Performing Shakespearean Text Flashcards

What does it mean to 'act on the line' in Shakespearean performance, as opposed to between the lines?

Answer: To let the action and intention live in the speaking of the words themselves

Shakespeare's text is the action — 'acting on the line' means the character's thought, feeling, and intention are expressed through the precise words, not in pauses around them.

In the verse line 'The quality of mercy is not strained,' what is the metrical pattern of the opening foot?

Answer: A trochaic inversion (DUM-da)

The line opens with 'THE qua-' — 'THE' receives stress as a trochaic inversion, drawing attention to the word 'quality' that follows.

When preparing a Shakespearean monologue for LAMDA, why is paraphrasing the text into modern English a useful rehearsal tool?

Answer: To ensure the performer genuinely understands the meaning before returning to Shakespeare's words

Paraphrasing tests genuine comprehension of sense and intent, so the performer can then bring that clear understanding back into Shakespeare's exact language.

The dramatic device of 'aside' in Shakespeare requires the performer to:

Answer: Address the audience directly while other characters pretend not to hear

An aside is a convention where a character speaks directly to the audience (or themselves) while other onstage characters are understood by convention not to hear.

Which element does LAMDA particularly assess in a candidate's handling of long Shakespearean speeches?

Answer: Sustained thought and the ability to track the argument from beginning to end

LAMDA looks for the ability to follow and communicate the arc of a speech's reasoning, showing that the performer holds a single continuous thread of thought.

In Shakespeare, 'prose' is often used for characters who are:

Answer: Of lower social status, or in moments of madness, comedy, or informality

Shakespeare frequently gives prose to servants, clowns, low-status characters, or uses it to signal a character's mental disruption or informal register.

What is a 'feminine ending' in Shakespearean verse, and why might a performer use it interpretively?

Answer: An extra unstressed syllable at the end of a line, which can suggest incompleteness or hesitation

A feminine ending adds an unstressed eleventh syllable to the iambic pentameter line, and performers often use this as a clue to unresolved thought or emotional uncertainty.