Sonnet 18, The Sonnet (What you read when you audition)
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Background information (What you read through so you understand what you are going to say
because Shakespeare is challenging):
SONNET 18 PARAPHRASE
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: You are more lovely and more constant:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, Rough winds shake the beloved buds of May
And summer's lease hath all too short a date: And summer is far too short:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, At times the sun is too hot,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; Or often goes behind the clouds;
And every fair from fair sometime declines, And everything beautiful sometime will lose its beauty,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd; By misfortune or by nature's planned out course.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade But your youth shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; Nor will you lose the beauty that you possess;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, Nor will death claim you for his own,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st; Because in my eternal verse you will live forever.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long as there are people on this earth,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee. So long will this poem live on, making you immortal.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/
Sonnet 29, The Sonnet (What you read when you audition)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Background information (What you read through so you understand what you are going to
say because Shakespeare is challenging):
SONNET 29 PARAPHRASE
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, When I’ve fallen out of favor with fortune and men,
I all alone beweep my outcast state All alone I weep over my position as a social outcast,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And pray to heaven, but my cries go unheard,
And look upon myself and curse my fate, And I look at myself, cursing my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Wishing I were like one who had more hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd, Wishing I looked like him; wishing I were surrounded by
friends,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope, Wishing I had this man's skill and that man's freedom.
With what I most enjoy contented least; I am least contented with what I used to enjoy most.
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, But, with these thoughts – almost despising myself,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state, I, by chance, think of you and then my melancholy
Like to the lark at break of day arising Like the lark at the break of day, rises
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate; From the dark earth and (I) sing hymns to heaven;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings For thinking of your love brings such happiness
That then I scorn to change my state with kings. That then I would not change my position in life with kings.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/
Sonnet 73, The Sonnet (What you read when you audition)
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
Background information (What you read through so you understand what you are going to
say because Shakespeare is challenging):
SONNET 73 PARAPHRASE
That time of year thou mayst in me behold In me you can see that time of year
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang When a few yellow leaves or none at all hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, On the branches, shaking against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. Bare ruins of church choirs where lately the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day In me you can see only the dim light that remains
As after sunset fadeth in the west, After the sun sets in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away, Which is soon extinguished by black night,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. The image of death that envelops all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire I am like a glowing ember
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, Lying on the dying flame of my youth,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire, As on the death bed where it must finally expire,
Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by. Consumed by that which once fed it.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, This you sense, and it makes your love more determined
To love that well which thou must leave ere long. Causing you to love that which you must give up before long.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/
Sonnet 116, The Sonnet (What you read when you audition)
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Background information (What you read through so you understand what you are going to
say because Shakespeare is challenging):
SONNET 116 PARAPHRASE
Let me not to the marriage of true minds Let me not declare any reasons why two
Admit impediments. Love is not love True-minded people should not be married. Love is not
love
Which alters when it alteration finds, Which changes when it finds a change in circumstances,
Or bends with the remover to remove: Or bends from its firm stand even when a lover is
unfaithful:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark Oh no! it is a lighthouse
That looks on tempests and is never shaken; That sees storms but it never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark, Love is the guiding north star to every lost ship,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Whose value cannot be calculated, although its altitude
can be measured.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Love is not at the mercy of Time, though physical beauty
Within his bending sickle's compass come: Comes within the compass of his sickle.
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, Love does not alter with hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom. But, rather, it endures until the last day of life.
If this be error and upon me proved, If I am proved wrong about these thoughts on love
I never writ, nor no man ever loved. Then I recant all that I have written, and no man has
ever [truly] loved.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/
A Monologue From Hamlet: (What you read when you audition)
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 heart-ache 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,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would 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 remember’d.
TURN OVER THE PAGE FOR HELPFUL TIPS!!!!!
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/
Background information (What you read through so you understand what you are going to say
because Shakespeare is challenging):
‘To Be Or Not To Be’: Translation
The below translation of Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy is taken from the NoSweatShakespeare
Hamlet ebook.
The question for him was whether to continue to exist or not – whether it was more noble to suffer the
slings and arrows of an unbearable situation, or to declare war on the sea of troubles that afflict one,
and by opposing them, end them. To die. He pondered the prospect. To sleep – as simple as that. And
with that sleep we end the heartaches and the thousand natural miseries that human beings have to
endure. It’s an end that we would all ardently hope for. To die. To sleep. To sleep. Perhaps to dream.
Yes, that was the problem, because in that sleep of death the dreams we might have when we have
shed this mortal body must make us pause. That’s the consideration that creates the calamity of such a
long life. Because, who would tolerate the whips and scorns of time; the tyrant’s offences against us; the
contempt of proud men; the pain of rejected love; the insolence of officious authority; and the
advantage that the worst people take of the best, when one could just release oneself with a naked
blade? Who would carry this load, sweating and grunting under the burden of a weary life if it weren’t
for the dread of the after life – that unexplored country from whose border no traveller returns? That’s
the thing that confounds us and makes us put up with those evils that we know rather than hurry to
others that we don’t know about. So thinking about it makes cowards of us all, and it follows that the
first impulse to end our life is obscured by reflecting on it. And great and important plans are diluted to
the point where we don’t do anything.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/
A Monologue From Macbeth: (What you read when you audition)
Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going;
And such an instrument I was to use.
Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,
Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before. There's no such thing:
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one halfworld
Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The curtain'd sleep; witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate's offerings, and wither'd murder,
Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace.
With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth,
Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear
Thy very stones prate of my whereabout,
And take the present horror from the time,
Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives:
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.
A bell rings
I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell.
TURN OVER THE PAGE FOR HELPFUL TIPS!!!!!
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/
Background information (What you read through so you understand what you are going to say
because Shakespeare is challenging):
Macbeth, after discussing the crime with Lady Macbeth, has decided to go through with the "terrible
feat" (1.7.75). Now he sits alone, waiting for the bell which will summon him to murder Duncan,
pondering his decision one final time. The focus of the soliloquy, the invisible dagger, is our first glimpse
of Macbeth's powerful imagination – imagination that is largely responsible for his mental torment
throughout the drama.
Although Macbeth knows that the dagger is an optical illusion, and suspects that it could be brought
about by his potentially "heat-oppressed brain" (39), he nonetheless allows the phantom dagger, soon
stained with imaginary "gouts of blood" (46), to affect him greatly. Enhancing the ominous and eerie
atmosphere of the speech is the use of successive allusions to people and practices which conjure up
images of satanic and earthly evil. Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and a strong presence overall
in Macbeth, is preparing her sacrificial victims, and Murder himself, summoned by his trusted
watchman, the wolf, moves with the power and speed of evil king Tarquin towards his prey.
Just as talk of the murder is about to stifle his courage, Macbeth's intense illusion is shattered by the
bell, a signal from Lady Macbeth that Duncan's chamberlains are asleep, and Macbeth races away to
commit the heinous crime. One can only wonder if a few more moments of deliberation would have
changed Macbeth's mind.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/
An Adapted Monologue From Macbeth Witches: (What you read when you audition)
Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd. Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.
Harpier cries "'Tis time, 'tis time." Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw. Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.
Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark, Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew, Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Silver'd in the moon's eclipse, Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab: Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood, Then the charm is firm and good.
By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!
Background information (What you read through so you understand what you are going to say
because Shakespeare is challenging):
Visit this website for a line by line translation:
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/macbeth/page_130.html
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets, http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/macbeth/soliloquies/isthisadaggeranalysis.html, http://nosweatshakespeare.com/