‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more’ (Henry V) This is the second most famous speech from Henry V, and comes in Act 3 Scene 1 of the play, during the siege of Harfleur in Normandy, carried out by the real historical King Henry V in 1415 as part of the Hundred Years […]
Bard Words (25)
‘O for a Muse of fire’ (Henry V) so begins the Prologue to Henry V. The Prologue is spoken by the Chorus, and the speech sets the scene for the historical drama that will follow; it also makes reference to the very theatre in which Henry V was first performed, which makes it doubly notable […]
Bard Words (24)
‘If music be the food of love, play on’: (Twelfth Night) These nine words, spoken by the Count Orsino, are among the most famous opening lines in all of Shakespeare. To set the scene: Twelfth Night opens with the Duke of Illyria, Orsino, pining away with love for Olivia, a countess whose father died a […]
Bard Words (23)
‘The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan’ (Macbeth) so begins Lady Macbeth’s first great soliloquy. The speech comes in Act 1 Scene 5, immediately after Lady Macbeth has received news from a messenger that Duncan, the King, will be arriving at the castle that night, accompanied by Lady Macbeth’s […]
Bard Words (22)
‘Was the hope drunk wherein you dress’d yourself?’ (Macbeth) Lady Macbeth taunts her husband for his loss of resolve, in Act 1 Scene 7. The scene, and Lady Macbeth’s exchange with her husband, bring the first act of Macbeth to a close, paving the way for the bloody events that will follow in the next […]
Bard Words (21)
“But, soft! What light from yonder window breaks” (Romeo and Juliet) is a speech made by Romeo at the beginning of Act II Scene 2 The whole of the speech represents the consolidation and confirmation of Romeo’s love for Juliet. Romeo begins this speech when he sees Juliet at her window. (Whether she’s at a […]
Bard Words (20)
“What Angel wakes me from my flowery bed?” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) In Bard Words (19) Oberon, King of the Fairies instructed his henchman Robin Goodfellow (Puck) to obtain a the juice of a rare flower and with it to anoint the eyes of Titania, the Fairy Queen. The effect of this juice is to […]
The Magpies – Undertow
I am delighted to be able to post a review of the latest offering from The Magpies. This is their second album and the first since the departure of Polly Bolton and the welcome addition of Kate Griffin. The album displays the growing maturity of the group and a tighter more balanced sound with the […]
Bard Words (19)
“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) Today we return to Shakespeare’s ‘Dream’ in which we find a tangled knot of lovers. Hermia is ordered by her father, to marry Demetrius, who is loved by Helena, but Hermia loves Lysander. The star-crossed pair decides to flee the forest, followed […]
Bard Words (18)
‘Make me a willow cabin at your gate‘ (Twelfth Night) Viola (in her disguise as Cesario) delivers this speech to Olivia after Orsino has sent her to carry his messages of love to Olivia. In this speech, however, Cesario sets aside the prepared messages and instead tells Olivia what he would do if he were […]