Activity Instructions
One way you can explore the lyrical and expressive qualities of Shakespeare's language is by employing choral music techniques in performing his speeches. Treating a speech, soliloquy, or group of related lines as a "chorale" of sorts, you can experience Shakespeare's language and imagery more directly than you might in another kind of activity.
Task: Working in a group of 4-5, you will use these simple tools to dramatize the character, mood, and/or theme of a group of lines, speech, or soliloquy the same way a choir prepares its interpretation of a song. Your group will turn in a copy of its Choral Reading script at the time of its presentation.
Task: Working in a group of 4-5, you will use these simple tools to dramatize the character, mood, and/or theme of a group of lines, speech, or soliloquy the same way a choir prepares its interpretation of a song. Your group will turn in a copy of its Choral Reading script at the time of its presentation.
- As a group, chose a section of dialogue, a character's speech/soliloquy, or a selection of related lines; you'll probably want at least ten lines, maybe more, to work with.
- Employ a variety of the basic choral ideas and reading techniques described below to create a choral reading of your lines to perform for the class.
- Look to the examples of simple choral readings to get you started.
Some Basic Choral Ideas
1. Voice Parts
- In regular chorus, there are four parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. You can explore ways to vary the pitches of your voices to dramatize the mood.
2. Volume
- From the softest whisper to the most raucous shouts, variations in volume can be used for dramatic effect.
3. Tone
- In music, the tone quality of a voice refers to its particular brightness or darkness, its shading in general. In speech, inflection (the going up or down on a syllable) also contributes to "tone of voice,"
4. Tempo
- Accelerating or retarding the speech of each line adds great dramatic effect to Shakespeare's words as it does to music.
5. Rhythm
- Various rhythms make the character of a song or speech distinct. Rap, samba, dirge, waltz, polka, chant, swing - they all can be used successfully with Shakespeare.
6. Meter
- As music has its various time signatures, so too can Shakespeare's meter be explored and exploited by varying stresses/accents, using pauses, rests, and holds.
Sample Choral Readings
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