Shakespeare Monologues that got my son into drama school… (by Klingons, Teletubbies, Tom Hiddleston and two year olds)
The fabulous Tom Hiddleston as Shakespeare’s King Henry V: and thanks Tom, for inspiring him!
Click here for audio (YouTube), or scroll down to see him perform his Henry V monologue in a TV interview
Non-diet update: My 12 year old son is auditioning for drama school today!
(Ed. Ok, I admit it: that was January and it’s taken my this long to sort the videos out – and he did get in and starts next week, yay!)
So anyway, he has (or had) to perform two monologues, one modern and one classical (before 1912).
We were tempted by this one at first, but thought the original Klingon Hamlet might be a bit too classical for the admissions tutors:
Klingon Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 1, Line 64: ‘To be, or not to be’
From the premiere of Klingon Hamlet: taH Pagh taHbe’, a Still Picture Production performed by Brian Rivera and directed by Amir Sharafeh.
Click to watch more of the Klingon Hamlet on YouTube, or find out more about the Klingon Hamlet from the Klingon Language Institute.
(Skip the Klingon Hamlet? Click here)
| To be, or not to be- that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. To die- to sleep- No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish’d. To die- to sleep. To sleep- perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There’s the respect That makes calamity of so long life. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of despis’d love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th’ unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death- The undiscover’d country, from whose bourn No traveller returns- puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action.- Soft you now! The fair Ophelia!- Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins rememb’red. |
taH pagh taHbe’. DaH mu’tlheghvam vIqelnIS. quv’a’, yabDaq San vaQ cha, pu’ je SIQDI’?pagh, Seng bIQ’a’Hey SuvmeH nuHmey SuqDI’, ‘ej, Suvmo’, rInmoHDI’? Hegh. Qong — Qong neH — ‘ej QongDI’, tIq ‘oy’, wa’SanID Daw”e’ je cho’nISbogh porghDaj rInmoHlaH net Har. yIn mevbogh mIwvam’e’ wIruchqangbej. The Klingon Hamlet, p. 81 |
I dunno, anyone got it in Elvish?
Deciding that Hamlet was too tragic, he chose King Henry V’s “Once More Unto the Breach Dear Friends” instead.
It’s not easy for a twelve year old (or perhaps anyone!) to learn such a big chunk of Shakespeare, so one of the things he did was to practise it in different accents and voices: Scooby Doo, Lumpy Space Princess / Valley Girl, and my favourite: Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson.
Tinky Winky has been helpful with keeping him motivated to practise too:
Henry V, Act 3, Scene 1
Here’s actor Ron Kagan performing his Tinky Winky Henry V live:
Click to see more from Ron Kagan on YouTube, and at The Night Shift Theater.
We all felt we could learn a lot from Tinky Winky’s Shakespeare, as well as Tom Hiddleston’s (the version he ended up learning most with – not to call Tom Hiddleston and Tinky Winky the same, except I’m pretty sure most of us like both of them! 🙂 )
Tom Hiddleston Performs ‘Henry V’ Monologue – Hoppus on Music – Fuse. Shared via Olga on YouTube.
In fact, we all learned so well, here’s my two year old as Henry V today 🙂
Comments
Which monologue do you like the best? Click to post your comments here…
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Mmmm. It’s always hard to take something from the past and make it fit into modern concepts. But, cheers for those who give it a try.
Yes – I saw a version of Richard III once where they did that and it was just confusing!
Well, according to Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, “You’ve not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon” (from Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country).
Exactly 🙂
You know what I enjoy? The videos online posted where actors do Shakespeare in the “original pronunciation” – which is different from how most actors/actresses render the lines. But when I was in high school, Shakespeare seemed so foreign it might well have been written in Klingon, for all I cared.
That does sound interesting! I studied a Chaucer play at school (The Wife of Bath’s Tale 🙂 ) and although it was in English, the language had changed so much since then it was almost unreadable!
Your son wins hands down! So cute!
Thanks! He wins the cute factor for me, although I think some might pick Tom Hiddleston 😉
Glad that your son got in! 😀 I would vote for him or Tom Hiddleston! 😛
Thanks! He’s looking forward to it
Goals:
– memorize Klingon Hamlet.
– stop watching Tom Hiddleston’s Henry V monologue.
– motivate my children to be theater buffs.
Theatre kids make for a hectic schedule but a lot of fun! I love seeing them in their shows 🙂 The other two things are a bit harder!
Absolutely hilarious. I hadn’t seen any of these (or even knew it was something people were doing), but I just wasted 15 minutes watching them!
Thanks for stopping by, glad it was fun / different!
Lol. LOVE these. But your son is definitely the best one! 🙂
Ha ha, thanks! Maybe it helped, having a 2 year old doing his monologue outside in the corridor on audition day! Luckily his older brother remembered the rest of it too 🙂
Ha! These are pretty funny. Best of luck to your son. Hope he gets into his drama school!
Thanks! He starts next week 🙂
This is so neat… I love all things Shakespeare. And Tom, too! thanks for sharing!
Your son is the cutest! Interesting post. My English professor would go nuts over this.
I love Tom Hiddleston so much, but your two year old steals the show!
Your two-year-old’s monologue is the best! How adorable!
I was an actress most of my life and I remember the Shakespearian monologue well. I used to do Ophelia from Hamlet. I remember once getting so nervous at an audition that I complete forgot my lines, and there is no way to adlib Shakespeare! I love your 2-year-old doing Shakespeare!
That’s happened to my son too, getting nervous and going blank at an audition. It must take courage, going again and again!
I had no idea that there were teletubbies doing Shakespeare- or Klingon versions either! Your two year old is precious! St. GEOOOOORGE!!!!
Your son is adorable he’s got this 🙂
Thanks! I think we’ll keep him 🙂
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I also think that unless you re going to be become a professional actor, or you re going to study acting, working on the iambic pentameter of a monologue hurts more than helps. It s easy to get into a trap of speaking in the rhythm of the meter, which is not at all what Shakespeare intended.