Hey actor! I have bad news. Just reading SparkNotes or LitCharts isn’t enough when it comes to nailing your Shakespeare monologue. The good news is that I created a new resource to help you feel super duper clear about what everything means, even if you’re a complete beginner. Go here: shakespearewithsarah.com/translate/
I think that by having some time, and being able to break it down, dissect the words… You can own those words and make them your own. That’s what’s going to make it work.
@@ShakespearewithSarah cHrIsT pRaTt Is ThE lOrD aNd UnHoLy SaViOr~ but more seriously, I had to do a 2-5 minute shakespeare monologue for theater class and this really helped me know the tone for the monologue and this video is what allowed me to do the best in my class.
I love it!! Thank you so much for your video dissecting her monologue. It really helped me better understand what she meant. I just sent in my submission for a school competition. I hope I did well :)
Hi Lila, I forgot to let you know it was up! 😬 Here it is. th-cam.com/video/K_VWFKPxAY4/w-d-xo.html Sorry it took so long. Things are so crazy this time of year. Hope it's still useful. ❤️
Thanks so much for your videos. I am preparing for drama school auditions and finding it super helpful. As my second Shakespeare I am planning to do something a bit different and do a male monologue (to bait fish withal Shylock from the merchant of Venice). Would you consider doing an analysis of this? Thanks so much.
Yes I can potentially do an analysis, but first I want to ask - are you definitely sure you want to do that one? It is in prose and I think for an audition it really benefits you to do something in iambic pentameter so you can show off your verse speaking technique. Just my opinion and certainly not a strict rule when it comes to auditions, but I think it’s worth weighing up your options. Would you consider maybe one of Angelo’s monologues from Measure for Measure? There are some similarities in that he’s sort of the antagonist of the play, and his monologues explore the human condition, but they are in iambic pentameter.
@@ShakespearewithSarah Oh great thanks for your comments. I have been asked to prepare two Shakespeare monologues for an audition tape. I am actually going to do this Helena one for my first as something much more ‘classic’ so wanting a real contrast for the second. I will have a look at the others you mentioned though as well. Thanks so much
Your account is such a treasure, I am choose this as my first monologue and Viola "I left no ring with her" as my second monologue for a drama school audition. Do you think my choice are good for someone who is mostly a screen actor?
Yep! This one is definitely good for screen actors because there's a lot going on for her internally. I think with the Viola one, what tends to get missed is really showing us when she makes decisions or realises something, which often happens BETWEEN lines. And it needs to be fairly obvious, which might feel a bit over the top if you're coming from a screen acting background. Good luck!
It's nice to see how the monologues can be done ! I remember in you text analysis for this one you mentioned not stopping too much to think and think as you speak, but you did have a small break before 'I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight'. How do you balance thinking as you speak and letting the character breathe and letting thoughts occur naturally ?
Omg what a great question! I might actually do a video on this but here are my thoughts in the meantime. It is ok to stop occasionally but I find that actors who are new to Shakespeare tend to pause way more than they need to, and it prevents them finding the natural rhythm of the text. So I guess I would say - if you feel like you need a pause, explore first and see if you can do without it. If you really feel like you need it, that’s fine! A big moment of realisation or a big decision are reasonable places to have a pause. That’s what’s happening with Helena here. I think I could possibly make that pause smaller, and that comes with more rehearsal time! The more you are familiar with the character’s thoughts, the quicker you can allow them to make decisions. The important thing is to try to let pauses happen at the ends of lines rather than in the middle if possible.
@@ShakespearewithSarah thank you for the answer that is very helpful ! p.s. : if you need suggestions, I'd love to see a breakdown of Pheobe's "I would not be the executioner..." ! I really like this monologue :)
Hey actor! I have bad news. Just reading SparkNotes or LitCharts isn’t enough when it comes to nailing your Shakespeare monologue. The good news is that I created a new resource to help you feel super duper clear about what everything means, even if you’re a complete beginner. Go here: shakespearewithsarah.com/translate/
Thank You! I did this for an audition after seeing your analysis video and it really helped! You're really awesome! keep going!
