Sonnet 106
In this sonnet, we see the poet directly referencing their own poetry, a theme we encounter many times throughout the sonnets. This is quite a sweet sonnet, we hear the poet essentially say to the...
Shakespeare
Shakespeare has always been a major focus here at StageMilk. Working with Shakespearean text is essential for any actor! He is heralded for being the best playwright of all time, and for good reason. Both actors and theatremakers across the globe are enthralled and intrigued by William Shakespeare and his plays. For that reason, we have a great deal of Shakespeare resources and information, all of which can be found here.
For more about William Shakespeare himself, click here.
For a list of the best Shakespeare plays, click here.
The Tempest Monologues
The Tempest is one of Shakespeare’s most well-loved plays. We thought it was about time we collated a list of the strongest and most compelling monologues from The Tempest for actors, teachers and theatre-lovers to...
Marc Antony Monologue: Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene 2
Nobody likes public speaking, right? It’s up there in the top 3 phobias world-wide. Well imagine what Marc Antony must be feeling during this public address, stepping up to the plinth to face a rabble...
Sonnet 19
In this sonnet in the fair youth phase we have an argument that is very clear and straightforward, but has some incredible imagery. The poet is making a plea to our character ‘Time’ to keep...
10 Underused/Overlooked Shakespeare Speeches
So you’ve got an audition coming up, and they’ve asked you to prepare a Shakespeare monologue. You pull out your trusty “I left no ring with her. What means this lady?” or “Thou, Nature, art...
The Taming of the Shrew Monologues
The Taming of the Shrew: one of Shakespeare’s most problematic plays. It is hard to ignore the misogynist themes, the blatant domestic violence, and a myriad of other problems. However, though we continue to debate...
Sonnet 30
Now before we get into this I’d like to say, this being a sonnet breakdown we generally try and mine as much from the text as we can without going overboard. However, this sonnet, however...
Marc Antony Monologue: Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene 1
We’re going to take a closer look at a brilliant Shakespeare monologue, the Marc Antony speech from Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene 1. This is a dramatic Shakespeare monologue that covers grief and revenge. Let’s...
Hamlet (Act 3, Scene I) ‘To be or not to be’
Alright, let’s do it! Let’s tackle arguably the most famous and frequently quoted speeches in not only Shakespeare’s canon but in all western literature. Pressure’s on, huh? Not necessarily. This speech does require careful analysis,...
Sonnet 22
In sonnet 22, which is part of the fair youth phase of the sonnets, we see the poet acknowledge that the fair youth in fact is not some god like deity which seems to be...