Poetry vs. Storytelling

I have a theory: we enjoy a Shakespeare production more when there is a balance between poetry and storytelling. I feel that Shakespeare's poetry should support the story, and that Shakespeare isn't really Shakespeare without the poetry. It's becoming very popular to rid Shakespeare's plays of poetry (or to "translate" them to contemporary English altogether), in an attempt to make them more accessible. While accessibility is certainly important, I feel that by utilizing the poetry in Shakespeare's text effectively, we can provide the audience with a more rich experience, while still telling the story. It's all about balance.

Too much emphasis on the poetry makes for more of a recitation than a play. 'cause WHEN you SEE a PLAY where ALL the AC-tors SPEAK like THIS, it ALL gets VE-ry TIRE-some AF-ter ON-ly SEC-onds, SEE? These tools should be to assist in telling the story, not distracting from it. In Much Ado About Nothing, the play is very much in prose until Claudio and Don Pedro begin to speak of love. The shift to verse when matters of the heart are being discussed doesn't need to be overwrought for the audience to feel the new groove. The rhythms support the text; characters in love often speak in verse because these feelings are too big for the everyday prose they may otherwise use. Likewise, if a character starts rhyming, they may be doing so to impress another character or the audience with their wit, or even to annoy another character. 

Image: Tee Public

Neglecting poetry in favor of the plot negates the whole reason the play was written in this beautiful language and rhythms and rhymes in the first place. There are countless ways to make a love-sick teen named Romeo fall for a headstrong girl named Juliet. The fact that their first lines to each other form a sonnet is simply divine! Why? Because NO ONE SPEAKS IN SONNETS SPONTANEOUSLY IN REAL LIFE. That's a big part of what makes it magical. If you take the poetry out of the equation, then what is truly special to show the audience that these two are meant to be? "Hey, girl" doesn't cut it.

The goal is to give the story the spotlight and to use the poetry as the structure to tell this tale. Here are some questions to help you determine your path through the poetry:

Do the characters know they are speaking in verse?

If they are rhyming?

If they are using a lot of metaphors?

Are the words they're speaking spontaneous, or have they been well-rehearsed for this much-anticipated moment?

Is their alliteration proving their intellect, or is it a fun coincidence that they realize after the fact, or are they oblivious? 

These are just some of the ways we can use the poetry of Shakespeare to help support the story. What ways do you use Shakespeare's poetry to help tell the story? Let me know in the comments!

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Breaking Down the Bard VIDEO - Verse vs Prose

Do you know how to tell the difference between verse and prose?

This is something that trips a lot of people up, but my quick, minute-long video shows you how to tell the difference INSTANTLY. Check it out!

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Breaking Down the Bard - Couplets

There are two main styles of poetic rhyming that we find in Shakespeare's verse: couplets and quatrains. Being able to easily and quickly identify them will make you look like an absolute rock star in any cold-reading audition, and give you opportunities for some really fun choices.

Today, we're going to look at couplets, sometimes called "rhyming couplets" (which is redundant, but whatever), or "heroic couplets". A couplet is where the endings of two lines of verse in a row rhyme with each other. For example:

Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?

When at your hand did I deserve such scorn?

Claudius (Hamlet)

My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.

Words without thoughts never to heaven go.

Luciana (The Comedy of Errors)

Gaze when you should, and that will clear your sight.

Antipholus of Syracuse

As good to wink, sweet love, as look on night.

See that? "Born" rhymes with "scorn", "below" with "go", and "sight" with "night". 

Characters can speak in pairs of couplets at length in a monologue - the above couplet of Helena's is from a longer speech of couplets.

Couplets are sometimes used to indicate the end of a scene, or before a shift in the action, like the couplet from Hamlet's Claudius. The scene is mostly rhyme-free, but given a nice "button" with couplets right at the end.

