Blog readers may not always peruse the comment section, so I thought I’d post a response to a recent post, ”Call me Buttercream,” which featured a celebrated passage of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (and one of Shakespeare’s most famous passages, period) as well as a delicious-looking cupcake. Pages and Patterns guest blogger, Fran Ciotoli, who teaches Shakespeare, had this to say about my choice of source of the quotation:
Indulge the Shakespearean Teacher in me:
Shakespeare was an actor, and his plays were meant to be acted, not read as literature. Below is the same passage from the unedited First Folio. Keeping in mind the following rules, how does the ORAL reading change?
- Capitalization reveals a character’s intention and stress.
- Period at the end of a line = STOP. A new thought begins after it.
- Period in the middle of the line = CRASH ON THROUGH. Take no breath, no pause. It is the continuation of the same thought.
- Ask a question like a question.
- Colons = “but” or “therefore.” They are a gear shift.
- Commas and Semicolons = Put them where they are, not where they’re not
- Verbal conceits (alliteration, simile, metaphor, etc) are an indication of a character’s attitude and reveal their attitude
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O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Denie thy Father and refuse thy name:
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworne to my Loue,
And Ile no longer be a Capulet.
Shall I heare more, or shall I speake at this?
‘Tis but thy name that is my Enemy:
Thou art thy selfe, though not a Mountague,
What’s Mountague? it is nor hand nor foote,
Nor arme, nor face, O be some other name
Belonging to a man.
Whats in a names that which we call a Rose,
By any other word would smell as sweete,
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo cal’d,
Retaine that deare perfection which he owes,
Without that title Romeo, doffe thy name,
And for thy name which is no part of thee,
Take all my selfe.
O what the modern editor doth taketh away!
Readers, I am a bit red velvet-faced that in my posthaste (how’s that for mixing wordplay with baked goods?) I neglected to mention that I was quoting from a modern edition of Shakespeare’s beloved play.
Indulge the Beleaguered Defensive Editor in me:
- Was I swept up in the wave of St. Valentine’s Day love about to crash onto February 14th’s shore?
- Was I working under Torquemada-style pressure of multiple deadlines?
-
Was I completely distracted by tempting visions of pastry?
Guilty on all counts!
Seriously, thank you, Fran, for providing us with the edifying comments. It reflects your deep conscientiousness and care as an educator, and provides further evidence that you—my sister in reality and in spirit—are like those of us who row and swim these temperate waters: a language-loving GEEK.
p.s. Stop back tomorrow to meet the newest resident of The Octopus Garden—she’s quite creative!