Thank you so much Dew Drop, I really needed to hear that today! And so glad it helped ❤️
I think that by having some time, and being able to break it down, dissect the words… You can own those words and make them your own. That’s what’s going to make it work.
I'm doing this monologue for theater and this helped a lot
Hurray! Also your name and profile pic cracked me up 😂😂😂
@@ShakespearewithSarah cHrIsT pRaTt Is ThE lOrD aNd UnHoLy SaViOr~ but more seriously, I had to do a 2-5 minute shakespeare monologue for theater class and this really helped me know the tone for the monologue and this video is what allowed me to do the best in my class.
Thank you so much this is so amazinggg I feel so inspired by this it gave me chillsss
I love it!! Thank you so much for your video dissecting her monologue. It really helped me better understand what she meant. I just sent in my submission for a school competition. I hope I did well :)
You are so welcome. And good luck! Hope it goes well ❤️
You are brilliant. Your videos are so so so helpful. Thank you !
I'm preparing Emilia's monologue from Othello for Drama School auditions. If you get a chance, it would be great to see a video on it :)
YEEEESSS! I love that monologue. I’ve been meaning to do that one for ages actually. I can get that done in the next few weeks. 😁
Hi Lila, I forgot to let you know it was up! 😬 Here it is. th-cam.com/video/K_VWFKPxAY4/w-d-xo.html Sorry it took so long. Things are so crazy this time of year. Hope it's still useful. ❤️
Thanks so much for your videos. I am preparing for drama school auditions and finding it super helpful. As my second Shakespeare I am planning to do something a bit different and do a male monologue (to bait fish withal Shylock from the merchant of Venice). Would you consider doing an analysis of this? Thanks so much.
Yes I can potentially do an analysis, but first I want to ask - are you definitely sure you want to do that one? It is in prose and I think for an audition it really benefits you to do something in iambic pentameter so you can show off your verse speaking technique. Just my opinion and certainly not a strict rule when it comes to auditions, but I think it’s worth weighing up your options. Would you consider maybe one of Angelo’s monologues from Measure for Measure? There are some similarities in that he’s sort of the antagonist of the play, and his monologues explore the human condition, but they are in iambic pentameter.
@@ShakespearewithSarah Oh great thanks for your comments. I have been asked to prepare two Shakespeare monologues for an audition tape. I am actually going to do this Helena one for my first as something much more ‘classic’ so wanting a real contrast for the second. I will have a look at the others you mentioned though as well. Thanks so much
Your account is such a treasure, I am choose this as my first monologue and Viola "I left no ring with her" as my second monologue for a drama school audition. Do you think my choice are good for someone who is mostly a screen actor?
Yep! This one is definitely good for screen actors because there's a lot going on for her internally. I think with the Viola one, what tends to get missed is really showing us when she makes decisions or realises something, which often happens BETWEEN lines. And it needs to be fairly obvious, which might feel a bit over the top if you're coming from a screen acting background. Good luck!
It's nice to see how the monologues can be done ! I remember in you text analysis for this one you mentioned not stopping too much to think and think as you speak, but you did have a small break before 'I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight'. How do you balance thinking as you speak and letting the character breathe and letting thoughts occur naturally ?
Omg what a great question! I might actually do a video on this but here are my thoughts in the meantime.
It is ok to stop occasionally but I find that actors who are new to Shakespeare tend to pause way more than they need to, and it prevents them finding the natural rhythm of the text. So I guess I would say - if you feel like you need a pause, explore first and see if you can do without it. If you really feel like you need it, that’s fine! A big moment of realisation or a big decision are reasonable places to have a pause. That’s what’s happening with Helena here. I think I could possibly make that pause smaller, and that comes with more rehearsal time! The more you are familiar with the character’s thoughts, the quicker you can allow them to make decisions.
The important thing is to try to let pauses happen at the ends of lines rather than in the middle if possible.
@@ShakespearewithSarah thank you for the answer that is very helpful !
p.s. : if you need suggestions, I'd love to see a breakdown of Pheobe's "I would not be the executioner..." ! I really like this monologue :)
That’s coming out this week! 😁
@@ShakespearewithSarah I'm impatient to see that !