So I'm hangin' out with my mother for a couple of days and I'm running lines with her last night and she says...
"I don't know what the hell is going on here!"
hahahaha And that was certainly understandable. First off... we were just skipping around to parts in the play where I had lines, so she was getting no real feel for the story as a whole so of course it was confusing.
But there's another thing at play here... Othello is THICK. These lines are THICK. Sometimes I read a Shakespeare play and it is easy to grasp the language. Midsummer is a pretty user-friendly play. The language is fairly easily obtainable. And the parts that are probably the biggest challenge fall mostly into three categories:
1) Oberon says them and they are real pretty and all about flowers and "I know a bank where the wild thyme blows... blah blah blah"
2) Puck says them and, we just love Puck, so even if he is speaking some random monologue about the wolf behowling the moon, we're with him.
3) The lines are horrible and they get cut. These are usually said by Theseus and Hippolyta. Not a lot of people know that in Midsummer there is this whole little chunk about hunting dogs. HUNTING DOGS??? What??? There just isn't a widespread appreciation for Hunting Dogs these days so those lines get cut and the actress playing Hippolyta gets mad because half of her lines are gone. haha
In Othello, we don't have a bunch of magical fairies saying the most difficult lines so we can't just bounce around the stage all magical and have the audience stick with us even if they don't understand us. It's challenging stuff... I go on my runs and just think about phrasing, etc. Well, I do that for the first half of the run... the second half of the run all I think about is surviving... haha.
I've moved on to Act II which is the final act of the five act play that I need to memorize. I'm starting with Act II scene one and line for line, this might be the "thickest" that my speech gets.
Here's a little example... BACKSTORY: We're in Cyprus... there was a horrible storm... my ship has landed... we are still waiting for Othello's ship to arrive. Othello and I left at the same time but I lost him in the storm. Meanwhile, Iago and Desdemona hung back for a few days and are now on their way. Somehow, they managed to avoid the bad weather and are about to arrive before Othello.
So as I wait, a character named Montano asks me if Othello is married. Here we go... haha
MONTANO
But, good lieutenant, is your general wived?
CASSIO
Most fortunately: he hat achieved a maid
That paragons description and wild fame,
One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens,
And in the essential vesture of creation
Does tire the ingener. (Re-Enter Messenger who was checking on a boat that just arrived)
How now! Who has put in?
MESSENGER
'Tis one Iago, ancient to the general.
CASSIO
Has had most favourable and happy speed:
Tempest themselves, high seas, and howling winds,
The gutter'd rocks and congregated sands--
Traitors ensteep'd to clog the guiltless keel,--
As having sense of beauty, do omit
Their mortal natures, letting go safely by
The divine Desdemona
MONTANO
What is she?
CASSIO
She that I spake of, our great captain's captain,
Left in the conduct of the bold Iago,
Whose footing here anticipates our thoughts
A se'nnight's speed. Great Jove, Othello guard,
And swell his sail with thine own powerful breath,
That he may bless this bay with his tall ship,
Make love's quick pants in Desdemona's arms,
Give renew'd fire to our extincted spirits
And bring all Cyprus comfort!
Enter Desdemona, Emilia, Iago, and Rodrigo
CASSIO
O, behold
The riches of the ship is come on shore!
Ye men of Cyprus, let her have your knees.
Hail to thee, lady! and the grace of heaven,
Before, behind the, and on every hand,
Enwheel thee round!
...............................................................
So yeah... that is thick. These are the lines where Shakespeare becomes sudoku for the actor. How do I phrase this... where do I breathe... how might I inflect... to make this crazy line both useful to me as the character in the scene and understandable to the audience? If I can use these lines clearly as a character, the audience will have a good shot at understanding their meaning. And the best thing in the world is to have lines like that and then to have someone come up to you at the end of the show and say "I could understand everything you said!"
So, shout of of the day goes to my mom for busting out some lines with me.
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