Like I said with "The Merchant of Venice," I love love love listening to people perform Shakespeare! And Hamlet is a dear favorite of mine. So I was excited to listen to the rendition we were required to hear.
What I'm in love with, in regards to audio performances, is how your really get a better sense of the characters and emotions that Shakespeare was trying to convey. It makes the play much more relatable and understandable (at least to me). I appreciate the inflections and the shifts in intonation that take place. I really become acquainted with the characters that way.
And this got me thinking about all the different performances of "Hamlet" and Shakespeare for that matter and how people might prepare to perform such pieces. What sort of study do they employ (if any) in preparing to become another person? Do they attempt to mimic other performances? I know that when we were performing this particular play in high school, we studied the Mel Gibson version, noting the movements and emotional tensions between characters. This aided our production.
But is it the same for all performers? And if so, why do we each interpret Shakespeare so differently?
For instance, I have three performances of the famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy by three exceptional actors. However, each performance is different in regards to inflection, intonation and emotion.
But, is there one actor that stands out above the others? Is there a superior performance of "Hamlet?" Seeing that there are so many different interpretations for Shakespeare, what do you think denotes an exceptional performance? Or, are there strengths in every performance of Shakespeare?
Weigh in and let me know what you think!
What I'm in love with, in regards to audio performances, is how your really get a better sense of the characters and emotions that Shakespeare was trying to convey. It makes the play much more relatable and understandable (at least to me). I appreciate the inflections and the shifts in intonation that take place. I really become acquainted with the characters that way.
And this got me thinking about all the different performances of "Hamlet" and Shakespeare for that matter and how people might prepare to perform such pieces. What sort of study do they employ (if any) in preparing to become another person? Do they attempt to mimic other performances? I know that when we were performing this particular play in high school, we studied the Mel Gibson version, noting the movements and emotional tensions between characters. This aided our production.
But is it the same for all performers? And if so, why do we each interpret Shakespeare so differently?
For instance, I have three performances of the famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy by three exceptional actors. However, each performance is different in regards to inflection, intonation and emotion.
Mel Gibson Kenneth Branagh
David Tennant
But, is there one actor that stands out above the others? Is there a superior performance of "Hamlet?" Seeing that there are so many different interpretations for Shakespeare, what do you think denotes an exceptional performance? Or, are there strengths in every performance of Shakespeare?
Weigh in and let me know what you think!
No comments:
Post a Comment