The Working Actor's Journey

Text Work: Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale with Richard Riehle

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Episode notes

In this excerpt, Richard discusses one of Leontes’ speeches in The Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare—it’s in the first act where he has his suspicions about his wife and his best friend having an affair. Leontes is speaking with his trusted advisor Camillo, who cannot bear to hear these accusations and Leontes responds “Is whispering nothing?” and goes from there.

You’ll hear Richard discuss:

• how Shakespeare drops you into this without any backstory
• the questions you want to ask yourself with words that repeat
• and that if you even explore the sounds of the speeches, they can give you clues too!

It's a great session, and it was a lot of fun to hear Richard’s insights on the character and all the possibilities that lay before you with a text like this!

 

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The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

LEONTES, KING OF SICILIA

[finishes the shared line with Camillo]  Is whispering nothing? Is leaning cheek to cheek? Is meeting noses? Kissing with inside lip? Stopping the career Of laughter with a sigh (a note infallible Of breaking honesty)? Horsing foot on foot? Skulking in corners? Wishing clocks more swift? Hours, minutes? Noon, midnight? And all eyes Blind with the pin and web but theirs, theirs only, That would unseen be wicked? Is this nothing? Why then the world and all that’s in’t is nothing, The covering sky is nothing, Bohemia nothing, My wife is nothing, nor nothing have these nothings, If this be nothing.