The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 13.1987  Thursday, 26 September 2002

From:           D. Bloom <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date:           Wednesday, 25 Sep 2002 12:06:39 -0500
Subject: 13.1945 Re: Passion in Pieces
Comment:        Re: SHK 13.1945 Re: Passion in Pieces

  Brian Willis writes,

>To believe
>meaning should take a back seat to meter and punctuation is erroneous.

Just so.

I think the reason you encounter so many mediocre to bad renditions of
WS is that the actors don't know what the bleep the lines mean, only
that they are supposed to be "excellently well penned" and "poetical,"
to borrow from Viola. Now the full meaning of many of them can be
disputed, and others remain obscure as a result of printing problems or
the use of slang or topical references. But the vast majority can be
figured out, and that is the actor's job. You build the character from
the lines, and then refine your interpretation of the lines based on the
character your have built.

The way you perform Hamlet or Juliet is not materially different the way
you perform Willy Loman or Blanche Dubois. The problem lies in people
all solemn and pretentious or else petrified with fear.

Cheers,
don

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