Other times, couplets are shared throughout the scene and among characters. This can be a lot of fun to play with, as it could mean that the characters are on the same level, and in agreement, or sparring, kind of like a rap battle, or that they're in love. Looking at a few additional lines from the same scene of The Comedy of Errors demonstrates this type of back-and-forth.

Luciana

What, are you mad that you do reason so?

Antipholus of Syracuse

Not mad, but mated - how, I do not know.

Luciana

It is a fault that springeth from your eye.

Antipholus of Syracuse

For gazing on your beams, fair sun, being by.

Luciana

Gaze when you should, and that will clear your sight.

Antipholus of Syracuse

As good to wink, sweet love, as look on night.

Luciana

Why call you me love? Call my sister so.

Antipholus of Syracuse 

Thy sister's sister.

Luciana

              That's my sister.

Antipholus of Syracuse 

                              No;

The scene continues, with Antipholus trying to woo Luciana, but did you see that exquisite shared line of verse just now? Thy sister's sister. / That's my sister. / No; is all one line of verse, rhyming with the previous line: Why call you me love? Call my sister so. I think this could be really hot in performance, as the pace seems to quicken!

Next week on Breaking Down the Bard: Quatrains!

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Breaking Down the Bard - Soft

Romeo

He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Olivia

Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions and spirit

Do give thee fivefold blazon. Not too fast! Soft, soft!

Unless the master were the man. How now?

Even so quickly may one catch the plague?

Gloucester

And thus I clothe my naked villainy,

With odd old ends stol'n forth of holy writ,

And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.

But soft, here come my executioners.

How now, my hardy, stout, resolved mates,

Are you now going to dispatch this thing?

The word "soft" is already in your vocabulary as the antonym of "hard", and the opposite of "loud". But when you run across this word in Shakespeare's text used as you see in the examples above, it doesn't really seem to mean "cushy" or "quiet". Sometimes, words that used to have several definitions have only maintained a few of them as time passed and language has evolved, so we need to dig a little deeper to understand the true meaning of a seemingly familiar word in its 400-year-old context.

This is an instance where Alexander Schmidt's Lexicon doesn't offer a lot of help:

However, a father and son pair of Shakespeare scholars, David Crystal and Ben Crystal, explore the possible meanings a bit further in their glossary, Shakespeare's Words. (Their website is a phenomenal resource, and can be found here.) Check out the fourth "soft" down:

In the above instances (and many more), the word "soft" is spoken as a sort of interjection. It interrupts the action, and shows a shift in the direction that the scene is about to go. 

In Act II, Scene 2 of Romeo & Juliet, Romeo is hiding from his friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, who were loudly searching for him and mocking him. The appearance of Juliet surprises him. Whether he anticipated her arrival or he just lucked out, this is an exciting change of events, so Romeo's "But soft" is basically another way to say "hold up", or "hang on"!

Olivia is having an exciting moment for her "Soft, soft!" in Twelfth Night's Act I, Scene 5. Although she has sworn off courtship to mourn her father and brother, when she meets the Viola (in disguise as "Cesario"), she is smitten. Alone onstage, she recalls portions of their previous conversation and then lists several of Cesario's best attributes before saying "Not too fast! Soft, soft!" She may be sprung, but she's practically saying "slow your roll!" She hardly knows the guy, but she can't deny her feelings, which propels a lot of action in this play .

Finally, in Richard III, Act I, Scene 3, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is bragging about how well he is fooling everyone into thinking that he's a good guy in one of his several soliloquies. Then, the two murderers he has hired to kill his brother arrive, and he shifts back into the scene with "But soft, here come my executioners." He might as well say, "wait a moment" as he turns the focus to these new characters.

When you see "soft" used in this way, especially in a soliloquy or aside, be on the lookout for a change in the energy and direction of the scene. Think of it as "hold up", "wait", "just a sec", or even "slow your roll, girlfriend", and you'll help the audience follow your character's journey!

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Breaking Down the Bard - Fair

Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

How happy some o'er othersome can be!

Through Athens, I am thought as fair as she.

But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so...

