A brand new edition of legendary voice coach Patsy Rodenburg's work on voice for actors. She uses practical exercises and textual analysis to hone in on your dramatic resonance, breathing, and placement in order to unlock your potential for playing these iconic characters.

From A Midsummer Night's Dream's Puck to Othello's Desdemona, this new edition of Speaking Shakespeare gives you all the necessary tools to bring any of Shakespeare's eclectic characters to life.
Patsy Rodenburg uses practical exercises and textual analysis to hone in on your dramatic resonance, breathing and placement in order to unlock your potential for playing these iconic characters. Speeches and scenes such as Mark Antony's 'O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth' and the bloody scene in which Macbeth admits to Lady Macbeth that he has 'done the deed' are placed in context and discussed in depth.
Combining clear practical, textual and imaginative work with a brilliant analysis of scenes and speeches from the whole range of Shakespeare’s plays, this is an essential and inspiring guide for anyone working on his plays today. It brings a renewed focus on the language of power, so frequently spoken in the worlds of politicians and company directors, which will give readers insight into the potency of clear, direct communication, specifically in the context of Shakespeare.
Each chapter has been revised following the author's 20 additional years of experience as a voice coach and includes techniques necessary for a clear and convincing performance.

"What leaves actors tongue-tied for years, Patsy releases in minutes ... through simple, practical actions that can empower anyone." - Simon McBurney

"Her knowledge of the plays as living theatrical artifacts is profound... Speaking Shakespeare stands up as a work of art in itself - admirably written and cliche-free, especially in the gripping final section, when she takes speeches and scenes from various plays, analyses and illuminates them... It cannot be too highly recommended." - Times Literary Supplement