Why do I feel embarassed saying my lines in this Shakespeare play?

Question

I try to down play the lines, but that doesn't come across right. When I say them as I'm acting, I feel silly - like I'm speaking in a fake French accent. Anyone identify with what I'm talking about ?

Answer 1

I felt funny when we did Macbeth in my class, however I had a lot of fun with it. You're never quite sure if you're saying these strange words and phrases correctly. And I guess that you're kind of going out of your comfort zone by trying to speak in this silly sounding language. But just have fun with it and laugh about it. Except in the actual play, you know! ;)

Answer 2

Here's what my college acting professor told us to do with Shakespeare. Read to the punctuation. The biggest mistake most people make is to read it the way it's written in stanzas and verses. They stop at the end of a line even though there is no comma or question mark or anything to cause you to pause. They focus so much on the poetry of it that they forget that it's a conversation with sentences.

The other key is to make sure you understand what the character is saying. It's really easy to get bogged down in all the wierd words and just start to fake it. If you know what the character wants, what the character is trying to accomplish with their lines, what they are actively doing while they are talking, you won't feel so detached from the lines. This is also very important in helping the audience understand what is going on. I have sat through too many Shakespeare productions where it was obvious that the actors had no clue what they were saying or why they were saying it.

Shakespeare can be pretty tough. Just keep chipping away at it and don't settle for less than your best. Good luck!

Answer 3

Don't sweat it...it's not uncommon for actors to pass through this particular territory when rehearsing Shakespeare. The short answer is that you haven't yet achieved a real CONNECTION with the words and the thoughts behind them.

Point number one: do not, and I mean DO NOT, "down play the lines;" that's exactly what you NEVER want to do with Shakespeare. This is "heightened language," and needs to be spoken with that kind of energy and urgency. Trying to make Shakespeare sound like it's "just folks talkin'" is a terrible mistake...because it's NEVER "just folks talkin'."

On the other hand..."fake French accent" is probably not the way to go. You need to speak these words in YOUR clearest, strongest voice. No accent whatsoever. Find the energy of the words/thoughts, and you'll find your proper voice for communicating them.

I wish you had mentioned which role/play you were working on; I could be a bit more specific in my advice.

Answer 4

I wouldn't worry to much! I am sure that it's just something new you are exploring and you just need more time to feel comfortable with it. Maybe you could watch some movies where the actors are using french accents, and take down some notes on how they are doing it. Listen to how they pronounce the words and find how you can use that with your lines. Maybe that would help some! Don't worry at all, it will just take a little time to feel comfortable, you are learning an accent after all, and thats probably what's throwing you off from the lines. Break a leg! =)

Answer 5

Its such a common reaction. It IS a foreign language. Something that we don't have any experience with. Whenever I had trouble, I would "translate" the lines for myself. Write them out how I would say them today, talking to my friends or family. It helped me find the natural emotion behind the lines. That's what you have to portray to the audience. If you can get the true feeling down, it won't really matter if you are speaking pig latin... the real you and the real character will come across. Break a leg!

Answer 6

Some of the words are very Old English in Shakespeare. If you want to do a good job and not come across as a fake, practice saying them over and over again in front of a mirror until they sound like normal speech to you.

Answer 7

Find out what you're saying. Something like "Forsooth, that miscreant doth boggle me." can't be acted if you don't know what it means. Make sure you understand the language, then you can find the emotion that goes with it.

Answer 8

We were reading and watching the play Romeo and Juliet. I didn't get anything that Shakepeare wrote. so it's ok to feel silly when you say the lines.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Use your tape recorder and then you can judge it for yourself.... Maybe it does not sound as strange as you feel it does.