Audrey (As You Like It)

Well, I am not fair, and therefore I pray the gods make me honest.

Chorus (Romeo & Juliet)

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...

You may have guessed that the word "fair" is ALL OVER THE PLACE in Shakespeare's plays. It's a word that we, in the 21st century, primarily use to mean "just, in accordance with the rules or standards; legitimate." And sure, it often means that in Shakespeare's text, too, but it also has a few other definitions, most notably "beautiful", "of a white complexion", and "clear, unspotted, pure." Sometimes, it even means "kind", "good", or even "honorable." 

(Side note: Alexander Schmidt's Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary is a great resource - and here's how to use it.)

One thing that we have to be aware of when we approach Shakespeare's plays 400+ years after they were written is the ideals of the people presenting the plays and the intended audience. Shakespeare's audience seemed to enjoy, appreciate, and idealize their definition of beauty. This type of "fair" includes people of a pale complexion (particularly ladies), and people with blonde hair.

This is especially apparent in a play like A Midsummer Night's Dream, where the two young ladies, Hermia and Helena, are rivals. Helena mentions in her soliloquy at the beginning of the play that "through Athens, I am thought as fair as she". As the play progresses, we see numerous references to Hermia being darker in color (in hair or skin, it isn't specified): "Not Hermia, but Helena I love./ Who will not change a raven for a dove?" is Lysander's love declaration to Helena. As the "dove" in this metaphor, she would be more "fair" (light in color) than a "raven", and therefore more beautiful to Elizabethans than the darker Hermia.

In As You Like It, Audrey says that she is "not fair", which probably means "not beautiful", but also likely means "not pale." Many characters we meet in the Forest of Arden are shepherds and goatherds, and they would spend a great deal of time in the sun. To many Elizabethans, being pale was part of being ideally beautiful, so the idea of Audrey using "fair" in the "pale/beautiful" context holds up. In the same play, Phebe is insulted when her features are described as dark: "He said mine eyes were black and my hair black..." The amazing thing about Shakespeare's writing is that even though his characters' ideals of beauty may be different from what ours currently are, he makes it abundantly clear that this is what matters in this particular society of the play!

In these instances and many others, "fair" is a synonym for "beautiful." This can apply to objects as well as people:

Proteus (The Two Gentlemen of Verona)

But pearls are fair...

Sometimes, "fair" means "good":

Olivia (Twelfth Night)

Let thy fair wisdom, not thy passion, sway

In this uncivil and unjust extent

Against our peace.

Finally, let's look at the opening lines from Romeo & Juliet. "Fair Verona" could mean a great many things: a beautiful city, a just and lawful place, a place without blemish (i.e. nothing bad happens here), it's elegant, and even fortunate. Any and all of these choices are accurate descriptions of the Verona we see in the text - until things go horribly wrong! 

"Fair" is a very common word in Shakespeare's plays, and now you'll have a jumping off point for what it means in different contexts!

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Breaking Down the Bard - Lady Capulet

One of the things I love about Shakespeare is that he gave us such unique and individual characters in his plays. Some of them are so fleshed out that they seem to be real people; with histories, favorite things, enemies, habits, and speech patterns that make them who they are. Shakespeare doesn't always spell everything out for us, the way we might see in a modern play's character list. Instead, we have to mine the text for clues as to who these characters really are, so that when we present them onstage, we are showing them as multi-faceted, relatable, human beings. Today, I want to take a look at a character that I feel is performed a lot (although not yet by me), that many people don't give a lot of attention to, but who I still find wildly fascinating: Lady Capulet from Romeo & Juliet.

I feel like Lady C is overlooked, and I want to shine a little light on her, because this chick is so interesting! First of all, she's in ten scenes in the play (a few she just kind of makes an appearance and isn't the focus), but only speaks 114 lines of verse, which is not a lot. The Nurse speaks about twice as much, and even Benvolio and Mercutio each speak more than Lady Capulet - and Mercutio dies halfway through the play! She's a major presence, but we don't hear all that much from her, so we need to follow the clues to understand her as much as we can as a character, then use our own imaginations as actors to fill in the blanks. Shakespeare gave us more info than you might expect, though, so let's play text detectives and see what we can learn about this Real Housewife of Verona!

