I think Peter O’Toole had them all by heart (I haven’t got them all… yet). All the more impressive given, erm, how much he, erm, enjoyed a lemonade or two.
I took a Shakespeare class in college where part of the tests was to memorize and recite a certain number of lines from a play (I think it was 50?). I enjoyed it, and now I'll have Hamlet's soliloquies forever rattling around in my head.
I had to do the same in high school when we were studying Julius Caesar, and 30 years later I can still remember the speech. So strange the way memory works. Two months ageo, I decided to memorize The Sandpiper, by Elizabeth Bishop, and it is now also firmly lodged in my brain. Can repeat both of these as easily as I can my date of birth or social security number.
I have memorised about a dozen of the sonnets so far. I tend to come back to them between memorising other poets. What I have noticed is that Shakespeare's sonnets seem so much easier to recall after a gap of time. I don't trip up with his lines as I do with Donne, Keats or Tennyson. When I listen to recordings of sonnets I have by heart, they often feel a little ponderous compared to how I sense those that live on the tongue. There is always a sense of the stage in the sonnets, at least for me.
I'm working on a free resource for memorizing Shakespeare's work: memorizeshakespeare.com - please bookmark it and check it - it's gonna be a fun way to learn lines.
Beatrix Potter as a young teenager, deprived of most other forms of enjoyment and stimulation, learned several complete Shakespeare plays by heart. Is this reflected in the prose of 'Mrs Tiggy-Winkle' and 'Squirrel Nutkin'?
Not so much about sonnet memorization per se, but an anecdote about the power of the sonnets...Back in the 1970, I was fortunate enough to be a directing fellow with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and London. It was a wonderful era for the RSC, with featured perfomers like Ian McKellen, Ian Richardson, David Suchet, Helen Mirren, to name a few. One of the experiences I treasure most were the weekly sonnet classes I got to attend. These were led by John Barton, who was not only a remarkable director but also a wonderful teacher. He felt that a focus on the sonnets was a great way to help the actors hone and perfect their ability to perform in Shakespearian roles. Every week, a changing configuration of RSC actors , from the "stars" to the newest ingenue, would gather in a rehearsal room. Each would recite a sonnet they had selected, and then Barton would do astonishing deconstructions of the recitations and the texts. And then the actor would recite again. The difference was palpable.
Was Judi Dench there then? It reminds of the great movie All Is True, with Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, and Kenneth Branagh. Their use of this sonnet is heartbreaking.
When I first considered “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent,” decades ago, and memorized it, I had difficulty not so much in doing so as in reproducing it on paper. The sinuous enjambment (e.g., “Is Kingly.”) threw me off!
Not so big a deal to memorize for a Guinness record. It is what you want to imprint on your soul that is important. Ian McKellan and Kenneth Branagh do an unforgettable “dual monologue” with Sonnet 29 in the movie All Is True.
All of them—or whichever strikes your fancy. Good to watch the great movie All Is True, with Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, and Kenneth Branagh. Unbelievable use of this sonnet.
I think Peter O’Toole had them all by heart (I haven’t got them all… yet). All the more impressive given, erm, how much he, erm, enjoyed a lemonade or two.
O’Toole nevertheless nailed it (as he does in so many performances) in the Shakespeare movie All Is True. I will leave you to find the scene.
I took a Shakespeare class in college where part of the tests was to memorize and recite a certain number of lines from a play (I think it was 50?). I enjoyed it, and now I'll have Hamlet's soliloquies forever rattling around in my head.
that's great, such good stuff to have memorised
I had to do the same in high school when we were studying Julius Caesar, and 30 years later I can still remember the speech. So strange the way memory works. Two months ageo, I decided to memorize The Sandpiper, by Elizabeth Bishop, and it is now also firmly lodged in my brain. Can repeat both of these as easily as I can my date of birth or social security number.
I teach Julius Caesar in my classes, maybe I should think about having them memorize the funeral orations...
yes!!
I have memorised about a dozen of the sonnets so far. I tend to come back to them between memorising other poets. What I have noticed is that Shakespeare's sonnets seem so much easier to recall after a gap of time. I don't trip up with his lines as I do with Donne, Keats or Tennyson. When I listen to recordings of sonnets I have by heart, they often feel a little ponderous compared to how I sense those that live on the tongue. There is always a sense of the stage in the sonnets, at least for me.
got to work with Sutton on a play in the 2000s. lovely chap. does a great Robert De Niro impression too
I'm working on a free resource for memorizing Shakespeare's work: memorizeshakespeare.com - please bookmark it and check it - it's gonna be a fun way to learn lines.
Beatrix Potter as a young teenager, deprived of most other forms of enjoyment and stimulation, learned several complete Shakespeare plays by heart. Is this reflected in the prose of 'Mrs Tiggy-Winkle' and 'Squirrel Nutkin'?
Not so much about sonnet memorization per se, but an anecdote about the power of the sonnets...Back in the 1970, I was fortunate enough to be a directing fellow with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and London. It was a wonderful era for the RSC, with featured perfomers like Ian McKellen, Ian Richardson, David Suchet, Helen Mirren, to name a few. One of the experiences I treasure most were the weekly sonnet classes I got to attend. These were led by John Barton, who was not only a remarkable director but also a wonderful teacher. He felt that a focus on the sonnets was a great way to help the actors hone and perfect their ability to perform in Shakespearian roles. Every week, a changing configuration of RSC actors , from the "stars" to the newest ingenue, would gather in a rehearsal room. Each would recite a sonnet they had selected, and then Barton would do astonishing deconstructions of the recitations and the texts. And then the actor would recite again. The difference was palpable.
Was Judi Dench there then? It reminds of the great movie All Is True, with Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, and Kenneth Branagh. Their use of this sonnet is heartbreaking.
That's nothing. I'm memorizing a Milton sonnet or two. He's tougher, I think.
I want to memorise 'When I Consider How My Light Is Spent'
Done it. The tight rhyme scheme helps. Some Scots school kids memorise and perform Tam o' Shanter.
Ha! That's the one I'm working on now!
Though I might start with ' How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth' which I prefer
That will be next.
When I first considered “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent,” decades ago, and memorized it, I had difficulty not so much in doing so as in reproducing it on paper. The sinuous enjambment (e.g., “Is Kingly.”) threw me off!
Not so big a deal to memorize for a Guinness record. It is what you want to imprint on your soul that is important. Ian McKellan and Kenneth Branagh do an unforgettable “dual monologue” with Sonnet 29 in the movie All Is True.
I memorized a sonnet 45 years ago. It's the only one i know. "When in disgrace with fortune..." etc. What's the next best one to memorize?
All of them—or whichever strikes your fancy. Good to watch the great movie All Is True, with Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, and Kenneth Branagh. Unbelievable use of this sonnet.