Can you understand Shakespeare without education?

REKIBorter · Feb 9, 2013

Had a pre-move clearout the other day and came across a copy of Richard II which I studied for English Literature 'O' level. Loads of hand written notes in the margin but having a quick scan through I was totally lost to the meaning. Makes me think did the original audience for these productions have a clue what the play was about, or was it an excuse to get out of the slums for the night?

rosstheboss · Feb 9, 2013

I think the key is to read it aloud in your head, if you see what I mean, as opposed to reading it like a book - they're not books, they're scripts! It can be hard going at times, but much like the cryptic crosswords in the broadsheets, once you start to get the gist it gets a lot easier. Chaucer is similar, once you get into it, it just sounds like a strong regional accent.

David B · Feb 9, 2013

greenstiles":755mxar1 said:
They still speak like that in places like Tipton...........yeh me faver kim om tut see thee ad a mark upon thy big two wert a bee verily ad placed itself upon thee....

Spend some time there you'll soon understand Shaky

big two= big toe.

Historians reckon that how Shakespeare himself spoke wasn't too far removed from Black Country dialect. They're now saying something similar about hunchbacked car-park cluttering ex-monarch Richard III, whose speech was supposedly West rather than East Midlands despite those Leicester connections (however, if you are still wondering what a physically grotesque man with a Leicester accent sounds like, the jug-eared crisp merchant is on MoTD later tonight I believe....

).

David

Koupe · Feb 9, 2013

REKIBorter":dvdqigrt said:
Had a pre-move clearout the other day and came across a copy of Richard II which I studied for English Literature 'O' level. Loads of hand written notes in the margin but having a quick scan through I was totally lost to the meaning. Makes me think did the original audience for these productions have a clue what the play was about, or was it an excuse to get out of the slums for the night?

I suspect the original audience was pretty clued-up on the gossip and undertone to a lot of the plays; if you played an episode of HIGNFY to someone a few hundred years from now, they probably wouldn't 'get' more than 10% of it (not an ideal comparison, but probably not far off when you factor in the differences in media).

I did Richard II at school, and found it pretty interesting, although if I hadn't had a copy of the 'York Notes' textbook I would've given up fairly quickly!

Retro Cat · Feb 9, 2013

David B":3gvtgen4 said:
greenstiles":3gvtgen4 said:

They still speak like that in places like Tipton...........yeh me faver kim om tut see thee ad a mark upon thy big two wert a bee verily ad placed itself upon thee....

Spend some time there you'll soon understand Shaky

big two= big toe.

Click to expand...

Historians reckon that how Shakespeare himself spoke wasn't too far removed from Black Country dialect. They're now saying something similar about hunchbacked car-park cluttering ex-monarch Richard III, whose speech was supposedly West rather than East Midlands despite those Leicester connections (however, if you are still wondering what a physically grotesque man with a Leicester accent sounds like, the jug-eared crisp merchant is on MoTD later tonight I believe.... ).

David

Leicester? Birth place of Britains fattest man http://www.wardsbookofdays.com/13march.htm

And the elephant man... http://www.leicesterchronicler.com/merrick.htm

Can you understand Shakespeare without education?

REKIBorter

rosstheboss

David B

Old School Grand Master

Koupe

Senior Retro Guru

Retro Cat

Senior Retro Guru

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