Lady Capulet is YOUNG. I would say she's probably about 26. 

How did I come up with that number? We hear from the Nurse in Act I, scene 3 that Juliet is 13, about two weeks away from turning 14. Then Lady Capulet chimes in:

I was your mother much upon these years

That you are now a maid.

Time for some basic math, right? If Juliet is 13, and Lady Capulet was around that same age when Juliet was born, that would make her right around 26. Her husband is significantly older, although we can't be sure of his age. In Act I, scene 1, when he wants to grab a sword and start fighting, Lady Capulet says:

A crutch! A crutch! Why call you for a sword?

And when Lord Capulet and his cousin, Old Capulet, are enjoying the party in Act I, scene 5, they're bickering over whether it was 25 or 30 years since they were in the "dancing days" of their youth. Bringing up Capulet's age so closely to when we discover Lady Capulet's age only highlights how young she is, and the age gap between them. 

Lady Capulet might be barren because she had Juliet when she was so young. This exchange in Act I, scene 2 makes me wonder if Capulet is speaking of his wife's experience:

Paris

Younger than she are happy mothers made.

Capulet

And too soon marr'd are those so early made.

The earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she...

Whoa whoa whoa... Hold the phone! This looks like a MAJOR piece of information! It seems like Capulet doesn't want Juliet to suffer the same fate as her mom, which we can pretty clearly interpret here as having a baby very young, and not being able to have any more healthy kids. "The earth hath swallowed all my hopes" might be a metaphor, but he might be talking about miscarriages or children that died in infancy. That's absolutely tragic for the Capulets. Lord Capulet makes it extra clear that Juliet is their only child later, in Act III, scene 5, in a heated moment:

Wife, we scarce thought us blest

That God had lent us but this only child...

So Lord and Lady Capulet wanted more kids, but couldn't have any. Maybe that's why Lady Capulet really loved Tybalt (or she's putting on a big show for some reason). Lady Capulet is outspoken about her affection for her nephew, Tybalt. She immediately seeks revenge after his death in Act III, scene 1:

I beg for justice, which thou, Prince, must give:

Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live.

It's unclear if Tybalt was the son of Lord Capulet's brother or Lady Capulet's brother, as they both separately call him "my brother's son" after his passing (Lady Capulet in Act III, scene 1 and Lord Capulet in Act III, scene 5). It's common for Shakespeare's characters to leave out any "in law" clarification, so it's unlikely that Lord and Lady Capulet are brother and sister as well as husband and wife - but if someone stages that production, I want a ticket.

And in Act III, scene 2, the Nurse tells Juliet her parents are "Weeping and wailing over Tybalt's corse."

However, only hours later, in the early morning of the next day in Act III, scene 5, Lady Capulet tells Juliet not to cry for Tybalt any more:

Evermore weeping for your cousin's death?
What, wilt thou wash him from his grave with tears?
And if thou couldst, thou couldst not make him live;
Therefore have done. Some grief shows much of love,
But much of grief shows still some want of wit.

Well, she got over that quickly! Maybe she's putting on a brave face, knowing she's about to break the news of Juliet's arranged marriage to Paris, or maybe her wailing over Tybalt was an act, or perhaps she is just out of tears to cry. 

Lady Capulet may seem passive in some scenes, letting her husband lead the charge when Juliet objects to marrying Paris in Act III, scene 5:

Here comes your father, tell him so yourself;

And see how he will take it at your hands.

But she seems to at least think of herself as a woman of action, devising a plan to poison Romeo in Mantua, where he is banished, earlier in the same scene. How serious she is about that is entirely dependent upon the production and the actor cast as Lady Capulet, but maybe she has ties to dangerous people in Mantua... Or maybe she's all talk.

