In listening to Shakespeare purely to enjoy it rather than
to understand it, I noticed that it was easier for me to keep the characters
straight as well as the prevalence of the iambic rhythm of the lines. I could
not see the lines of the play, yet the natural rhythm of the words was far more
apparent. This made the experience more soothing. Just as Stephen Brown said in
the TED Talk, I did not care so much about the exact meaning behind the words themselves
but about the way the words were said and how. I “saw” far more in my mind from
hearing the words than I ever have with simply reading them.
I was also more able to organize the characters by voice and
had a good understanding of who was saying what. I have found that I have a
hard time keeping characters separate when I am reading plays, whether it is
because of the layout or some other reason, and I don’t know why. However, it
is easy for me to recognize the voices, and, even if I do not remember their
names, I am able to better understand the relationships and actions between the
characters.
I am not totally sure of when the play is set, but I picture
the actors in traditional Greek robes and on the streets of ancient Athens on a
somewhat dark day. I am not, however, experienced in theatre, and I don’t feel
that I have a grasp on the aspects of staging. I would probably put the characters
who are interacting and speaking front and center in the stage, at least in the
beginning. I would have the characters exit in the directions that felt most
natural, depending on where there were doorways or alleys etc. There would also
be a few inconsequential characters interacting in the backgrounds of the set.
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