racist play. On the other hand, portray Iago as the most sadistic, psychopaths around, you have a trusting soldier in Othello who is led astray.

The outcome aligns with the tradition of Shakespeare’s Tragedies… lot’s of death. Including the very innocent Desdemona. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s cast ourselves back to a happier time.

Context

It’s important to contextualise the players who are present within this scene.

• Desdemona is a white, young woman of high social standing.
• Brabantio, Desdemona’s rich, senator who has great influence within the high echelons. There is no mention of Desdemona’s mother being in the picture, however alike many Shakespeare fathers, Brabantio views his daughter as property, and has quite a nasty streak.
• Othello is a general in the army, and a ‘moor’, which is a word used to describe someone with African or Arabic heritage.

The catalysis of this interaction is the secret, interracial matrimony of Desdemona and Othello. Something we would later find out was a ‘mortal’ ‘wound’ [5.2.203] to Brabantio, who was alerted in the late hours of the night, and stormed a military meeting to confront the Duke as to why one of his men would ‘tup his white ewe’ [1.1.87]. There, Brabantio confront’s Othello and Desdemona.

Original Text

My noble father,
I do perceive here a divided duty.
To you I am bound for life and education:
My life and education both do learn me
How to respect you; you are the lord of duty,
I am hitherto your daughter. But, here’s my husband:
And so much duty as my mother showed
To you, preferring you before her father,
So much I challenge that I may profess
Due to the Moor my lord.

Unfamiliar Language

Perceive: see
Duty: obligation
Life: existence
Education: upbringing
Hitherto: up to now
Profess: pledge

Modern Translation

My respected father,
In this situation, I am torn in two.
To you, I owe you everything in my life,
and for this I respect you deeply,
just as so many respect you too.
But
Othello is now my husband.
And just like the obligation my mother
showed to you when she prioritised you over her father,
So must I prioritise Othello over you.

Conclusion

When portraying this monologue, have fun playing with Desdemona’s sweetness and strength. Use the ‘but’ as a cog to turn the script on Brabantio and don’t shy away from her strength. We need to know she is not a victim, but a forthright woman who ultimately believes that good will overcome all.

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Context

Meet Imogen, the sole surviving child of King Cymebline of Britain. Before the play begins, Imogen has married her boo, Posthumus. Cymbeline catches wind of this and swiftly banishes him to Italy. They are both pretty upset about this, and rightly so.

Cymbeline wants her to marry someone of royal blood, and so his wife, the Queen comes up with a dastardly plan for Clotten, her bastard child, to woo Imogen, marry her, kill her and Cymbeline and take the throne for herself?

Clotten makes unwanted advances on Imogen who rightfully protests them furiously, and hides herself away from him in her chamber.

Meanwhile in Italy Posthumus meets with his friend Iachamo, and he and Iachamo make a bet that Iachamo can seduce Imogen and sleep with her. If Iachamo is right he gets Posthumus’ wedding bracelet and if he isn’t he has to fight Posthumus in a duel and pay for the privilege of certain death! Sounds like a fair trade to me.

So Iachomo goes back to Britain and hides away in Imogen’s chamber waiting for her to fall asleep. Once she does, he steals her bracelet, takes notes of the mole on her breast and flees back to Italy with his “proof”.

Posthumus is furious to find this out and sets out to enact his revenge, get ready for this, on Imogen, not Posthumus but Imogen. Seems fair. Anyway he writes two letters. One to Imogen telling her to meet him in Wales, and another to Pisanio, his servant, ordering him to chaperone her and kill her on the way there.

And so Pisanio tells her to disguise herself as a man and travel with him to Wales where they will meet with Posthumus. And so off they go and the next time we see them they’re well into their journey when Pisanio decides to show Imogen the letter telling him to kill her. Imogen is highly disturbed by this but in an act of passion tells Pisanio to do it. Going so far as to draw his sword and hand it to him. She says this…

Original Text

Why, I must die,
And if I do not by thy hand, thou art
No servant of thy master’s. Against self-slaughter
There is a prohibition so divine
That cravens my weak hand. Come, here’s my heart.
Something’s afore’t. Soft, soft, we’ll no defence,
Obedient as the scabbard. What is here?

She pulls letters from her bodice

The scriptures of the loyal Leonatus,
All turned to heresy? Away, away,

She throws the letters away

Corrupters of my faith, you shall no more
Be stomachers to my heart. Thus may poor fools
Believe false teachers. Though those that are betrayed
Do feel the treason sharply, yet the traitor
Stands in worse case of woe. And thou, Posthumus,
That didst set up my disobedience ’gainst the King
My father, and makes me put into contempt the suits
Of princely fellows, shalt hereafter find
It is no act of common passage but
A strain of rareness; and I grieve myself
To think, when thou shalt be disedged by her
That now thou tirest on, how thy memory
Will then be panged by me. Prithee dispatch,
The lamb entreats the butcher. Where’s thy knife?
Thou art too slow to do thy master’s bidding
When I desire it too.

Unfamiliar Language

Afore’t: Infront
Leonatus: An officer of Alexander the Great
Heresy: Blasphemy
Stomachers: A part of a dress that covers a corset.
Suits: Proposals/Courtings
Hereafter: From now on.
Disedged: Dumped/Left
Panged: Remember
Prithee: Please/Do this/Go on
Dispatch: Leave
Entreats: Beg/Ask

Modern Translation

Well, I have to die,
And if you don’t kill me, you are not loyal to your master.
There are such strong holy laws against suicide that my hands are being weak.
Come on then, here’s my heart. Wait there’s something in front of it. Wait, wait, I want no armor,
I’ll take a sword as willingly as a scabbard.
What’s in here?

She pulls the papers from her garment

The holy words of the loyal soldier Leonatus which were actually blasphemous?

She throws the papers away

Go away! Words that have destroyed my faith will not protect my heart any longer.
Foolish people believe lying teachers with ease. Even though those that are betrayed feel the pain of the betrayal sharply, those that commit it are even worse off.
And you, Posthumus, who made me go against my fathers wishes and look down on good men shall soon learn that no one dares to try these things for a reason; And it saddens me to think about how when you’re inevitably dumped by your new girlfriend that your memories will be flooded by me.
Go on, kill me. The lamb is begging the butcher to kill it. Where is your sword?
You’re too slow to carry out your orders even when I tell you to.

Notes on Performance

This is a fantastic monologue for those wanting to explore high stakes so lean into that. This is a larger than life situation so don’t hold back. Give it everything you’ve got.

Secondly keep in mind the idea that even though you know as the actor how this is going to play out, never allow that to sneak into your performance. There always has to be a level of surprise in any work that you do and this is a great example of that. Imogen doesn’t know if she’s going to die or not when she goes into this speech so don’t let the audience know what will happen.

And lastly, and this is the fun part, decide whether you believe that your Imogen really believes what she is saying. Does she really want Pasanio to kill her? Or is this an act of defiance to his wishes given how unjustly she’s been treated?

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