I missed last class due to illness, so I am feeling a little bit behind for Voice. I thought it would be a good idea to get some pointers from a friend who had taken this class previously regarding sonnets. She told me about her experience: how there was another guy in her class reciting the same sonnet as her, but both delivered the speech differently. “Differently” in terms of context; she said he interpreted the sonnet as if his audience was his lover, whereas for her, it was more of a general reaction to one’s blissful youth. She told me to do some background research about what my sonnet is about, and really do some deeper investigations. (Power of context!) She also said that her instructor told them to really try to be in the character, as that would influence how you would deliver the speech.
More out of worry than trying to be a good student, I took her advice and did some more research about my sonnet. (I picked Sonnet 116.)
Interestingly, I found these pointers titled “Summary of Steps for Reading a Poem” via http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/sonnet116/reading.htm
- Read for the idea.
- Read for the mood.
- Read to check imagery against theme.
- Translate the stated and the unstated parts of imagery into everyday words.
- Paraphrase the poem in plain English. *Hah, this is something that Peter had asked me to do!
- State a theme for the poem that is consistent with all of it.
- To appreciate the craft of the poem, assume that nothing in it is there accidentally.
- Emphasis is built into a poem’s structure.
- Variations in rhythm and rhyme emphasize important words.
- So do other sound effects, like alliteration and assonance.
- Symbols and allusions show up in subtle word choices that are easy to overlook and can be very subjective elements.
My friend also said something about a “technique” (or “right way”) to read Sonnets. So I did some research on Shakespearean sonnets and their structure, etc.
Sonnets have a song-like feel due to it’s rhythm.
Shakespearean sonnets are written in iambic pentameter (5 iambic feet, 10 syllables in pair, x (unstressed) / (stressed) x / x / x / x /
Rhyming structure: a-b-a-b/c-d-c-d/e-f-e-f/g-g