When Lord Capulet starts hurling insults at Juliet and things are getting heated in Act III, scene 5, she tries to diffuse the situation:

Fie, fie, what, are you mad?

But ultimately sides with her husband on the matter in that scene, and shuts Juliet down like this:

Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word.
Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.

So, my big question here is whose side is she on? Does she really think Juliet is being unreasonable, or that her husband is being abusive, or is it something more nuanced? Does she want to be the peacemaker, or does she just want to go back to crying over Tybalt's death?

When Juliet asks for forgiveness, Lady Capulet doesn't say anything, and lets her husband do the talking. Instead, her next five lines (over three scenes) are entirely about wedding planning. Granted, this already rushed event got moved up a few days, so Lady Capulet has a lot to do, but it makes me wonder if she was ever really angry at Juliet, or if she forgives quickly, or is covering up her feelings by keeping busy.

And then, in Act IV, scene 5, when Juliet's sleeping potion has convinced everyone that she is dead, Lady Capulet grieves in the way you might expect from a woman who has lost her only child:

But one, poor one, one poor and loving child,
But one thing to rejoice and solace in,
And cruel Death hath catch'd it from my sight!

You may have noticed that most of what I've dissected hasn't shown a "right" or "wrong" way to play Lady Capulet - I've just uncovered some of the options that are available when tackling such a rich and interesting character! Shakespeare gives us so much juicy material to work with, and it's our job as actors to find what works for our interpretation in each individual production to really bring these characters to life!

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Breaking Down the Bard - Trochees

Now that you know what verse is, and what perfect iambic pentameter is (and if you don't, feel free to read my previous Breaking Down the Bard posts to catch up), we've been tackling what happens when the verse has variations that break the pattern of perfect iambic pentameter.

Say this line of verse, and try to make it perfectly iambic:

Beauty is bought with judgement of the eye

beau-TY is BOUGHT with JUDGE-meant OF the EYE

Sounds flippin' weird, right? It sounds strange because nobody says "beauty" like "beau-TY"... and if they did, you would probably laugh at them. 

The word "beauty" is spoken with the emphasis on the first syllable: "BEAU-ty". It breaks the mould of the style of verse that is prevalent in this play (Love's Labour's Lost), and grabs our attention; which is great for the actor playing the Princess, because she is sort of schooling Boyet with this line. It sounds better when it's spoken like this:

BEAU-ty is BOUGHT with JUDGE-ment OF the EYE

Wow. Like a normal human is talking.

As you probably guessed from the title of this post, this type of metric foot is called a trochee. A trochee is the opposite of an iamb; a trochee is a stressed syllable, followed by an unstressed syllable, and an iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. 

Side note: it's pronounced "TROH-key". And yes, the word trochee IS A TROCHEE. Boom. But when you say "iamb", that's a trochee, too, so don't get too excited... you didn't just crack the verse code.

Just like iambs, trochees can be a word all on their own, or they can overlap two words, or be part of a larger word with more syllables. Some words that are trochaic all by themselves are: rainbow, bowling, baseball, country, delta, never, and zero.

Often, trochees will appear at the beginning of a line of Shakespeare's verse, where there has been primarily iambic pentameter. It gets the listener's attention:

Cousin, thou wast not wont to be so dull.

Shall I be plain? I wish the bastards dead,

And I would have it suddenly perform'd.

COU-sin, thou WAST not WONT to BE so DULL.

shall I be PLAIN? i WISH the BAS-tards DEAD,

and I would HAVE it SUD-den-LY per-FORM'D.

There might be a trochee on a line with a feminine ending, and/or at the beginning of a line after a feminine ending:

Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven

Having some business, do entreat her eyes

To twinkle in their spheres till they return. 

