This practical course will be helpful for students who may be nervous or unused to speaking Shakespeare’s language aloud. Working together, the group will find ways of discovering clues in the verse which will enable them to approach work on a speech with confidence and a sense of freedom. We will begin by looking at a speech from Henry V, Act Three, Scene four as the chorus sets the scene before the battle of Agincourt.
Course details
Tutors
Many lovers of Shakespeare seem to be very nervous when asked to speak his words aloud. These five practical workshops will encourage every student to enjoy speaking the verse with confidence. The course will remind us all of the ways in which Shakespeare helps to guide the performer. We will find how the rhythm and the use of figures of speech help us all to make choices when we’re speaking Shakespeare with a text based vocal and physical warm choices that engage the listener.
Each class will begin up, involving every member of the class. The alternative word for ‘acting’ is ‘playing’ and we should all enjoy speaking the words with energy and meaning. Our first exercise will focus on the Chorus’ speech from Henry 5, Act 3, scene 4 before the battle of Agincourt which begins: “Now entertain conjecture of a time”. Further work may continue with other prologues as the week progresses.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- Understanding how blank verse works in practice.
- Figures of speech.
- Speaking out with confidence.
Classes
1. What is blank verse? How do we bring it off the page?
2. Iambic pentameter. How is this rhythm helpful for the performer?
3. Line endings. Keeping the thought alive till the last word of a line.
4. Word play. Figures of speech.
5. Setting the scene as a chorus.
Required reading
William Shakespeare - Henry V. Any edition.
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
| c.8.00am-9.00am | Breakfast in College (for residents) |
| 9.00am-10.30am | Am Course |
| 11.15am-12.30pm | Plenary Lecture |
| 12.30pm-1.45pm | Lunch |
| 1.45pm-3.15pm | Pm Course |
| 4.00pm-5.15pm | Plenary Lecture |
| c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm | Dinner in College (for residents) |
| c.7.30pm onwards | Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.