‘Although actors and acting instructors may be the main beneficiaries, anyone who teaches Shakespeare or simply enjoys sounding off will benefit from this deft little book.’ Julia Reinhard Lupton, Studies in English Literature 1500–1900, Spring 2014
‘Peter Groves’ book will come as a revelation to actors and readers of Shakespeare. With a shortage of formal training and a desperation to be “natural”, many actors today ignore or even resist the literary conventions and devices embedded in Shakespeare’s plays.
‘Dr Groves’ intensive and illuminating study demonstrates how an appreciation of Shakespeare’s use of metre, stress and rhythm, along with many attendant subtleties, will inform actors’ understanding of a text and allow them to soar beyond the bounds of mere “naturalism”, to delight the ear as well as the intellect of an audience.’ John Bell, Bell Shakespeare
‘It is beautifully written, rich with meaning, humorous and deeply knowledgeable, with a full feeling for the life of the stage. Groves analyses the way that Shakespeare uses speech to create and reinforce meaning: and in so doing he engages in an alive and alert way with many of the complexities this entails. He really understands that speaking verse provides the key to “living” a part, and I love the colorful economy of his language – it is full of down-to-earth metaphor, which is really engaging and delightful… This is one of the most originally conceived and useful books I’ve read for a long while.’ Philippa Kelly, California Shakespeare Theatre
How did Shakespeare intend that his plays be read?
Rhythm and Meaning in Shakespeare explores the rhythmical organisation of Shakespeare’s verse and how it creates and reinforces meaning both in the theatre and in the mind of the reader. Because metrical form in the pentameter is not passively present in the text but rather something that the performer must co-operatively re-create in speaking it, pentameter is what John Barton calls “stage-direction in shorthand”, a supple instrument through which Shakespeare communicates valuable cues to performance. This book is thus an essential guide for actors wishing to perform in his plays, as well as a valuable resource for anyone wishing to enhance their understanding of and engagement with Shakespeare’s verse.
Audio Examples to Accompany the Book
Rhythm and Meaning in Shakespeare
Please note that these brief sound files are meant purely to illustrate points made in the book Rhythm and Meaning in Shakespeare (they are numbered in the book and indicated by a black triangle: see p.1n.). They are decidedly not examples of acting, since I claim no talent in that area, and still less are they intended to be ‘definitive’ readings of the lines and passages in question.
I would like to thank (in alphabetical order) Tess Ebinger, Stella Groves, Mishka Kent, Eliza Lockhart, Carina Moore and Shauny-Maree Talbot for their kind assistance in creating these sound files.
