“To be, or not to be” is the opening phrase of a soliloquy given by Prince Hamlet in the so-called “nunnery scene” of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1). In the speech, Hamlet contemplates death and suicide, bemoaning the pain and unfairness of life but acknowledging that the alternative might be worse. The opening […]
Bard Words (6)
It has been said that Hamlet is play wrapped around a series of soliloquies In the play Shakespeare’s title character is shown to speak in seven soliloquies. Each soliloquy advances the plot, reveals Hamlet’s inner thoughts to the audience and helps to create an atmosphere in the play. ‘O, that this too too solid flesh […]
Bard Words (5)
Having heard the melancholy Jaques describe the ‘Seven Ages of Man’ we now find Shakespeare reflecting on the apparent meaninglessness of life. Again the comparison between the role of the actor and of real life is made. “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” is the beginning of the second sentence of one of the most famous […]
Bard Words (4)
“All the world’s a stage” is the phrase that begins a monologue from Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy As You Like It, spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII. Through Jaques, Shakespeare takes the audience on a journey of the complete lifecycle of a human being, made particularly vivid by its visual images of […]
Bard Words (3)
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” is the first line of a speech by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar. Occurring in Act III, scene II, it is one of the most famous lines in all of Shakespeare’s works. The speech is a famous example of the use of emotionally charged rhetoric. Comparisons […]
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‘Now is the winter of our discontent’‘ is the famous opening line of Richard III. The play fictionalizes the reign of King Richard III, who lived from 1452 until 1485. He reigned over England from 1483 until his death, meaning he was in power for only two years. Shakespeare had his own particular political reasons […]
Bard Words (1)
The blog returns! And with it a new series begins. I have always had a great love for Shakespeare and so I thought that I would feature some of his most memorable speeches performed by a variety of great actors, to see if we cannot discern something new from his words. Upon The King (Henry […]
Royal Variety Performances
To mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, I thought it might be appropriate to post about the Royal Command (Variety) Performance. It is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members […]
Comic Songs (48)
The Rutles were a rock band that performed visual and aural pastiches and parodies of the Beatles. This originally fictional band, created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes for a sketch in Idle’s mid-1970s BBC television comedy series Rutland Weekend Television, later toured and recorded, releasing two albums that included two UK chart hits. The […]
Comic Songs (38)
The Two Ronnies is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, serial stories and musical finales. The two Ronnies met in 1963 at the Buckstone Club in […]