TWO of the FAIR-est STARS in ALL the HEAV-en*

HAV-ing some BUS-'ness, DO en-TREAT her EYES

to TWIN-kle IN their SPHERES till THEY re-TURN

*As per usual, I will remind you that there are many ways to scan a line of verse. For this particular example, I have chosen to trochee the first foot, and pronounce "heaven" with two syllables to demonstrate the feminine ending. You certainly could keep the line in perfect iambic pentameter (by eliding "heaven" to "heav'n"), or any number of other options!

It doesn't have to be at the beginning of a line of verse:

O, what authority and show of truth

Can cunning sin cover itself withal!

o, WHAT au-THOR-i-TY and SHOW of TRUTH

can CUN-ning SIN COV-er it-SELF with-AL!

And when something magical is happening, Shakespeare might decide to use a trochaic style of verse INSTEAD OF iambic pentameter:

Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

DOU-ble, DOU-ble, TOIL and TROU-ble;

FI-re BURN and CAUL-dron BUB-ble.

Or

Shall we their fond pageant see?

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

SHALL we THEIR fond PAG-eant SEE?

LORD, what FOOLS these MOR-tals BE!

Trochees are awesome, because they shake things up and keep the audience listening! It sends a new energy and says, "listen up!" at just the right moment, so be on the lookout for this exciting kind of verse!

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Breaking Down the Bard - "-ed" Endings

Have you ever wondered how classical actors know when to say "bless'd" or "bless-ed", "murder'd" or "murder-ed", "remember'd" or "remember-ed"? The truth is, a lot of them don't if it isn't already marked in their script for them, which it often isn't. Not to worry, though, I'm going to take the guesswork out of the "-ed ending" for you!

First things first: you need to know whether you're speaking in verse or prose. (Not sure? Here's how to tell the difference.)

If you're speaking in prose, you will usually pronounce the word however it's most commonly pronounced, most likely without the extra accented syllable. The main reason you might decide to emphasize the -ed would be for the sake of comedy; if a character is mocking another character, or attempting to sound more educated than they are, or is seeking to impress someone in vain, this might be a particularly fun character choice! I love hearing Benedick say "marri-ed" (as though it's a difficult word for him to say, or a foreign concept), or Bottom say "Pyramus is not kill-ed indeed" (because he is imagining speaking to the Duke at a very formal affair, and attempting to convince the other mechanicals to write a prologue for the play).

When speaking in verse, there are two things you need to consider:
1. How does this syllable change the rhythm of the line?
2. Is this word part of a rhyme?

Lord Capulet is a prime example:
Dead art thou! Alack, my child is dead,
And with my child, my joys are buried.

That second line can be perfect iambic pentameter, which I prefer here. It will scan like this:
and WITH my CHILD, my JOYS are BU-ri-ED.

See that? We need to stress the -ed in "buried", making it three syllables in order to fit the structure of iambic pentameter... otherwise, it's a syllable short. Also, when we make "buried" three syllables, it suddenly rhymes with the line before it, giving it additional weight and finality.

By contrast, Antipholus of Syracuse has this to say:
Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell?
Sleeping or waking, mad or well-advised?
Known unto these, and to myself disguised?

One could choose to say "WELL-ad-VIS-ed" and "my-SELF dis-GUIS-ed", therefore keeping the rhyme scheme and choosing a feminine ending for each line, but by keeping the lines perfect iambic pentameter, with "WELL-ad-VISED" and "my-SELF dis-GUISED", we still keep the rhyme, and keep the meter flowing.

KEEP IN MIND: Some editors will write "well-advis'd" and "myself disguis'd". While this can certainly be useful, it may just be one person's opinion, and it may not necessarily be the option that is best for the production you are doing. Compare different editions of the script, and see what works best for you!

Now, let's look at Bolingbroke in Richard II:
You have misled a prince, a royal king,
A happy gentleman in blood and lineaments,
By you unhappied and disfigured clean;

This part of the speech can easily be entirely in perfect iambic pentameter. Check it out:
you HAVE mis-LED a PRINCE, a ROY-al KING,
a HAP-py GEN-tle-MAN in BLOOD and LIN-ea-MENTS*,
by YOU un-HAP-pied AND dis-FIG-ured CLEAN;

*lineaments here might be pronounced "lin-ya-ments" or "lin-a-ments", depending on preference, in order to keep the meter. 

Notice how in the third line here, "unhappied" and "disfigured" are each three syllables in order to maintain the verse structure. It rolls off the tongue quite easily and keeps the pace clipping along.

One more example, from Julius Caesar:
That I was constant Cimber should be banished,
And constant do remain to keep him so.

We have two clear options, but neither of them are perfect iambic pentameter:
that I was CON-stant CIM-ber SHOULD be BAN-ished
and CON-stant DO re-MAIN to KEEP him SO.

or

that I was CON-stant CIM-ber SHOULD be BAN-ish-ED
and CON-stant DO re-MAIN to KEEP him SO.

The first option features a feminine ending by making "banished" two syllables, while the second, with a three-syllable "banished" becomes a six-foot line, or iambic hexameter. Both of these choices are 100% acceptable, depending on what is preferred in the production.

Pretty simple, right? With a little practice, you'll be sure to impress the next time you step onstage or into the audition room!

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What's Up with the Lexicon?

One of the most-used tools for understanding Shakespeare is Alexander Schmidt's Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary, commonly referred to as "the lexicon". For the uninitiated, this book will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. It is a phenomenal tool in finding the exact meaning of most words as they are used in Shakespeare's works.

WHY YOU NEED IT

If you don't know what you're saying, the audience won't know what you're saying! If you are just kinda sure about the meaning of these 400-year-old lines, you won't be telling the story in a specific and clear way, and your audience's experience will suffer. Some of the words in Shakespeare's plays are antiquated, and have fallen out of use, others have changed in meaning over time, and still others were invented by the Bard himself. Nobody just knows this stuff inherently; all classical actors are expected to do a substantial amount of research outside of rehearsal.

WHERE TO FIND THE LEXICON

The Lexicon is available online here, or in two printed volumes if you prefer a hard copy. 

HOW TO USE IT:

1. Pick the word you want to look up... duh.

2. Hardcopy: Use the appropriate volume (A-M or N-Z) just like a dictionary to find the word you're searching for.

Online: Use the toolbar on the left to find your word (listed alphabetically; this may take a few clicks - see the image below).

Note: if you choose to use the "search" tool in the upper right, be aware that your search will be across many other reference materials, not just the Lexicon, and it may include works by other authors, as the search includes the entire reference database established by Tufts.

Choose the first letter, then the alphabetical group, then the word you're searching for.

...And that's how we get to caddis.

(We still might have to figure out what a riband is, though.)

In both the online and hardcopy versions of the Lexicon, words that can be different parts of speech will be listed separately for each use; you may need to determine whether this is a verb, noun, adjective, etc. 
"Female", for example, is shown in two separate entries:

3. Look through the definitions available to find the reference to the play, act, scene, and line for the word you want to define. These are abbreviated, and can take some getting used to. For example, Romeo & Juliet is Rom., Comedy of Errors is Err., Henry VI Part 2 is H6B, and so on. The act number is in Roman Numerals: I, II, III, IV, or V. The scene number will be listed as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., followed by the line number. Most of the time, the reference material for the line of the play containing the word you are researching will be listed after the definition for that word, as well as most or all of the other instances that word used with the same intended meaning is found throughout the canon.

Notice that "mischief" has two distinct definitions, both of which are listed here. If we were looking up Don John's line "Will it serve for any model to build mischief on?" - from Much Ado About Nothing, Act I, Scene 3, we can see that it is listed with the second definition: "evil done on purpose, harm, injury." Much Ado About Nothing is abbreviated "Ado", along with the act, scene, and line number, which reads "Ado, I, 3, 49". We even get a portion of the line typed out for us in this instance.

Of course, there are many other references you can use in order to get a better grasp on what you're saying, but the Lexicon is a very popular tool that many regard as an industry standard - and now you know how to use it!

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