Shakespeare Scene

Blythe has Theater Foundation this year as one of her electives. They have been doing a Shakespeare unit and had to memorize a short scene with a partner. Blythe worked with Damian on a scene from King Lear; he was Lear, she was the Fool. They worked on blocking and their interactions for many weeks, and this evening was the performance. 

Yesterday, at rehearsal during class, Blythe forgot a line and when she got home, she said she wasn't going to do it tomorrow. That was going to put Damian in a bad spot as he would just be sitting there saying his one-word lines, but she didn't care. She wasn't doing it. She didn't want to be embarrassed in front of a whole auditorium full of people. I can certainly understand her nervousness, but we encouraged her to be brave. I even told her to break a leg. Off she went to prepare, and off we went to watch.

Turns out, Blythe was great. She was confident on stage, she spoke her lines clearly, she interacted, and was far more expressive than her partner who really just sat there mumbling his short lines. It is a delight to watch her perform and see her grow in confidence as she performs and puts herself out there. She came home with no broken bones but lots of pleasure at having done a good job. She said she did forget a line but from the audience's perspective, she did terrifically!

Below the pictures is the scene she performed.

King Lear

Act 1, Scene 5

FOOL If a man’s brains were in ’s heels, were ’t not in danger of kibes?
LEAR Ay, boy.
FOOL Then, I prithee, be merry; thy wit shall not go slipshod.
LEAR Ha, ha, ha!
FOOL Shalt see thy other daughter will use thee kindly,
for, though she’s as like this as a crab’s like an
apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.
LEAR What canst tell, boy?
FOOL She will taste as like this as a crab does to a crab.
Thou canst tell why one’s nose stands i’ th’ middle
on ’s face?
LEAR No.
FOOL Why, to keep one’s eyes of either side ’s nose, that what a man cannot smell out he may spy into.
LEAR I did her wrong.
FOOL Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell?
LEAR No.
FOOL Nor I neither. But I can tell why a snail has a house.
LEAR Why?
FOOL Why, to put ’s head in, not to give it away to his
daughters and leave his horns without a case.
LEAR I will forget my nature. So kind a father!—Be
my horses ready?
FOOL Thy asses are gone about ’em. The reason why the seven stars are no more than seven is a pretty
reason.
LEAR Because they are not eight.
FOOL Yes, indeed. Thou wouldst make a good Fool.
LEAR To take ’t again perforce! Monster ingratitude!
FOOL If thou wert my Fool, nuncle, I’d have thee beaten for being old before thy time.
LEAR How’s that?
FOOL Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.
LEAR O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!
Keep me in temper. I would not be mad!