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Speaking the Speech: An Actor's Guide to Shakespeare
Why does Shakespeare write in the way he does? And how can actors and directors get the most out of his incomparable plays?
In Speaking the Speech, Giles Block – ‘Master of the Words’ at Shakespeare’s Globe – sets out to answer these two simple questions. The result is the most authoritative, most comprehensive book yet written on speaking Shakespeare’s words.
Throughout the book, the author subjects Shakespeare’s language to rigorous examination, illuminating his extraordinary ability to bring his characters to life by a simple turn of phrase, a breath or even a pause. Block shows how we can only fully understand these characters, and the meaning of the plays, by speaking the words out loud.
Drawing on characters from across all of Shakespeare’s plays – and looking in detail at Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing – Block covers everything the actor needs to know, including: the essential distinctions between prose, rhymed verse and unrhymed verse, and the different strategies to be used when speaking them; the difference between ‘you’ and ‘thou’; Shakespeare’s use of silence; and the vital importance of paying attention to Shakespeare’s ‘original’ punctuation.
Speaking the Speech is a book for actors and directors who want to improve their understanding of Shakespeare’s language in order to speak it better. It is also a fascinating read for anyone who wants to deepen their appreciation of Shakespeare’s language and the way it comes to life when spoken aloud.
In Speaking the Speech, Giles Block – ‘Master of the Words’ at Shakespeare’s Globe – sets out to answer these two simple questions. The result is the most authoritative, most comprehensive book yet written on speaking Shakespeare’s words.
Throughout the book, the author subjects Shakespeare’s language to rigorous examination, illuminating his extraordinary ability to bring his characters to life by a simple turn of phrase, a breath or even a pause. Block shows how we can only fully understand these characters, and the meaning of the plays, by speaking the words out loud.
Drawing on characters from across all of Shakespeare’s plays – and looking in detail at Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing – Block covers everything the actor needs to know, including: the essential distinctions between prose, rhymed verse and unrhymed verse, and the different strategies to be used when speaking them; the difference between ‘you’ and ‘thou’; Shakespeare’s use of silence; and the vital importance of paying attention to Shakespeare’s ‘original’ punctuation.
Speaking the Speech is a book for actors and directors who want to improve their understanding of Shakespeare’s language in order to speak it better. It is also a fascinating read for anyone who wants to deepen their appreciation of Shakespeare’s language and the way it comes to life when spoken aloud.
- GenresShakespeareTheatre
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2013
12 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Giles Block
4 books1 followerGiles Block is Master of the Words at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 29, 2024
This book has so much incredible information. I wouldn't recommend it to a super beginner, as it has no paraphrasing for the passages used. It was most useful (in my opinion) for its chapters on prose and rhyme. I feel like I unlocked a new part of my Shakespeare nerd self after reading them. I will go back to this time and time again when I get to work on new characters.
May 6, 2016
Really, really useful stuff.
May 22, 2022
“Speaking the Speech” by Giles Block
In five words: Comprehensive but undaunting de dum.
Master of the Words at Shakespeare’s Globe isn’t a title that comes without a huge amount of responsibility and hard work. Block has been running one on one sessions with the casts on every production since 1999, offering tips, advice, and pointers in the gentlest way possible. He must be the only person in the world who has continuously worked on Shakespeare in performance for that long and, if you think about such things, he’s actually spent much more time on Shakespeare’s plays than the bard himself. The genius of this book is that it approaches acting Shakespeare from behind, asking important questions and exploring all possible answers. Rather than swamping the actor with technical advice, systems, and methods, it hands over the skills and confidence to understand verse and prose for yourself. Vital for those approaching Shakespeare and other Early Modern plays, just as useful for interrogating modern authors, the book has as much for the trained and experienced actor as the green one.
Laurence Cook
In five words: Comprehensive but undaunting de dum.
Master of the Words at Shakespeare’s Globe isn’t a title that comes without a huge amount of responsibility and hard work. Block has been running one on one sessions with the casts on every production since 1999, offering tips, advice, and pointers in the gentlest way possible. He must be the only person in the world who has continuously worked on Shakespeare in performance for that long and, if you think about such things, he’s actually spent much more time on Shakespeare’s plays than the bard himself. The genius of this book is that it approaches acting Shakespeare from behind, asking important questions and exploring all possible answers. Rather than swamping the actor with technical advice, systems, and methods, it hands over the skills and confidence to understand verse and prose for yourself. Vital for those approaching Shakespeare and other Early Modern plays, just as useful for interrogating modern authors, the book has as much for the trained and experienced actor as the green one.
Laurence Cook
July 15, 2020
A bit repetitive at times, but overall really solid. I think this will be useful for both veteran Shakespeare actors and newbies.
January 31, 2023
Equipped me with basic tools that are fundamental for an actor to speak Shakespeare with any, if at all, clarity.
A must read for the actor with ambition.
A must read for the actor with ambition.
August 31, 2025
oops it took me almost a year! in my defense this is like the second or third time reading it, so it was all for review. but genuinely such a helpful text for shakespeare performance. love.
May 19, 2019
One of the best books for actors about working and acting Shakespeare’s poetry.
July 8, 2014
The best book I've come across on the subject. Block is, for me, the ultimate expert of analyzing Shakespeare's texts with relevance to performance and not academia.
May 18, 2016
Block posits a fascinating thesis on why (and when) Shakespeare employs verse/prose, blank verse/rhyme, and line breaths. Good intermediate-level resource.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews