King Lear - Week 2: "Unpacking Shakespeare's Punctuation" - The Rehearsal Room - The Working Actor's Journey

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Annie Occhiogrosso (00:00):
I want to hear if anybody had any thoughts about
anything during the week before we jump
in.

>> Jeanne Sakata (00:06):
Oh, well, I. I read your. The sheets that you sent us,
Annie, and. Wow, that. That really gave
me a lot of new ideas about that first meet,
because there's so many commas with God
speeches. And then I love what you said about how
Reagan, she comes in, and there's hardly any
commas.

Yes.

You know that she's had time to sort of watch your sister.
Oh, okay. I'm gonna say this.
Oh, I just gives you these delicious little
moments that really bring
the spontaneity of it alive.

Yes.

Because every time I've seen Ghana give this speech, it's always been
very polished, as she had planned it out
beforehand. And I said, oh, that makes it so
much more fun to play. Like, damn, I should
have said this. It's too late.

I said that.
They're all sitting on their feet in order to get it done. Yeah,
yeah, right.

>> Nathan Agin (01:02):
And as an observer, that's. That's such an
enjoyable moment where you see a character,
like, actively making up something in the moment
on the spot. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I've never seen it done that way, and I just thought,
oh, that's so great.

>> Randall (01:17):
It's. I mean, most of the time, you go to a
Shakespearean production, and it's like actors making
speeches at each other.

Yes, exactly.

>> Randall (01:26):
Human beings talking to each other,
you know, communicating something.
Feelings, thoughts, you know, about the
circumstance they find themselves in. And that's what I
love about Shakespeare, because it's. It's. It's almost
like watching those characters walk tightropes.
You know, there's a danger. There's a danger to it.
It's not. It's not comfortable and easy and

(01:48):
secure. It feels dangerous. The
whole event feels like something's at stake. And
it's dangerous what these people are doing and saying to
each other.

I like to believe that each line gives
birth to the next line. So if
you don't have those, men, keeping the
watch in Hamlet who say, who's there?
You don't have a Hamlet because that's where the play
begins. And that first question,
calls for an answer. So now we have two actors
talking to one another as opposed to playing. So

(02:21):
who's there? Nay, answer me. Uh-huh. And they
do a kind of soldier act because they think everybody's waiting
for Hamlet. But if you play the
play and, you'll see the communication takes
place right from the beginning. I believe the
only truth on stage is Is the truth between
two actors, or one actor and, other

(02:41):
actors. That's the only truth. So you
can fight all you want about this
is what this means. Hamlet was a man who couldn't make up
his mind. Hamlet was this. Hamlet was that.
It doesn't matter, because what the audience
sees and gets is the
truth of a moment of life between two

(03:01):
actors. That's it. Because they
know they. They live. They don't need us
to teach them about being human. They
are. And so what we have to
do is reflect that
truthfully.
Yeah. Say it again. I didn't hear.

Hold the mirror up.

Yes, yes, that's right.

>> Nathan Agin (03:24):
So, I just want to. Yeah, sorry, I just want to jump in very
quickly, and then I'll disappear so you guys can keep. Keep the discussion going.
But I don't want to hold anything up, just, administratively. I want. I want to
thank one of our newest patrons, Frank, for helping us, you know, continue
to do all this. so thank you, Frank, and thank you all the. To the. All
the other patrons that are, covering all the, production costs and
things like that. So that's it. Have a great session,

(03:45):
and I'll be listening in. And, I'll probably hope to check
back at the end, so. But have a great time.

>> Lizzie King-Hall (03:50):
Thanks.

>> Randall (03:52):
Take care.

Yeah.

So that folio and I. The reason I sent
it is because these little rules, you know, that follow it,
people end up taking notes, to kind of remember all of
it. so I thought, well, if I just gave it to you on paper, then you'd at
least have that. And the thing about the folio is
that, it's basically an interpretive tool.
It's not meant to say, this is the

(04:16):
way you must do it. It's just
to unlock an idea,
unlock the imagination. Randy, do you want
to just spend a little bit of time telling how
we. You. How we came across the folio
with Lorraine Dove?

>> Randall (04:32):
Well, I had an older actress friend of mine in
Hawaii, and when I first did Hamlet in Hawaii,
she said, you might want to look at this book that I've had
for years and years and see whether it's
useful. Well, I opened it up, and I had never seen
a text like that where words were capitalized in the
middle of a sentence and,

(04:52):
you know, periods were
infrequent, you know, or.
Or certain spellings, were longer than
the normal way of spelling a word. So I.
I pointed it out to Annie, and we began
just experimenting. What. What if you hit that
capitalized word a little Harder would it help the
sense of what's being said? And

(05:14):
sure enough, it became very helpful. Then we later
found out that there's such a thing as,
rhetorical punctuation and grammatical,
punctuation, two separate things.
The rhetoric. Punctuation is to help the
speaker. Grammatical is to help the
reader. So what we have in

(05:35):
Shakespeare, in the Folio, is rhetorical
punctuation to help the actor.
Because those actors didn't have much time to prepare these
things. You know, they maybe had two weeks to
put a new play into their rep. So they were.
Had to be. Had to find as many shortcuts as they
could. And one of them was the punctuation that was given to them

(05:56):
with, their scripts to help them,
you know, to be helpful.

And they had no director. So that.
That comes a. Ah,
direction, you know, the director. In some ways.
This. I think last week when I left on my high
note of drama, the thing
I wanted to say is that, it's not. I'm
not, It's not my intention to be disrespectful to
directors. I mean, Randy and I have worked with

(06:22):
some wonderful, wonderful directors. But my
trouble, comes when you look at Shakespeare. There was no
director. The play was the
director. And because
we are so used to modern
theater having that director put
a stamp on it or a concept on it, we
try to put that onto a Shakespearean play. And

(06:44):
sometimes at the expense of not
doing the play but doing the
concept. And so what I ask
for, when I go to see a Shakespearean play
is. Is more of the play. you know,
I find that the play gets. There's several productions
right now, Romeo and Juliet out there.

(07:04):
And three of them have
Romeo go up on the balcony in the
balcony scene. And
that can't be. That's not the play. Well, I mean,
that's their play. But Romeo can't go
up on that balcony. The whole point of it is
they need to come together. The electricity between
those two people wanting to touch and hold

(07:27):
physically. Love is the distance
between them. Him on the ground and her and her
balcony. So why would you do act
three in act two? so
it's not the play. Now it's fine for somebody to say, well,
I don't care. It's my idea. I get it. Okay, fine.
I just want. I think you should just know the play you're doing.

(07:47):
Then you can do whatever you want. I mean, that's your prerogative. But
there's so many things in the play
that are so rich and so
wonderful, for actors to
play that sometimes it gets lost
in the midst of the stamp that needs to be put
on it. and the Folio, I think, is a
wonderful. It's a wonderful actor

(08:09):
tool because you look at that
folio and you see a cap, a capital letter in the middle
of a sentence. and
I'll give you one example. If we were. Let's
say we were, sitting together, and one
of us had a bottle of water, and I knock
that bottle of water, and I would

(08:29):
say, oh, Jeannie, a shoe.
I want the energy to end on
shoe. And so how would I notate that
in a script? Well, I put a capital S on it
because that's where the hit has to come.
There's, a wonderful book called Shakespeare's Producing
Hand was written by Dr. Richard

(08:49):
Flatter. And he had to
translate Hamlet into
German. And
so, of course, the. The words are just not
the same. I mean, that was stupid. But
I mean, when you're translating one German
word may take the place of three English words
or vice versa. So he was trying to figure

(09:11):
out how to choose the right
German word. Well, he found that when he
looked at the Folio, the punctuation taught him
how to do that because he was able, in the
translation to say, on a colon,
the energy moves forward, and the
word that would be this verb would be

(09:32):
better than this verb to express
that. And so he started to do a study of
the Folio. And the book is wonderful. He's come up
with many, many, moments that we take
for granted. kind of, Jeanne, the moment I told
you about Goneril, with the two little
absent beats, you know,

(09:52):
before she tells Lear how much she loves
him. he found that
with, a period or
a colon, where a modern text would.
That would. A scholar would say,
or a grammatician would say,
no, Shakespeare is just too great a
writer to have a run on sentence. And so all of a

(10:14):
sudden, colons and commons become periods, because that
would be an accurate sentence. but
that's not the point. The point is, as we
speak and we get excited, we never stop to think, well, I'll
put a period here. And
that's what puts energy under it. That's what, in
some cases can even tell you what's happening. What

(10:35):
ran.

>> Randall (10:35):
Surprise.

Yes.

>> Randall (10:37):
The audience on their. On their, At the edge. On the edge of
their seats. But what's going to be said
next? What's going to be done next? You know,
no Complacent. There's no complacency in watching a
Shakespearean play. On both the
actors parts and the audience, they're
engaged in an exciting
story.

Yeah.

>> Randall (11:00):
Thank you.

So all of this is to say that when we look at the
punctuation, we will look at it. I won't take the session
would be much too long to actually
instruct you on how to use it.
As we move along, I'll point out certain
things, according to that paper that I sent
you, that may just clarify why something is a
comma or why what's happening on a colon,

(11:24):
that kind of thing. The one punctuation that I do
love, believe it or not, is the period. There are very
few of them, but when they happen, I
used to ask my students, what is a period? And they would say, an
end of a thought, end of a sentence. And
I said to them, look, there's
no end until the big end when you die.

(11:44):
So if you have five or six periods in a
play, something else has to happen
there. And what I've learned over the years
is that that period is the place at
which I check in with the person I'm
speaking to to see if they got it, to see
if I've changed their minds, to see if they
will react. and if not, if that period comes

(12:07):
and I still have things to say, that tells me I'm going to
have to change a tactic here, or
continue stronger on. It doesn't mean
end. And so many times people end on a period
and we get a long pause. But it's not so much
about that as, again, a time for two actors
to connect. and we'll see more of that as we go

(12:27):
through. What I would like to do
is have you guys do the scene again
because then we can see where we're at and then
go back over. some
stuff. I did a lot of research again this
week, about some of the circumstances that I want to
throw your way. Things to think about. but we'll
look at. We'll look at the folio punctuation. But if

(12:49):
we could just read it, or act.

Was that the very first scene?

This is. No, this is the scene that you. That we're doing. This
is. I'm, glad to see your highness starts there.

>> Randall (12:59):
You both.

Oh, when. When we're professing our love for
him. Or is the.

No, no, later on.

Later on. Okay.

>> Randall (13:09):
This is when Lear goes to Gloucester's,
to try to find his daughter Regan.
Right. The confrontation with the two
daughters.

Oh, oh, oh. When they say you can't have
as many nights.

>> Randall (13:25):
You know that stripping process.

Let's see. Oh, boy.

>> Randall (13:36):
Starts with good morrow to you both.

Yes, I'm scrolling through. I'm, you.
I'm using the. The one that you sent me. Annie,
this time.

Oh, yeah.

So it's 40, 45. Oh, no, I'm
at the end.
every inch of king. That life's a
miracle. Oh, this
here's the place.
Oh, here. Here it is. Yes, I've got it.

(14:09):
Sorry, I didn't realize there
was a lot more to this than just the scene. We're doing.

>> Randall (14:14):
Okay, Right. Okay.
Good morrow to you both. Hail to
your grace.

I am glad to see your highness.

>> Randall (14:25):
Regan, I think you are. I know what reason I have
to think so. If
thou shouldst not be glad, I would divorce me
from thy mother's tomb, sepulchering and adulteress.
Beloved Regan, thy
sister's naught.

(14:46):
O Regan, she hath
tied sharp toothed
unkindness like a vulture
here. Thou wouldst
not believe, but how depraved a
quality. O Regan.

I pray you, sir, take patience.
I have hope you less know how to value
her desert than she to scant her duty.

>> Randall (15:10):
Say, how's that?

I cannot think my sister in the least
would fail her obligation. If, sir,
perchance, she have restrained the riots of
your followers. Tis on such ground
and to such wholesome end as clears her from
all blame.

>> Randall (15:29):
My curse is on her.

Sir, you are old. Nature in you
stands on the very verge of his confine.
You should be ruled and led by some
discretion that discerns your state better than
you yourself. Therefore I pray you
that to our sister you do make return.
Say you have wronged her,
but, ask her forgiveness.

>> Randall (15:53):
Do you but mark how this becomes a house.
Dear daughter, I confess that I'm
old. Age is unnecessary. On
my knees I beg that you'll vouchsafe me
raiment, bed and food.

Sir, no more. These are unsightly tricks. Return you to
my sister.

>> Randall (16:11):
Never. Regan. She hath abated me of
half my train. Look black upon
me. Struck me with her tongue, most serpent like, upon
the very heart. All the stored
vengeances of heaven fall on her
ingrateful top. Strike her young bones, you taking
airs, with, lameness.

(16:31):
Fie, sir, fie.
You nimble lightnings dart your blinding flames
into her scornful eyes, infect her
beauty, you fin sucked fogs, drawn
by the powerful sun to fall and blister.

O the blest gods, so will you
wish on me when the rash mood is on.

>> Randall (16:51):
No, no, no, Regan. Thou shalt never
have my curse. Thy tender,
hefted nature shall not give thee o'er to
harshness. Her eyes are
fierce but thine
to comfort and not burn.
Tis not in thee too grudge my

(17:13):
pleasures to cut off my train,
to bandy hasty words, to
scant my sizes, and, in conclusion, to oppose
the bolt against my coming in.
Thou better knowest the offices
of nature, bond of
childhood, effects of
courtesy,

(17:35):
dues of gratitude. Thy
half of the kingdom hast thou not forgot wherein
I thee endowed.

Good sir, to the purpose.

Tuck it.

>> Randall (17:47):
Who put my.

Okay M. Yeah, tuck it. Oh.

>> Randall (17:54):
Oh. Oh. Who put my man in the
stocks? What trumpet's that?

I know to my sister's. This approves her letter,
that she would soon be here. Is your lady come.

Ah.

>> Randall (18:05):
This is a slave whose easy
borrowed pride dwells in the sickly grace of
her. He follows. Out, varlet, from
my sight. What means your grace,
who stalked my servant
Regan? I have good hope thou didst not know
on't. Who comes

(18:25):
here. O the
heavens. If you do love old
men, if you yourselves are old, make it your
cause. Send down and take my
part. Art not ashamed to
look upon this beard?
O regal. Wilt thou take her by the
hand?

Why not by the hand, sir. How have
I offended? All's not offence that
indiscretion finds, and dotage terms
so.

>> Randall (18:54):
O sides, you're too tough. Will you yet
hold? How came my man in the
stocks? I set him there, sir, but
his own disorders deserved much less advancement.

You did you, I pray you,
father, being weak, seem
so. If, till the expiration
of your month you will return and sojourn with
my sister, dismissing half your
train, come then to me. I am now from
home and out of that provision which shall be needful for
your entertainment.

>> Randall (19:27):
Return to her
and 50 men. Dismissed.
No, rather I abjure all
rules and choose to wage against the
enmity of the heir to be a comrade with
the wolf, for now all necessity sharp
pinch. Return with her. Why, the hot

(19:47):
bloodied France that dowerless took our youngest
born. I could as well be brought to knee his throne
and squire like pension, beg to keep base life
afoot. Return with her.
Persuade me rather to be slave and sumpter
to this detested groom.

At your choice, sir.

>> Randall (20:07):
I prithee, daughter, do not make
me mad. I will not
trouble thee, my child.
Farewell. We'll no more meet,
no more see one another.
But yet thou art my Flesh, my blood,
my daughter. Or rather a
disease that's in my flesh, which I must needs call

(20:30):
mine. Thou art a boil, a, plague sore,
an embossed carbuncle in my corrupted blood.
But I'll not chide thee,
Let shame come when it will. I do not call
it. I do not bid the thunder bear shoot,
nor tell tales of thee to high judging Jove
mend when thou canst, be better at thy leisure.

(20:51):
I can be patient. I can stay with Regan, I and my
hundred knights.

Not altogether so. I'd look not
for you yet, nor am provided for your fit
welcome. Give ear, sir, to my
sister, for those that mingle reason with your
passion must be content to think you old
and so. But she knows what she
does.

>> Randall (21:13):
Is this well spoken?

I dare avouch it, Sir. what, 50 followers?
Is it not well? What should you need
of more? Yea, or so
many, sith that both charge and
danger speak gainst so great a number? How in one
house should many people under two commands hold
amity? Tis hard, almost impossible.

Why might not you. Why might not you, my lord, receive
attendance from those that she calls servants? Or
from mine?

Why not, my lord? If then they chance to slack ye,
we could control them. If you will come to
me, for now I spy a danger. I entreat
you to bring but 5 and
20. To no more will I give place or
notice.

>> Randall (21:56):
I gave you all in good time. You gave
it, made you my guardians, my
depositories, but kept a reservation to be
followed with such a number. What, must I come to you
with five and 20,
Regan? Said you so?

And speak not again, my lord. No more with me.

>> Randall (22:16):
Those wicked creatures look
well favoured, when others are more wicked, not
being the worse, stand in some rank of praise.
I'll, go with thee. Thy fifty yet doth
double five and twenty, and thou art twice
her love.

Hear me, my lord. What need
you 5 and 20, 10,
or 5, to follow in a
house where twice so many have a command
to tend you?

What need one?

>> Randall (22:47):
Reason, not a need.
Our, basest beggars are to the poorest things
superfluous.
Allow not nature more than nature needs.
Man's life is cheap as beast. Thou art a
lady. If only to go warm were
gorgeous. Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous

(23:08):
wearest, which scarcely keeps thee warm. But for
true need. Oh, you, heavens,
give me patience, patience I need.
You see me here, you gods, A poor old
man, as full of grief as
age, wretched and bolt. If it be you that
stirs these daughters hearts, against their father. Fool me

(23:29):
not so much to bear it tamely. Touch me
with noble anger. and let not women's weapons,
water drops stain my man's cheeks.
No. You are
natural hags. I
will have
revenges on you both. All the world

(23:50):
shall I. I will do such
things. What they are yet I know not, but
they shall be the terrors of the earth.
You think I'll, ah, weep. No, I'll, not
weep. This heart shall break into a hundred
thousand floors or ere I'll weep.
Oh, fool,

(24:13):
I shall go mad.

And let's just take it to the end. While we're here,
let us withdraw.

>> Randall (24:21):
Let us withdraw. To be a storm.

This house is little, the old land and
people cannot be well bestowed is his own
blame.

Hath put himself from rest, and must needs
taste his folly.

For his particular I'll receive him gladly. But not
one follower.

So am I purposed.

where is my lord Cloth?

Oh, I'm sorry.

Yeah, just keep. We're gonna go to you. Oh, you don't have it.

Yeah, I'm sorry, Annie. I realized as we were reading it that
I'm missing some lines.

Oh, okay.

So I think you should go back to the link, because this.

Okay, well, we can. We can stop there. I just. And
I'll just. I'll, ah, make a reference to it
later. But let. Let me see.
First of all, just your feedback on
the scene in terms of how you're
feeling about it. are there anything. Are there anything that you
say that you're uncomfortable with or you don't understand what it means,
or any section that you feel, isn't

(25:25):
connecting before I kind of jump
in?

Well, you know, for me, it really feels so much
more like a real family now.
I just felt, you know,
like you said, Randy, it's so easy to make these
grand speeches, which they are.

>> Randall (25:44):
Yeah.

But when I was listening to you,
I just thought, what. How hard it's
been to live with him all these years. You know,
at the same time, I love. But, you know, the things,
the qualities he had, like
the. The drama of it, the
pomposity, the. You know, and we've been

(26:05):
these, We've been these daughters. We've been trying
to, you know, be good
princesses ever. But
I just thought, wow, this is a really tough situation to
be in as a daughter, you know, that
there are certain things that he said
have to be so. And, you know, what you said about what

(26:26):
is it like to house 100 nights? I'm
exhausted yeah, this. And he's calling us
hags. And I just felt the exhaustion of
it.

Yeah.

and at the same time, this is, you know, my father, who
has been king for so many years. It was just wonderfully
complex, like families are.

Yeah. Yeah. So then.
Good. Anyone else? Anything, Lizzie,
that you're.

I was just thinking, it's not
a challenge, it's a pleasure
that, like, someone with such a rich
experience of this role as
Randy, to watch him. It's
intimidating as a younger actor, but it
also is such a real experience of having to,
like, stand your ground, as they

(27:13):
have to, and be a little bit
courageous, Ah. And
continue to make your point.
And, you know.
Yeah, he is. As much as I don't want to, like, negatively
judge characters, but he is manipulative.
And, So you have to,

(27:36):
It's just this wave of
stuff coming at you. And I
was. I always try and think of how I would. What I would be doing physically. And
I was like, well, I think I would just be standing there and receiving
and just trying to kind of square my shoulders.

Yeah.
You know, it's so wonderful to hear you both talk about
this, because one of the things I'm going to remind you is that
certainly is not what you told him in the first act.
Either one of you. You see what I mean? Neither one of you
said, you're impossible. You know, you'd share a little bit of that with
each other when he was gone, but you both told
him, you're the. You're tops, dad. Nobody

(28:14):
could love you more than I love you. See,
and that's in the play. At the very end of the play,
Edgar is going to say,
What is the line now? Speak what you
mean, Speak.

>> Randall (28:26):
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.

That's it. Say it again, Thomas.

>> Randall (28:30):
speak what we feel, not what.

We ought to say. Yes, and that's going to be a
major line in this. Speak what we feel, not
what we ought to say. Because Cordelia, of course,
is a representative of that. She said
what she felt. and the lesson gets learned,
certainly by Edgar at the end of the play. But you start to put
an eye towards who does say what

(28:53):
they feel, you know, and who. Who
doesn't. And with the two girls, I think
you find that they did what they were told
to do to get their share of the kingdom. but now,
both of you, it's so wonderful because both of you are living
out exactly what you should be living out with
Goneril and Reagan. He's impossible. I can't.

(29:13):
How can I rule with. You know. But that's not what you
told him. And that, I think, is an important
element. I want to share with you
two little things before we jump in further with
the text. You know, I was reading all the
source material, material that Shakespeare knew before
he put the play together. and one
little thing came, out that I was so

(29:35):
curious about, and that was with Goneril. One of the
reasons in one of the stories told
that she wants to cut back his train
is that they're so costly, it's keeping her from
buying the clothing she wants.

So interesting.

And then later, Lear has a line about,
playing the vanities part. This is when he's in the Hubble.
He makes a reference to vanity, and in
association, I think, with Goneril. But one of the
things, Jeannie, that occurred. And this is where your
imagination now takes over. No right or
wrong, or we don't write books about it. But when I
found that little nugget, I thought,

(30:17):
I bet that's why she's annoyed that
these men are cluttering her. Has nothing to
do with them being rowdy and terrible. But it's a hundred
of them. And this no longer looks like. I mean,
I have a sister who, my handicapped. I know
she's not a bad person. So what I'm about to
say. Don't judge, but my
uncle was handicapped, and he had to go up the

(30:39):
stairs, and she had white walls, and she put
gloves on him so he wouldn't dirty her
walls. And that's what I'm thinking
of in terms of Goneril. That
the idea of kingship, the idea
of leadership is in appearance.
This is what it should look like.

(31:00):
You may want to just think about that,
you know?

Okay. Great.

Okay.

>> Randall (31:06):
Also, too, one of the things, as he curses
Goneril, he
specifically wants, her
beauty to be infected.

Yes.

>> Randall (31:16):
So of all the daughters, she's probably the most
beautiful and is aware of.

That, or certainly does. Yeah. You know, makes
herself a beautiful.

>> Randall (31:25):
Absolutely. Yeah. So she's.
Yeah.

Yeah.

That's great.

The thing about Regan that occurs
to me is when you look at her particularly.
I was listening very closely to this scene.
Lizzie. She always uses
words like, I beseech you. I beg you.
I, She rarely
is direct the way Goneril is
direct. At your choice, sir, Goneril says,

(31:54):
you say, where is it?
Therefore, I pray you that to our sister you
do make return, even at the end of your
Plea to him. You use the word I pray you
in, I pray you, sir, take
patience. You say, you know that. I mean,
that's early on. And then even later on, you have another one

(32:16):
where you say, I.

>> Randall (32:18):
Entreat you to bring but 5 and 20.

Yes. And I pray you, father, being old
seems so. So that's a clue,
I think, to the. One of the differences between the two of
them. and with that in mind, we'll look
closer at it. But one of the things that occurred to me, you know, when
he's going on with,
his whole thing about. No, you. You say to
him, oh, the blessed God, so will you wish on me. When the

(32:43):
rash mood is on. Remember that. And he's. He
goes on. Tis not in the. To grudge my pleasure to cut
off my train. To bandy haste, to scamp my son.
Conclusion. To oppose the bolt. You're better than her.
You would never do that. You're too kind. You're too kind. I
wonder if she's not about to succumb
to it. And so she just wants

(33:04):
him to be quiet because
she's feeling.

>> Randall (33:09):
Yes.

I should be the better daughter. I should be the better. So when you
say to the purpose, it's to get him
to stop.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's so much more,
Yeah. Poignant.

And then if you add on to that, you hear that
Goneril's here. Thank God.
Because I can't. I'm not getting anywhere.
Return, return, return. And she's
here. And I think if we were standing on her feet,
what I would have you do is rush over to her.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

He knows how to talk to him.

Yeah. She'll handle it. I
hate.

Yeah, I think that's.
Yeah. When we get. It's such a trap with Shakespeare that we get
these stereotypes about, the characters. And
so we're told, here is what you are.
Here is what you are. Your father is telling you. But. And
then here on the page, the father
is saying, you are the compliant one. And isn't it easier to

(34:08):
just try that?
Like, they're both assertive. Well, what if one
of them is really attached to being beautiful and the other one is
really attached to being the good girl.
Golden child.

Yes. Yes. And the way to stay the
good girl is to not deal. I, won't be home when
he comes because I can't be a bad girl,
you know, I'm just not home, you know? So I think
that that followed suit. The other question that
Occurred to me. And this goes back to goner. Why do you
come? Why do you come?

(34:43):
You sent him to her.

She wrote a letter.

So I was thinking, you know,
in the letter, I might have been saying, all
right, this is what's happening now. He's going to your
place. I think it's time that we
started putting these boundaries up.
and you know, and also
I was thinking that if he's stormed
off, you know, there was that thing that you

(35:13):
said, a bit of competitiveness between the
sisters. there's a sense
of maybe I have to go see what's going on,
because, yes, Some alliance
they're going to form against me.

absolutely. She's going to screw it up. She's got
the potential. Because again, if she's the good
sister, he can. He can
influence her. She's. And she's mad at
me. Yes.

What could happen if he goes to her?

He's gonna give an inch and he's.

Gonna take a moment.

I mean, Yeah, I. I think I better go check
and see what's going on here.

That's exactly. And you told her that you would. So it's not a
secret. But yeah. Being that when you
get. You have to ensure that she
does not succumb to his complaints about
you and. And it doesn't occur to her that
somehow. Oh, wait a minute. If I join with him.
Hm. I, We can both
oppose you.

Yes. Because I've got my third.
I've got my third. But it doesn't feel.

You have half. At this point. You both have half.

I mean, half.

Yes. Right.

But somehow it doesn't feel secure to
me.

It's not secure for either one of you. That's where that
train has got to be cut down to nothing.
It's dangerous because if he sends those
men out, to Cordelia. That's
right. He can raise an army to come back. That's
why his rages are. You may not like them
and they may be, but they are also dangerous.

(36:46):
and you've told us all. Listen, I'm not making this up on the
spot. You. That scene we read
last week where the two of you. We're goneral. Is saying we
have to do something, and you say, oh, my God, we
might. The same way he. He, got upset with
France, we might see that. And the fact that he banished
Kent. It's a problem.
It's a big problem. And so that's why I think

(37:09):
you have to diminish him. You've got to get him to a place
where he is, not powerful. And of course,
Lizzie, you as Regan, carry the line.
Being weak seems so. He
does not seem so. He seems mighty
strong. And so you have to get
him to understand you should.
Old and weak.

(37:35):
So it all kind of fits. Fits
together. Now,
I want to add two other things. And one of them
is, where the scene starts just so, because
we're taking it in m the middle. Lear arrives and
sees Kent in the stocks. He asks
Kent, how did it happen? Kent accuses

(37:56):
Cornwall and Regan. Lear
says, no. Kent says, yeah. He says,
m. Maybe Cornwall, but not Regan. And Ken
says, no, your daughter too. And Lear says,
no. He demands gloss to bring them down to
him. I want to bring them here. Gossip
comes back. He says they're not feeling well. They're

(38:16):
tired from their. Whatever he says. But he's. They delight.
They won't come right down. Leah goes berserk.
Let me spell this out for you. He says, the
king, the. The father wants to see his
daughter. The king, you know, And. And Gloucester says, I'll try.
I'll try. So Glass has to go back again
twice now. So you come
in now, and you. They both say,

(38:39):
hail to your lord. Cornwall says, hail to your lordship. You say,
I'm glad to see your highness.
Okay. Lear gets to breathe a little bit
because. Because now he's hoping. And that's
why he says, I think you are Randy. That goes back
to the fact he wasn't sure
because Kent had planted the doubt. So

(39:00):
when she says, I'm glad to see you,
look what. Look what happens. He indeed says to
her, I, think you are. Because if
you weren't, then I would say that you're the child
of some other man. Your mother slept with someone. You're
not my blood. Okay? He says
that. And when that happens, he
sees Kent is released from the stocks.

(39:23):
Oh, are you released? He says, we'll talk about
that later. And so then he jumps
to Regan. He trusts her.
Regan, your sister's horrible. He. He pours his
heart out to you about that. You
turn the tables by saying, go back.
I'm sure that she wouldn't do something like that.
My sister? Come on. She's, you know, responsible.

(39:45):
I'm sure it's about your man. Then. And so
net. And then we get. We get the next he.
Now we're into. Are you saying. How could that
be? And then on top of you add,
return to her. Yeah, return to
her. And you're asking him
for something that is Worse than,

(40:06):
I would say, death itself at this stage, that
the treatment he received from her
was so hard. That's why he has to put
it all out there. Because you're not getting
the picture of what returning to her
entails. All right? You
have to hear him do that and

(40:27):
respond. Steel yourself, as you said
earlier, if to steal yourself,
to say, I. It can't. That can't be that. Even though you
may be believing him to keep
saying return to her. Return to her. Do
you see what I mean? That's your battle. That's Regan's battle. Is
Lear pouring all of this out, and

(40:47):
you still holding on to
somehow making the situation look like
he could return to her.

Right. You're taking it so personally.

And we'll go back over the script
specifically to see that.
Thomas, the thing I want to add about
Cornwall is we have heard on
several occasions he's hot blooded.
Gloucester tells us that he's hot blooded. When
you're with Lear. I would restrain it.
It's an interesting thing to me because one of the

(41:23):
differences seems to happen in the play is
that Cornwall follows
Regan. Regan says, jump. Cornwall
says, how high? and in fact,
there's a moment in one of
these scenes I forgot nearby
where Regan says, and if this
happens, I won't do such and such. And Cornwall

(41:44):
says, and I won't either. As if.
Who cares? So there's a kind of
relationship there of Regan seeming
to have a little more power over
Cornwall than certainly, Gonerill
has over Albany.

>> Randall (42:00):
Well, it, Cornwall acknowledges the fact that he
only has power because of. He's. He's married to
Regan.

Yeah, that's right. But Albany does not. Albany
does stand up to you. He says, you may be going
too far. And you. And you're the one who has to
constantly, you know, put him. Put
him in his place. You're. People look at you as if you're a
coward, you know? so there's a
difference in their relationships with their husbands as
well. All right.

(42:29):
Okay. So. So, Thomas, my point
with Cornwall is he has to keep,
a very close eye on Regan because you
are letting her handle this. Yeah. And the
only time you're brave enough to confront him is to say,
I put him there.

>> Randall (42:45):
Okay.

Do you see what I mean? It leads to that. But before that,
you're quiet as a mouse.

>> Randall (42:51):
Yeah, absolutely.

Okay. Now, if I could, I'd like
to just explain a little bit some of the things I noticed that
are worth knowing in the Folio.
and that is a comma. I do want to take a
minute to. So I know it's on that paper, but just so maybe I can
clarify it a little more. The thing about a
comma is

(43:14):
everything before the comma is all you
expect to say. M. What
follows is an afterthought
that is connected to what came before. But
it, it still lets you think on your
feet. So if you look. Let's just
take a quick look at,

(43:36):
I pray you, sir. And you see that Take
patience. Regan. I'm sorry, I'm at the
beginning of the scene again.
and after leaders speech to you. Right.

16. I pray you, sir, take patience.

Yes. So the patience is
all you expect to say.

Sure.

And then you add the next. All right.

>> Randall (43:58):
And the next.

so you get, I pray you, sir,
thought, take patience. I
have hope so if. Now I'm taking pauses
just to illustrate. But if you can get into the pattern of
it being an afterthought, I usually do this
little exercise with people where if we're
in a restaurant and we're going to, let's
say, order a burger, and you also

(44:23):
want fries, but you only think of the
fries after you've ordered the burger. So you
go into the restaurant and you say, I'd like a burger
and some fries. So it's
different than saying, I like a burger and fries
because the one thought is the two items
in. In one thought, the other
is the burger. Oh, and some

(44:45):
fries. Now, the whole point of doing all of
this is if you get into. To the ease of
it, it really keeps you in the moment.
It gives a sense of the thing you were saying earlier,
Jeanne. Thinking on your feet, making it
feel fresh, making it feel like, oh, I
had no idea what I was about to say. I'm thinking the

(45:05):
thought rather than I memorize the speech off stage.
And here it is. so
once you spend some time with that
comma, I think you'll see that it
really does allow you to give the illusion of
the first time that I'm
speaking this, in the
moment. Now, I noticed that

(45:28):
there were. I thought you guys all sort of hit the
capitals, which is great. The next step
in all of that is to ask yourself, m.
Why is that a capital? Why would that. As I
gave you the whole thing about the shoe, it's
the same thing. But one of the things I'm finding
almost every time

(45:49):
the word nature is capitalized,
I told Randy last night, the word
nature is used more than 40 times in
this play. And it appears
in 16 scenes.
so that this. And because Lear,
of course, course, goes out into the storm. And

(46:10):
that nature, Him. Nature itself
opposes Lear, you know.
And, you have that whole idea of. Of
nature being animals and birds, I
mean, and flowers and the physical nature.
But you also have man's
nature, who
you should be

(46:32):
nature. Your love for your father.
Cordelia tries to make this, point. Your
love for your father is natural.
Edmund will want
nature as his goddess, because to
him, nature has no bounds the way
man's laws do. At any rate, it comes up

(46:54):
an awful lot. So when you see that
cap on nature, I would start
to, give it
emphasis. Because that word
and, that condition. That condition
is, a. Ah, very important. it's important
to everybody in this play. And of course,

(47:14):
Shakespeare holds the mirror up
to nature, not humanity, not
people, to nature, the
thing you innately.
and. And of course, that's what will come out.
Goneril's nature
will be what Gree.

(47:35):
I don't know. You know, I don't know, ultimately what word
you want to put on it. But that's what you want to
understand when you say the word. It does
hold a kind of meaning. Be
careful just tossing it off as one of those
Shakespearean words. Just say nature. because
it's essential to their arguments.
and. And of course, we'll. We'll look at that. Lear

(47:58):
is filled with them. He's using it all the time.
and particular, that speech about allow, not nature.
What more than it needs.

>> Randall (48:05):
Yeah.

You know, because your argument about what need
one? And he says, reason, not
the need. Because the point is
that nature.
Nature needs more.
Because we are human beings.
We have to have clothing, we have to have art,
we have to have beauty. We have to have

(48:29):
things that, if we cast as he will be
cast out into the storm. and the
clothing isn't all just about being warm. It's
about looking a particular way.
It's a very important argument that he tries to make.
And I think it's so important. Jeanne. I'm
thinking of Goneril, because

(48:51):
if we do follow through with this idea of
her being this woman who
understands what kingship should be and
what it should look like externally.
Nobody in this play ever talks about taking care of
the people. No one ever once
talks about a law that's necessary or, you

(49:11):
know, and it's only Lear out in the storm later that says, oh,
I. I've given too little care to
people who are poor and have no clothing. And I I've
given. Because in that castle,
in, you know, in their world,
they don't even think about it. They think
about.

It's all about appearances. Right.
It's all about.

Yeah, right. And it's why. It's why Kent
has to strip himself of the
appearance of being a lord.
Because he's got. Or, a follower.
Devoted follower, because that's inside.
He's going to be a devoted.
Just dressed like a, you know,

(49:55):
without any kind of lordly clothing at all.
Edgar will do the same thing.

Yeah.

Who they really are.
Okay. Okay.
So, can we. Let's go through it
again. and let's just see if we. If I can just
stop and go a little bit. Just. Just,
you know, apply some of the stuff that we've just talked about.
Okay.

(50:25):
So, Ran, you wrote to you bold.

>> Randall (50:28):
Hail to your grace.

I am glad to see your highness.

>> Randall (50:32):
Regan. I. I think you
are. I know what reason I have to think
so. If thou shouldst not be glad,
I would divorce me from my mother's
tomb sepulchering and adulteress.
Oh, Regan,
thy sister's not.

Wait. Rand. Oh. Are you free?

>> Randall (50:55):
Oh, sorry.

That's okay.

>> Randall (51:02):
I think thou art. I
know what reason I have to think so.
If thou shouldst not be glad, I would divorce me from thy
mother's tomb sepulchering an
adulteress. Oh. Are you
free? There's some other time for that.
Beloved Regan, thy

(51:22):
sister's naught. She a
tied, sharp toothed
unkindness, a vulture.
Here I can scarce
speak to thee. Thou wouldst not believe with how
depraved the quality of.
Regan.

Pray you, sir, take patience.
I have hope you less know how to value her dessert than
she to scant her duty.

>> Randall (51:49):
Say, how is that.

Yeah, just stop for one second. One
of the things, just so you're all aware of the. What he's
describing is, himself
being tied to a rock as,
Prometheus and the vulture
pecking every day.
So what he said to you is an image. And you
would be very well aware of it, as would

(52:14):
Shakespeare's audience, which tells you a lot about ours.
But at any rate,
Well, you know, I think we spent our lives thinking we're so
much smarter, and then at the same time, we dumb
everything down because we're afraid the audience isn't going to get it.
But this stuff was written for a very
smart audience, and even the Groundlings had a better

(52:36):
education than we have
thought to keep in mind. But I digress at
Any rate, so. But what he says to
you in that imagery,
sharptooth unkindness like a vulture here,
I can't even tell you. He says, I can't even speak. You won't believe
how terrible she was. Are you hearing
it? Are, you hearing, you know.

(52:58):
And your response doesn't
acknowledge that. Right.
So in a way, it seems like you're saying.
When you say, take patience, this is just
a typical, you know, typical Lear
moment. Yeah, that's what I think.
Randy shocks him.

Yeah.

Okay, so can we just do that a little bit
again?

>> Randall (53:24):
I think you are, Regan. I think you are.
I know what reason I have to think so.
If thou shouldst not be glad, I would divorce
me from thy mother's tomb. Sepulchering and
adulteress. Are, you free? I have some
other time for that. Beloved
Regan, thy sisters
naught. Regan,

(53:47):
she hath tied sharp toothed
unkindness like a vulture
here. I can scarce
speak. Thou wouldst not believe
with how depraved a quality.

Regan, I pray you, sir, take patience.
I half hope you less know how to value her desert than
she to scant her duty.

>> Randall (54:11):
Say, how's that?

I cannot think my sister in the least would fail her
obligation.
If, sir, perchance, she have restrained the
riots of your followers just on
such ground until such wholesome end as clears her from all
blame.

Hold on a sec. I just want to help you with the. The very
last two lines. Tis on such ground,
and, make
sure you give full,
attention to wholesome end. One of the
things now, and I appreciate what you're doing, is to
say this on ground into such wholesome end, but because

(54:50):
it's separated by that comma, you need to think
that next thought. Okay?
And that clears. Is a long spelling.
Yes. Good.

I cannot think my sister in the least would fail her
obligation.
If, sir, perchance, she have restrained
the riots of your followers. Tis on
such ground and to such wholesome end as
clears her from all blame.

>> Randall (55:18):
Oh, my curse is on her.

Sir, you are old.
Nature in you stands on the very verge of his
confinement. You should be ruled and
led by some discretion that discerns your state
better than you yourself.
Therefore, I pray you that to our sister
you do make return. Say you have wronged
her.

>> Randall (55:41):
Ask her forgiveness.

You.

>> Randall (55:44):
But mark how this becomes the house. Dear
daughter, I confess that I'm old. Age
is unnecessary. On my knees, I beg
that you'll vouchsafe me raiment, bed and
food.

Good sir, no more. These are unsightly
tricks return you to my sister.

Hold a sec. Because one of the things I want to point out,
sometimes with the colon, it sometimes
leaps forward. So if you're in that
restaurant with that burger, but you really
want those fries, and the waiter is ready to take your order
and move on, you would say something like, I'd like a
burger. Oh, and some fries.

>> Randall (56:20):
Okay.

So you would leap to the next. All right. The other thing about
the colon is it's, It's a direction,
to move. Physically move.

Sure.

So you'll see that it comes when he goes
on his knees. I confess that I'm old
ages on this. On my knees. The colon is.
That is where he does it. The other
thing, of course, that's so wonderful, I think, is
that I beg that you vouchsafe me, Raymond. Bed and
food, good sir. No more. You see that colon? I think you.
Yes, that's right. You go to pick them up.

Yeah.

So it's just. It's kind of directs
itself. if you just follow it, you know. And of course,
as I said, none of it's in stone. Maybe the director said, no, I don't want
you going there. So you don't go. You want to work. but.
But again, it's just wonderful to understand
that these scenes are physical. That's why
scholars can look at a text, but all they'll ever see

(57:13):
are the words on the page. They'll
never see the life between. and that's what we have
to do on stage. So you get that picture
of him now actually getting on his knees, and
he will get on his knees another time. And that will be at the end of
the play. To Cordelia. Yeah.
okay. Okay. Sorry. So can we just

(57:33):
take it from. Oh, sir, you were old.

Yes.
Oh, sir, you are old. Nature in
you stands on the very verge of his confine. You
should be ruled and led by some discretion that
discerns your statement.

Let me stop you again. Nature in you stands on
the very verge of his confines. Is one of those expressions.
Do you have an idea of what it means? I mean, do you have.
What do you think it means?

You are old, and you are at the end
of the experience of having a human nature. Your
nearest death.

There you go. You're about to die.

Yeah.

So. So you want to try to put that
into that as best you can.
It sounds foreign. It doesn't have to
sound. My point is, it doesn't have to be
a. An expression that, you know, that
is, unnatural.
okay, so just tell him he's going to die. With that
line

(58:39):
I sensitively tell. I mean, again, you don't want to. If
somebody told me I was going to die, you know, because I saw my gray
hair, I'd be worried.
Okay?

>> Randall (58:48):
My curse is on her.

Oh, sir, you are old.
Nature in you stands on the very verge of his
confine. You should be ruled and led
by some discretion that discerns your state
better than you yourself. Therefore, I pray
you that to, our sister you do make return. Say
you have wronged her.

What?

>> Randall (59:10):
Ask her forgiveness. Do you. But
mark how this becomes the house. Dear daughter,
I confess that I'm Old
age is unnecessary. On my knees,
I beg that you'll vouchsafe me. Raymond,
bed and food.

Good sir, no more. These are unsightly tricks. Return
you to my sister?

>> Randall (59:33):
Never, Regan. She hath abated
me of half my train, looked black
upon me, struck me with her tongue most serpent
like upon the very heart. All the stored
vengeances of heaven fall on her ingrateful
top. Strike her young bones, you
taking airs with lameness. I, sir,

(59:53):
fie, nimble lightnings dart your
blinding flames into her scornful eyes
and, infect her, beauty. You, fen sucked
fogs, drawn by the powerful sun to fall
and blister.

>> Lizzie King-Hall (01:00:06):
Oh, the blest gods. So you will wish on me when the
rash mood is on.

>> Annie Occhiogrosso (01:00:11):
Yes, and that's great. Let me tell you, the
exclamation mark is the rarest punctuation in these
scripts. And you get one.
One of the things I think that you're. One of the things
that is suggesting to me again,
is that you, that's
where you. That's where he gets to you, finally. I think
you've held it under wraps. Held it under wraps. Held it under

(01:00:33):
wraps. But when he does that, and it is quite.
You know, this is where Jeannie was saying we've had to live with this
all these years. You nimble lightning's dart, your
burning flames into her scornful infect her beauty.
You fence up fogs drawn by the powerful. I
mean, this rage is beyond.
No, one should ever be in that state. That's proof

(01:00:54):
that he's. He's gone, you know, that he
shouldn't been given any, freedom.
yeah, okay. All right. But that's why that comes.
I think that might be the clue to us of.
End of. Got it. Okay. Okay.
And I say it because, Randy, when you say, no,
Regan, you're just about to lose all you have

(01:01:15):
left you have one daughter banished the other one you. Yeah.

>> Randall (01:01:18):
Yeah.

If she leaves you, you're toast.

>> Randall (01:01:20):
I'm. I'm alone.

That's absolutely right.
So can you give her the fen, Suck fogs? The fen.

>> Randall (01:01:28):
Whatever, you nimble lightnings, Dart
your blinding flames into her scornful
eyes, Infect her beauty, you, fen
sucked fogs, drawn by the powerful sun
to fall and blister the blessed
gods.

So will you wish on me when the rash mood is on.

>> Randall (01:01:47):
no. Regan, thou shalt never have my
curse. Her eye.
Thy tender, hefted nature shall not give thee
o'er to harshness. Her eyes
are fierce, but
thine to comfort and
not burn. Tis not in
thee to grudge my pleasures,

(01:02:10):
cut off my train, to bandy
hasty words, to scant my sizes, and
in conclusion, to oppose the bolt against my
coming in. No. Thou better knowest the
offices of nature, Bond of
childhood, effects of courtesy,
dues of gratitude. Thy half of

(01:02:30):
the kingdom hast thou not forgot.
wherein I thee endowed, good sir, to
the purpose.
Who put my servant in the stocks?
What trumpet sack.

I know it.

Okay. And I'd like to almost overlap that
so that the trumpet and Lear's response are
going to be one. you see, and
that. And I think that. That,
Thomas, come right in. Don't wait for
it. All right.

>> Randall (01:03:02):
Okay.

And I think you do. And again, it is to the
steward. So that's why he enters there. So
you'll go right over to him. But now we get this.
This kind of noise from outside.
The steward comes in. Lear is in, in a
rage. She. She is not saying to him. You're
right. I do love saying to the purpose. And

(01:03:25):
he's back to why he wanted you to come down in the
first place. You did put him in the
stocks, didn't you?
So be. Because you're not
the tender, hefted daughter he's describing.
You're just moving on to. To the purpose. To
the purpose. You know, and it's not a line reading. It's just me being

(01:03:46):
passionate just so
that he goes back to why he's gonna have
to get. That's why that cap is on stocks at the end
and long spelling. All
right. and now we move on to what? Trumpets
that. Can we just do that?

>> Randall (01:04:05):
Oh, Regan, thou shalt never have my curse.
Thy tender, hefted nature shall not give thee. Or to
harshness. Her, eyes are fierce, but
thine to comfort and not
burn. Tis not in
thee to grudge my
pleasures. To cut off my train to
bandy hasty words, to scant my sizes,

(01:04:26):
and in conclusion, to bolt the door against
my coming in. Thou better knowest
the offices of nature, the bond
of childhood, the effects of courtesy, the
dews of gratitude. Thy half of the kingdom
hast thou not forgot wherein I thee
endow'd.

But, sir, to the purpose.

>> Randall (01:04:47):
Who put my man in the stocks? What
trumpet's that?

My note. My sister's. This approves her
letter that she would soon be here. Is your
lady come.

>> Randall (01:04:58):
this is a slave whose
easy borrowed pride dwells in the
sickly grace of her. He follows
out varlet from my sight. What means
your grace, who m
stalked my servant Regan. I have good hope thou didst not know
on it. Who comes here.

(01:05:18):
O heavens,
if you do love old men, if you yourselves are
old.
no. If you do love old men, if your
sweet sway allow obedience, if you yourselves
are old, make it your cause. Send down and
take my part. Art, ah, not
ashamed to look upon this beard?

Yeah. Excuse me, but I. I think
too that. That you may want to at least try
once, that being a prayer to the
heavens, and separate it
when you move on to. Art, not
ashamed?

>> Randall (01:05:59):
Yeah, yeah.
Who stocked my servant Regan? I have
good hope thou didst not know on it who comes here.
O heavens, if you do love old
men, if your sweet sway allow obedience,
if you yourselves are old, make it your cause. Send

(01:06:20):
down and take my part. Art
not ashamed to look upon this beard.
Regan, wilt thou take her by the hand?

>> Jeanne Sakata (01:06:30):
Why not by the hand, sir?
How have I offended? All's not
offence that indiscretion finds, and
dotage terms so.

>> Randall (01:06:40):
O sighed, you're too dark. Will you yet
hold. How came my man
amusat? I upset him there,
sir, but his own disorders deserved
much less advancement.

Okay, Cole, because I want to come
back to it, two things. goner. One of the things I want to just call
your attention to. It's all lowercase.
so I. What I would suggest is to toss it off a
little more.

Oh, okay.

You see what I mean?

I do have sir capitalized.

Is that. Yes. That's good. Yeah. And sir will always
be. Unless it's a diminutive.
Somebody's mocking somebody.

>> Randall (01:07:17):
Okay.

but. But as you move, as you look at the rest of what she
said, it's almost, you know, water off a
duck's back. Okay, okay, that makes
sense. Yeah. And then that's why rent.
That's why he gets the. The wonderful
exclamation. Now it's his turn
And he asks that question again. Thomas.
you see, Lowercase.

>> Randall (01:07:39):
Yes.

Be careful of. I set him there.
It becomes, Feel. Feel it
out. Feel it out. Rather than
what we had worked on the other day. It becomes
stuck. And you need. You need to simply
answer Lear. Again, I'm be
careful of the word simply. Because I don't want that to mean
throw everything away. I just want it to be between

(01:08:02):
you and Lear.
And I trust you to take it wherever you can take it.
Since you know now that disorders
is going to be the. The big part of it.
You see what I'm saying? Otherwise, what happens? By the
way, ladies and gentlemen, I think
you have to be careful of the

(01:08:22):
sound of passion. We. The
sound starts to coat the words.
And so before you know it, we're hearing anger,
sorrow, and we don't have the words
anymore. I read a paragraph the other night
and I don't have it in front of me. But it
reminded us that particularly in modern
theater, we were so used to subtext,

(01:08:46):
we're, so used to what's happening under the lines
that if you're doing Shakespeare, that puts in the hands of the
director to intuit what the
line means because it's subtext
and therefore Shakespeare's words go out the window.
Or it all seems too long because
you're not even paying attention to the words anymore. We've summarized

(01:09:06):
it with the subtext. And I think that you have to
understand that when he has Hamlet say,
suit the word to the action, the action to the
word. Words are life in
Shakespeare. They're not.
You're not a dictionary. You don't
have to worry about. My job is to make all this
understood. But. But you do

(01:09:29):
need to breathe life in to each
word. That's how good he was as a playwright.
He put life into words, not definition.
The definitions there, of course they have meaning.
So. So you are too tough,
you know? I said him
there. I would just be strong on it, Thomas. But not

(01:09:50):
angry.

>> Randall (01:09:51):
Okay?

That's what I'm saying. Okay. So, once
again, where from? O'Regan? Will
you take her?

>> Randall (01:10:00):
Regan, will you take her by the hand?

Why not by the hand, sir? How have I
offended? I'll not offence that indiscretion
finds in dotage terms. So.

>> Randall (01:10:10):
Besides, you're too tough. Will you yet
hold. How came my man of
the stocks? I set him there, sir,
but his own disorders deserved much less
advancement. You did you.

I pray you, father, being weak
seems so. If till the
expiration of your month. You will return and sojourn with
my sister, dismissing half your
train. Come then to me. I am now
from home and out of that provision which shall be needful for your
entertainment.

>> Randall (01:10:42):
Return to her and 50 men.
M dismissed. Nor rather I, abjure
all roofs and choose to wage against the
enmity of the air to be a comrade with
a wolf and owl, Necessity's
sharp pinch. Return with her.
Why, the hot bloodied France that dowerless

(01:11:02):
took our youngest born. I
could as well be brought to knee his throne and
squire like pension bed to keep base life
afoot. Return with her.
persuade me rather to be slave and
sumpter to this detested groom.

At your choice, sir.

>> Randall (01:11:22):
I prithee,
daughter, do not make me mad.
I will not trouble thee, my child.
Farewell. We'll no more see,
will no more meet, no more see one
another. But
yet thou art my flesh,

(01:11:43):
my blood, my daughter. Or,
rather a disease that's in my flesh which I must
needs call mine. Thou art a
boil, a plague sore, an
embossed carbuncle in my corrupted
blood. But I'll not hide
thee. Let shame come when it
will. I do not call it. I do not bid

(01:12:05):
the thunder bearer shoot nor tell tales of thee to high
judging Jove mend when thou
canst be better at leisure.
I can be patient. I can stay with Regan, I and
my hundred knights.

Not altogether so. I
looked not for you yet nor am
provided for your fit welcome.
Give ear, sir, to my sister.
For those that mingle, reason with your
passion. Must be content to think you old and
so. But she knows what she does.

Hold on just a sec. I want to just point one little thing out. and that
is. You can barely figure out
the right words to say. That's what's happening at the end of
that. For your fit welcome. Give ear to my sister. For those that mingle,
reason with your pet. And must be content to think you old and
so. But she knows what. You know what I mean? There's
this wonderful thing that. There's no end to that sentence.

(01:12:58):
You. You. It. It ends with she
knows what she does. He almost flusters
you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know, he has one of those. He's gonna have one
later. I'm gonna do.

I don't know what I'll do.

Yeah, yeah.

For, those that mingle.

The what? Well, for those.

Okay, so listen to my sister. For
those. Anyone who would.

Yeah, yeah.

Single reason with your passion.

Yes, m. Reason with your passion.

Must be content. For those that. For Those.
Anyone who would. I'm a little troubled on mingle. Anyone
who would, think that. Anyone who
would try to apply reason to your passion.

>> Randall (01:13:38):
Yes.

Themselves. That you are old.
And so. It is so. And. And they would be.

Right.

But, she knows what she does. Oh, my God, please,
no, not me. Over to you.

That's right. That's exactly right. So that. So hangs at
the end of that. Of that. and so,
you know, and then you move on. But she knows what she does.

Yeah.

And that's, of course, his wonderful line is this well spoken? Which I
think,
and then you finally pulled yourself together, and
again, this is one. But she knows what she does. Is this well
spoken? And you get to start. You've had
a moment now to think of something more fluid
to say, 50 followers. Come on. You

(01:14:20):
know, it goes from there. All right.
but I think right there, 50.

Is still the top. I think 50 is still the
deal. What? 50 followers, is it not?
Well, isn't 50 fine?

>> Randall (01:14:33):
It's supposed to be 100.

I don't care.

Yes, it is supposed to be 100, but we've already
cut that down.
If you go with goneral, it's
50, right?

right, yeah. And then we begin this thing of
like. Well, doesn't 50 sound better? Actually,
I. The number has changed.

That offer is no longer. But again, you
know, don't give up the idea that, look,
50 is good. Go with her.

50 would be great.

You know, keep pushing him in her.
And now, and this is what I mean about them
bargaining the way they bargained in that bargain in the first,
and now they're bargain bargaining with cutting down the
number so he will go with the one who gives
him the most.
Can I add something here?

So I, I don't want him to return to
my place, but when she's
saying, go back, is it
like, no, I don't want him to
come. So am I kind of the ears forward?
They're like, what is she up, to?

>> Randall (01:15:43):
Is that.

Is that right? Yes, it is. Because
here's the thing. Look at how you respond. She says,
well, let's just read that section. Is this well spoken? Let's take that and then we'll
go back over it. I dare vouch it, sir.
Regan.

I dare avouch it, sir. What,
50 followers, is it not? Well,
what should you need of more
yea or so many
sith that both charge and danger
speak gainst so great? Sith at both
charge and danger speak gainst so great a number
how in one house should many people

(01:16:21):
under two capture commands hold amity, which is hard,
almost impossible.

Yeah.

Why not?

Yeah, go ahead.

Why might not you, my lord, why might not you,
my lord, receive attendance from
those that she calls servants? Or from, mine?

Why not, my lord? If, then, if. Then they
chance to slack you, we could control them. If
you will come to me. For now I spy a danger. I
entreat you to bring but 5 and 20 to
no more will I give place or
notice.

>> Randall (01:16:51):
I gave you all
and in good time.

Okay, let's just stop there so I can go back to what Jeannie had said. Yes,
Jeannie, I think you're absolutely right. You don't want. That's why I think it
starts with from those that she calls servants.
Or from mine. You know,
you don't say that. I call servants. And hers. You start
with pushing him. Yeah.
Or okay. Or mine. I'll acquiesce to that.

(01:17:17):
Right, yeah. And then you
come in with why not, my lord? Then
here's the idea. This is great. If they do something, you know,
to not respect you, well, we can take care of
them. And now you're putting in your op,
your option here, right? Yeah. I
entreat you to bring but 5 and 20.

(01:17:37):
No more will I give place. So now
we cut it down from 50 to 5 and
20. And his response, of course is I gave
you all. And of
course the next line. And I think
I kind of give it to
you because, it can come out.

(01:17:57):
I've heard it come out many ways.
And so it either comes out with the
idea of. And it's a good thing
because you're old. M.
Because you're old. Or. Well, we had to wait
long enough for it.

Yeah.

So. So we're just going to play with it until you
feel comfortable. Do you
know, this is the thing about so many of his
lines. They're fraught with meaning.
And so you want to be able to play
freshly every night and, and see, as long as you're
within the meaning of the line. And we know
two now. I mean you, if you

(01:18:37):
can figure out, okay, definitely how it
fits. I've been looking. I can't. I've
seen actresses do it. And it's can make your
blood curdle when they
say, you know, and in good time you gave
to me, it doesn't feel like Regan, you know, but
again, in the hands of.

>> Randall (01:18:56):
A good actor and in the moment, that's maybe what
she feels.

That's exactly right. So it's yours, Lizzie. It's
yours.

>> Randall (01:19:03):
That's right. To, make the decision of how to render
the line in the moment given
however, you know.

Yeah. So where we're at now, we're
both of you. I mean all three of you. Thomas
too, Randy. Well, you know, chump change.
but you. You guys right now, what you're doing
is terrific, fresh and wonderful.
And I. And I want to. I want to fill you.
Hell, I spend so much time with this stuff that I can't

(01:19:32):
help but share it. But I never
want it to rob you of
what you. You have that I
don't. And that's the freedom to act these
roles. I don't. That freedom is
absolutely important. I want to give you as many clues
to get your imagination going, but
I want. Want you to have the freedom to. To know that in this

(01:19:55):
moment, it led me here or there, you
know? so that's why I'm kind of. Here's the
information, here's what I know, and then we'll take it from there.
Okay? So that.

Can I just say one thing? When I was listening to that
and I heard. I entreat you to bring about 5 and
20. And I thought, oh,
she's.
She did me better. I'm
in 20.

>> Randall (01:20:22):
It's.

It's just so interesting. Like it's. All these
new things are shooting at me
again.

You're gonna bring that to life in just a minute. Because you're
the one, right?

I'm gonna do a message.

You don't need anybody.

That's right. So, So I gave you
all. Let's. Can we just take it from. Why
not, my lord? Regan? Yeah.

Why not, my lord? If then they
chance to slack ye, we could control
them. If you will come to me. For now I
spy a danger. I entreat you to bring but 5 and
20. To no more will I give place or
notice.

>> Randall (01:21:01):
I gave you all, and in good.

Time you gave it.

>> Randall (01:21:05):
Made you my guardians, my
depositories, but kept a reservation to
be followed with such a number. What must I come
to you with five and 20,
Regan? Said you so?

And speak'd again, my lord. No more with me.

>> Randall (01:21:23):
Those creatures yet do look well favour'd.
When others are more wicked, not
being the worse stands in some rank of
praise. I'll go with thee.
Ay, fifty doth double
five and twenty, and thou art twice her love.

Hear me, my lord. What need you
5 and 20, 10,
or 5 to follow in a house where
twice so many have a command to tend you?

What need one?

Yes. Hold on a sec. Because that's the bargain. And
I think. I think we can really get it down to the.
I think you have a little more time. I think you can come in
with it. But make one
if you can diminish it a little bit more, Lizzie,
because, you're rushing. You say, what need
one? I would make

(01:22:15):
one. The largest small.
You can see what I mean?

Yeah.

M. Yeah.

Oh, it's so.

Finish the line. You mean, make
a point of the fact that that's only three syllables.

Well, make a point. Point that
one.

Have a command to tend you what need one.

Yes. So. So what's happening again? I
hear have a command to attend you what need one.
And my suggestion is.

Yeah, yeah, right.

I think you have it. but you see, Jeannie, that is the
bargaining. That's who you get what need 20. Why?
Because she just got off the hook
by saying, listen, I'm only going to accept
25. And what has he just said? Listen,
you. You're 50 is better than 20,
right. I'm going with you. And then you think, I gotta stop,

(01:23:06):
this. Wait, 25, 15. How can. What can I
put here to make him not come with me? And she.
Can you top this? She does. And we go
right back to. I agree with my sister,
but she comes too short.

Yes.

You put the capper on.

You can just really see the sisterly dynamic, even in
these life and death state. It's such a.
This scene is amazing.

It is. It truly is. The whole play is.
We were saying, Sharon's one of our students. Yesterday, he said,
well, when do we do it? When can we do it? I
said, find the money. Find the money. So. But it is.
It's. It's beyond brilliant. someone once
said that to a. To tackle Lear is to be a
flea on a behemoth's back.

(01:23:54):
And it's sort of true, you know, But I think
if you do. I think what we're getting at here.
And again, I thank you because
you're so willing to go with it,
is there's a simplicity in all of it, really.

Yes.

This large play and large thoughts
and feelings and passions, but yet
on some levels, it's quite simple.
You know what I'm saying? Right. so.
So that's the bottom what need one.
And then, of course, you take it.

From there, you know, because it makes perfect
sense. And yet, as an audience member, the
audience member in me is feeling so
much for Lear.

Yeah.

Ah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, just a short time ago, he
commanded. He was king.
You know, he commanded everything.
And now he's like. He's. He
has to. 150, 25,
10, 1. You just feel like his
manhood being stripped, like.

And.

And it's almost like. It's almost like the knights. To me,
it. They're like toy soldiers. You know how
kids argue. Well, you have 10. And
I almost feel like, oh, you can see him,
crumbling back into childhood. Like,
you know, I want my hundred soldiers
at 50, 20. I mean, it's every.

(01:25:16):
Every reduction in number is such an assault on
his. You know, as an audience member. That's what I'm
feeling. As a sister, of course. It makes perfect
sense.

>> Randall (01:25:25):
I think an assault.

Genius in this play is that, oh, my God, he was king
just a short while ago.

>> Randall (01:25:32):
It's an assault on his
identity.

Yes.

>> Randall (01:25:37):
Being stripped away is his very. What he thought he
was, and he's not that.

Yeah.

>> Randall (01:25:44):
And he's just a human being,
and he's naked.

You should feel for him. But again, I have to keep
reminding everyone it's the tragedy of King
Lear. He brought it on
himself.

Yes.

So it's not. That's when. That's why I
always find that when it's
simply two evil sisters and a good
sister, and he chose the evil over the
good. We have no play. We don't.
The whole point is, it's this. And. And I read the
other day that one of the things we should be careful of

(01:26:20):
is trying to make it a realistic history. It's
a legend. It's a. It's a tale. It's
a. You know, it's, We still
play human being. You have to. Within that
play, the realism. But. But I mean, in terms of
dressing him as a CEO and all of that kind of
thing. But I. But I would say that, I think you

(01:26:40):
should feel that. I think members m. Of the
audience will be torn.
Yeah. Because ultimately we should
leave the theater. Not able to stop
thinking about it or seeing it on
the. You know, when 9, 11 happened, the line,
from Trojan women, that kept coming back to
me. Greeks, you have found out

(01:27:02):
ways to torture that are not
Greek. And I, That line came
back to me because innocent people
going to work, that's not a fair fight.
You know, I mean that. But these plays will. They'll
haunt you. They'll stay with you. And in the
midst of some very modern moment, you'll think,
oh, my God. Yeah, that's. I

(01:27:24):
saw that in Leah. That's what. You know. so they
should. I Think you're right to have those feelings, to be the actress
who has to do Goneril. But also to say, if
I were in the audience, I'd have compassion for him.

so, I mean, you know, to, to. To
take all these hits in one in. In the
span of just a couple of minutes, you
know, it's like every. Every
blow, it
takes more and more away from him.

Yes.

And as someone who used to have everything up until a short
time ago, I think that's why you feel it
like, you know.

Yeah. Okay.

>> Randall (01:28:05):
Everything. Not just a newcomer to the,
kingship, but he's had this power for
years, right? So to
have it, to watch him being stripped of it
is like, okay, where are we going from here?
Where we go from here?

Wow.

>> Randall (01:28:24):
Yeah.

Okay, so can we just take that sequence one more
time? is this well spoken? You know, that I
dare vouch, sir, what, 50 followers that. That
little section that leads to. Okay, What? Need
one.

>> Randall (01:28:38):
Okay, okay, let's
take it a little further back. I can be patient.

Yep.

>> Randall (01:28:44):
I can stay with Regan I and my hundred
nights.

Not altogether so. I look
not for you yet, nor am provided for your fit
welcome. Give ear, sir, to my
sister. For those that mingle reason with your passion
must be content to think you old. Sorry. Let me start
over.

It's good, though, start over. But I
liked it.

>> Randall (01:29:10):
I can be patient. I can stay with
Regan I and my hundred knights.

Not altogether so. I looked not for you
yet, nor am provided for your fit welcome. Give
ear, sir, to my sister. For those that mingle reason
with your passion must be content to. To think you old and
so. But she knows what she does.

>> Randall (01:29:29):
Well spoken.

I dare avouch it, sir. What, 50
followers, is it not? Well, what should
you need of,

More yea or so many
sith at.

Both charge and danger speak gainst so great a
number. How in one house
should many people under two commands hold
amity? Tis hard, almost
impossible.

Why might not you, my lord, receive attendance
from those that she calls servants? Or from
mine?

Why not, my lord? If then they chance to slack ye,
we could control them. If you will come to me. For now I
spy a danger. I entreat you to bring but 5 and 20.
To no more will I give place or
notice.

>> Randall (01:30:13):
I gave you all, and in good.

Time you gave it.

>> Randall (01:30:17):
Made you my guardians, my
depositories, but kept a reservation to be
followed with such a number. What must I come to you
with five and 20, Regan?
Said you so, and speak again, my lord.

No, More with me.

>> Randall (01:30:32):
Those wicked creatures yet do look well favoured,
when other are, ah, more wicked,
not being the worst, stand in some rank of
praise. I'll go with thee. Thy fifty
yet doth double five and twenty, and thou art
twice her love.

Hear me, my lord. What need
you 5 and 20, 10, or
5 to follow in a house where
twice so many have a command to tend you?

What need one?

>> Randall (01:31:03):
Reason not the need.
Our, poorest beggars are in the poorest things
superfluous.

Allow not.

>> Randall (01:31:13):
Allow not. Nature more than nature
needs. Man's life is cheap
as beasts. Thou art a
lady. If only to go warm were
gorgeous. Why, nature needs not what
thou gorgeous wearest, which scarcely keeps thee warm.
But for true need,
O new heaven,

(01:31:36):
keep me in patience, patience I
need. You see me here, you gods,
A poor old man, as full of
grief as age, wretched and bolt. If it
be you that stirs these daughters hearts against their
father, fool me not so much
to bear it tamely, but touch me with

(01:31:56):
noble anger. And let not women's weapons,
water drops stain my man's cheeks.
No, you
unnatural hags. I
will have such revenges on you
both that all the world shall.
I will do such things. What they are

(01:32:19):
yet I know not.
But they shall be the terrors of the earth.
Or. You think I'll, weep. No,
I'll not weep. I have full cause
for weeping. But this heart shall break into a hundred
thousand flaws, or ere I'll
weep.

(01:32:39):
Oh, fool,
I shall go mad.

Good. Nice, guys. Very nice,
Very nice. Takes off. You know,
it doesn't have to be planted or this and that. It. It just
takes off. And that's. That's wonderful, Randy. I want to
add one thing after that dash.
What did he say?

I want to do it now. I want to do the play.

Randy, at that dash. That's another one of
those punctuations that are rarely seen.
But you know the scene where he.
Where he talks about,
hysteria. Pasico. You know, the. The whole idea of
his heart.

>> Randall (01:33:21):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

In his chest. And the fool. Thomas, you don't know the
fool's line there, do you? Beat it down.

>> Randall (01:33:30):
What? Seems that.

Yeah, it's okay if you don't. I so do.

>> Nathan Agin (01:33:34):
I don't.

>> Randall (01:33:35):
I really don't.

but at any rate, you do remember what I'm
talking about. That's why I asked you. Right? but at any rate, the
fool tells Leah to. To beat down his heart,
beat it down, fight against it. And I think this is
A moment where it's starting to come up again. I'll
do such things that I know. Not like, you know. Because if you
can work that up.

>> Randall (01:33:56):
Almost inarticulate.

Yeah.

>> Randall (01:33:59):
The words.

I asked a question about that moment. Is that
real? I. I don't think it's a
mistake, but they shall be the terrors of the earth. And then it's a
question mark.

>> Randall (01:34:09):
Yeah. It's odd, isn't it?
Yeah. Oh, I pondered that
too.

I've.

I've spent time pondering.

Well, I think the question mark goes hand in hand with, I
don't know what they are. So I. You
know, I think it has. It implies the question of the
terrors of the earth. Of the earth. You know,
in his anger. Do you know, Randy,
it's kind of like what we've.

>> Randall (01:34:34):
Like a general question.

Yeah. Yeah.

>> Randall (01:34:37):
I don't know specifically what my revenge
will be. Right.

Think about. I mean, it's almost a question to them. You.
You know, the idea. Not that you want an answer from them,
but it's, so hard to explain
how it works. That's why modern texts make it an
exclamation, but it's not an
exclamation. It's. It's. It's as if to say, do you
want,

I love the question mark?
You know, for him to say I. I will do that.
What they are. I don't know.

Yes. That's it.

>> Nathan Agin (01:35:11):
Right.

The terrors of the earth, maybe. But
they're coming. M. You know, it's. It's so
human.

Yeah.

>> Randall (01:35:18):
Right. Right.

Yep.

>> Randall (01:35:23):
Ah.

The other thing. The other, Well, I don't want to spend. I. I
don't want to do too much text. Actual punctuation.
Because you're already kind of following it on your own. The only thing
I want to just keep reminding you of is when. In order for
the caps to work, when you hit
lowercase, you need to allow them to be
lowercase. Otherwise, you know,
you can't differentiate. The other thing too,

(01:35:46):
is, There are places where, if you look at
the scansion, the second, the fourth,
the sixth, eighth, tenth is the stressed
beat. Right. So you get things
like,
I set him there, sir. but his own. There
was a line that I heard. I'd have to hear it all over again, actually.

(01:36:11):
Oh, it's little things like, Let me just use this as an
example here. If you do love old men, we
say, if you do love old men, the scansion is,
if you do love old men,
that Again, it needs, it needs that
little stress. Not the kind of stress you give to a cap,
but again that, that stress. The thing about

(01:36:32):
scansion that I always find it's not so much the
ta dump to dump as much as it is.
You're speaking from the heart.
Which is why in Goner, when Goneril comes
in, she's
ah. And she says why not by the hand, you know
that, that section, she's

(01:36:53):
in. She's in verse. She never,
she never just lets go of, you know, and does
a kind of common language.
It's. It's done. She's meaning everything
she says. And I think that's true. You have. I always
look to where they use prose. Where does it. Where is.
You know, where does it change? but it doesn't in this

(01:37:13):
scene. So everybody's, everybody's
speaking from the heart. I think you had
one Regan, where you say I am from home.
do you know which one I think it's before Goneril
comes in.

>> Randall (01:37:29):
No.

Or after gonorrhea.

I am now from home. About 15,
14. 95. 96. 97. 98.

1498. Yeah. And it's. Again it's. It's a simple
thing but. But again I. I am now
from home. As opposed to I'm now from home.

Yeah.

You see how it's in the fourth I.
Right.

Because it would be I am now from home. And
yeah, well, it's actually elided isn't.
I am now from home and out of that provision
I am. I am not.

She.

She would ally the am. I am now from home.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, out of that provision.

So. But I see what you mean. I'm now from home.

It's. Yeah.

So that is. I. I hadn't heard you say that
before any. In the time I've worked with you on
this. Would you not to have to quantify it which is
simplistic but when you're doing this kind of work, would you almost
say that a capital is more
stressed than a stressed beat in
the.

Yes, I would. Because,
because, because you have,
you have five stresses basically in a
natural normal line that the idea of
this is why I say that you start off by hitting the
capital but you end up
interpreting it.

Yeah.

Okay.

Do you see? So it's not just about coming
down hard on. It's why is that why that's That
word nature that I was. I was explaining
terribly before. But again that idea
of that word nature
holds a very big meaning in this Play.
And so when you see it M. Even if it's

(01:39:08):
in an unstressed position, that will
happen often. Not that often. Usually
caps fall in stress positions.
but I think that it's more about the
interpretation, the offices of nature,
bond of childhood bond, you know, so.
So again, it's. It's the
importance of the word rather than, the hitting

(01:39:30):
of it. Yeah. Does that make sense?

Yeah, the scansion just becomes rhythm
and helping you really? Scansion helps
me memorize.

I. Yeah, yeah.

But then the capitals get
lifted.

What I always love too, is how to get to
that, you know. No, Reagan. Thou shalt never have my
curse. Thy tender hefted nature shall not
give. shall not give the or. So
that. That again, you. Even though you've ended
that line before it,
it continues to fall into the stress in

(01:40:06):
the second. What I'm looking at right now is,
learn. Thou shalt never have my curse.
That speech. are you there? So you
get. No, Reagan. Thou shalt never have my curse. Thy tender
hefted nature shall not give. You see, the give
as opposed give the or. Thy tender
nature shall not give the or to

(01:40:26):
harshness. So the or, because it's in a stress
position, you want the stress to fall there
rather than to just ream them through,
without stressing at all. Does
that make sense? That's what I mean. From the heart, it's. Oh,
yeah, yeah.
particularly when there's no punctuation at the end of that

(01:40:47):
line. Her eyes are fierce but thine to
comfort and not burn. You know,
it falls into the next line with the
stress on comfort. At any rate, as I
said, I don't want to do too much. You know, what happens is we have this
short period of time and we're going to start to introduce
all these different elements that people have been teaching

(01:41:08):
you, know, lifetimes with. And so, I think just to
give you a little smattering to the degree that it. That it
helps understand what's happening.
Any other questions? What were you going to say, Randy? I'm sorry?

>> Randall (01:41:20):
That it sparks the imagination,
number one. At all.

Number one. You know, we were working with Morris Carnavsy. He
came out to our theater directed
learning and. But he also directed Ivanov
and had. He taught classes. And one girl got up
and she did, I think, a monologue
from Anthony and Cleopatra. And he said to her,
well, you

(01:41:46):
simply have no imagination.
And I thought, oh my God, that was the kiss of death.
What do you do when the great Morris
Karnowski tells you you have no imagination.
Because that meant so much to him.
because so much of his work came from
that. The imagination. So,

(01:42:07):
Good. Anything else?

>> Randall (01:42:09):
I did find the line you were talking about.
He says, lear says, owe me my heart, my rising heart,
but down. And then the fool says, cry to it, uncle, as
the cockney did to the eels when she put him in the pace to life.
She napped him or the coxcombs on the cock come from the stick
and cried, down. Walton's down. So.

So. And what he's saying basically is don't allow.
Don't allow yourself to go there. Don't allow. Fight
it. Fight it. you know,
and. And it truly is the beginning of a heart attack.
It's the sense of the heart is going. Then you have that line at the
end of this scene. My heart would break in a thousand.
Don't you have.

>> Randall (01:42:45):
Yes. A thousand, hundred thousand flaws.

Yeah. So
good. Good.

>> Randall (01:42:56):
How do you feel, ladies?

It is sort of like, I don't know if the word is
bittersweet, but, like, working on this and then
knowing that we're not actually doing it, like
taking care of a baby that I don't get to keep.

Yeah.

>> Randall (01:43:15):
It's really making me wish.
It would be great. Be
fun.

It's so thrilling.

>> Nathan Agin (01:43:23):
I mean, we had a, Yeah, we had a. We did a checkoff
scene. and Libby, Apple, who ran
Oregon Shakespeare Festival, was directing it. And
we. There were a couple people in the audience who were just
like, I want to see those people do the play now.
Because I've spent so much time with these characters
that I want to go see, like, what happens next.

>> Randall (01:43:42):
What happens next play was that Nathan.

>> Nathan Agin (01:43:45):
What's that? We did a scene from, uncle,
Vanya.

Ah.

>> Randall (01:43:48):
yes, it was.

>> Nathan Agin (01:43:50):
It was the top of. I think it's the top of Act 2. There's a
rainstorm. And, the professors
asleep in the chair. And, that's how. That's how the scene starts.
And, Yeah, it was.

But.

>> Nathan Agin (01:43:59):
But, yes, I. I share the sentiment.

>> Randall (01:44:01):
And.

>> Nathan Agin (01:44:01):
And, above wanting to see you guys do this.
And, I mean, I think it would be just
fun. And I don't know logistically, necessarily how it worked, whether it
be the same people, whether you could get everyone for that amount of time,
but to take, like, a year and just do
this on an entire play
and then block it, then go produce
it.

>> Randall (01:44:21):
Yeah.

Yeah.

>> Nathan Agin (01:44:23):
If you could actually have the time to really go through everything,
and not Feel rushed. and, you know, I
think that would be. I think. I think it would also create
some really amazing theater. I
think the end product would be really, Really different and
really exciting and would, stand out
for, You know. And I know they did the. The bridge project. I don't

(01:44:44):
know if they're still doing that, but there was like, It was kind of a
UK America collaboration where
they did,

I think.

>> Nathan Agin (01:44:51):
I know that. I think they did it a couple times, but it would. They took two
plays in repertory and they toured them around. And, you know, there was
some actors in there, so that helped sell
tickets. But, It was this kind of idea
of. Of probably trying to recreate
repertory theater to some degree but make it commercially
viable. But,

>> Randall (01:45:09):
But.

>> Nathan Agin (01:45:09):
But yeah, I think. I think, the product speaks for itself. I
mean, and that's always been the experience of people who have been sitting
in on this. Even though we're doing just one scene,
the result is. Is
undeniable. And to see how far it's gone,
even just in four weeks, it's, you know,
and of course those people who are sitting in and listening to all
the minute conversations that you guys are having, it just opens

(01:45:32):
up so much more. It's really, You know,
we've. I think we worked on the scene a couple of years ago, but
there's still so much more to talk about. And every actor
brings their own take on it, their own
perspective. So you're going to hear lines differently. They're going to,
you know, say something, bring up a point, you know, and
so it's. It never gets old. Even as an
observer. yeah, yeah.

I love the specifics of the
characters that we're talking about. When. When you said
Annie and Randy, Goner
and the beauty, you know, somebody
to. Appearances are very, you know, we
all know that person. Right,
right. We all know that, you know,

(01:46:16):
that woman m. With a certain kind
of social standing and,
and reputation and
And beauty and fashion and. Right.
And so, It just. That was so
helpful because I've never seen Conroe that way. But it
makes perfect sense.

>> Randall (01:46:35):
Sense.

It makes absolutely perfect sense. But I love the
specificity that we're talking about of the sister dynamic
because, you know, we're competing with each other. But then
our great competitor is Cordelia,
because Dad
always loved her best. You know, it's just
fascinating. The family dynamics are

(01:46:57):
fascinating.

When you bring Cordelia into the mix, you. You
do see, that she is so totally
different. From the two of you.
Yes. I think, too, that
when. Remember when we. We worked on that first
scene with. With Cordelia last
time when we did this, that the whole

(01:47:19):
idea of Cordelia
just. Just not able
to lie, flatter any of. She can't do
it. It's not even a matter of what she desires not to
do. It is not in her to
do her. In her nature.
That's right.

(01:47:39):
There's that word. You know,
it's just so. I mean, you almost feel ridiculous saying what a
brilliant play it is. Of course.
but every time I work on it, these different
discoveries come up. And you're right, Nathan. Different
actors bring some. Something to it.

>> Randall (01:47:55):
You know, that's what's wonderful about the
theater. Because.

>> Nathan Agin (01:48:01):
And I think what's, you know, not only
does it create, a great performance for the audience,
but this is the work that you guys have to
do night after night. So why not make it something
really compelling and interesting for yourselves that you
actually have to play, like, you know, every
night rather than, Okay, yeah. you know, you just. You get bored two weeks

(01:48:22):
into it, going like, yeah, I'm the evil sister.

>> Randall (01:48:23):
Great.

>> Nathan Agin (01:48:24):
You know, but it's because it's like this. This is your work. This is what
you're doing.

Ah.

>> Nathan Agin (01:48:27):
And I think anything that can stimulate that.
That even if the audience isn't aware of every little detail
you're in color, you're putting in this.
This is the work you're doing. This is how you're spending your time.

>> Randall (01:48:39):
So it.

>> Nathan Agin (01:48:39):
I think it brings it so much more alive for the actors, too.

Yeah, I. I just love the
comma.
Because really, that just made it so
fresh, you know, just even that mini
second when.

>> Randall (01:48:55):
Yep.

What you said, Annie, about this is all I meant to say.

>> Randall (01:48:59):
Yes.

but then. Oh, that leads to this. This thought. I.
That's just one of the best things I've ever heard about
doing Shakespeare. I'm just so sorry. I'm sorry.
I'm learning that so late in life.

Hey, it sucks when you get those gems
and you're like, oh, that made me really good when I was
27.

Right, right.

Wow, that just makes it so fun to do.

>> Randall (01:49:22):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Ronnie and I just did a, performance for
Shakespeare's birthday and had the
nerve, I guess it would be called, to do, Helena and
Demetrius and Desdemona.
And, you know, but the nice thing about
it was that we were able to play with each
other, knowing, of course, these are roles that we'd never do at this
age. But, But it was the same thing, Lizzie, where you

(01:49:45):
think, oh, gosh, I wish I were, you know,
20 again just to do it.

I'm taking a lot of hope from the fact that
Geraldine James is about to play rosalind
at the RSC at 72.

>> Randall (01:49:58):
Wow.

They have an old. They've. They've upped
everyone's age by,
into that range.

Yes, yes.

You just can imagine all the richness and
humor, sense
of play that's going to be available because you
know when you're 20, that you're not doing it right.

Yeah.

That you just are the right vessel.

But.

But you know that in 20 years
you'll look back with.

>> Randall (01:50:30):
I think it was you that said. And I was
just thinking about it the other day, just randomly,
was that by the time you learned how to play
Juliet, you're too old to play her.

Yes, that's right. That's often been said of that
part is that, you know, people like to think that a
14 year old, she might look sweet out there, but
boy, what Juliet has to do on that stage,
it's very hard for a 14 year old to be able
to encompass that, you know, and that's the
production that's being done all over right now.

(01:51:01):
everybody seems to be glomming onto Romeo and
Juliet. I'm. I'm in the midst of a. I don't know if
you folks have ever heard of the Russian director
Ephros. Anatoly Efros.
He's gone now, but he directed Randy in the Marriage
at the Guthrie Theater. Spoke only Russian, had
a translator. but we learned more from
him, I think it's fair to say, than just about any

(01:51:22):
director we had ever worked. I sat in the audience
watching him the whole time. But he just, he's.
There are three books that he's written and about directing
and about the joy of rehearsal and,
But he talks about Romeo and Juliet and
he has introduced ideas about that
play to me that, For

(01:51:43):
instance, he talks about the
nurse, knowing that Lady
Capulet is going to bring in the news
about Paris marrying Juliet.
And so when she looks for Juliet, she
says, where is this girl? Come. Oh, I can. And
the mother and the. And the nurse reminis.
And the nurse reminisces because they know this is

(01:52:05):
the moment that she is. We're going to
give her off in marriage. It's a whole different scene
than just, wow, blusters
through. And then he describes.

Oh, wow, that's.

Yeah. And then he describes Juliet on the balcony. And
he says, she leans her head and on the
balcony and looks up and then her. Her arm.
She leans over and just sort of swings her arm.
Romeo, Romeo. So she knows nobody is
seeing her. And it's this private moment
that she has. The way he describes it is

(01:52:36):
so beautiful that you think, I want to do
this production tomorrow.
Who is that?

What is the name of.

His name is Anatoly Ephros. And he died,
by the way, after an
interrogation, during the.

>> Randall (01:52:52):
When the Soviet Union was still in
full swing.

Wow.

Can you still get those books?

Oh, yes.

>> Randall (01:53:03):
Yeah.

But very, you know, when he talks.

>> Randall (01:53:06):
About Chekhov and when he talks about Shakespeare.
Very insightful.

Wonderful, wonderful. Just reminds you
book that you were.

Talking about last week.

>> Randall (01:53:18):
Oh, the Actor's Eye.
And.
Yeah, I think so. But it's kind of pricey. You
gotta find a used copy and
hunt it up. Maybe it's. Yeah. Because it
hasn't been reissued and it.

Was only issued in paperback. So
there are very few of them, I think, available.
I think you can get. The cheapest I've seen it is about
$35 now. but it's a wonderful
book because it's Morris teaching a class.
and so he, you know, they ask him questions and he. And
he answers them. But he's. He's so

(01:53:54):
insightful, again, about all these
different. Different roles and an approach
to. To acting. Mostly
Shakespeare though, I think. Right. Randy in
it.

>> Randall (01:54:06):
Well, even when he was with the Group Theater, he was,
a lover of the classics, you know. And
in fact, when the Group Theater ended, they were in
rehearsal for Three Sisters, I
think, Clifford Odets had written an adaptation of Three
Sisters, and they were preparing it, but then it
closed up. and then he was

(01:54:26):
blacklisted during the McCarthy era
and then was invited by John Houseman
to go to the Stratford, Connecticut
Shakespeare Festival to be a part of their season. And that's when
he did his Shylock and he did
Lear and he did all kinds of roles
with them for years.

(01:54:46):
But he. What he brought to Shakespeare was the work that they
had done with the Group Theater, you know, in trying
to find an American style and a way of
getting into a script that. What
kind of acting.

And then his wife Phoebe Brown, taught
Shakespeare, and tried, to
take what he did on stage and turn it into a
way of. Of working with actors.
She was just magnificent to
work with.

>> Randall (01:55:14):
they both were.

Yeah.

I. I know we have to close, but I've just noticed. I went on
Amazon, and, it is
$341.
but there's one review, and it's a five star review,
and it's my friend's dad who used to run
UMKC MFA program.

Oh, my God.

Classic.

Really, really full circle.

Oh, I really wanted that. That insight about
Lady Capulet and the nurse. Wow,
that would make that whole scene because they're saying,
oh, we're giving her away, but remember when she's just five
years.

>> Randall (01:55:53):
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Beautiful. I love that.

And he does it with Seagull. He does it.
He does it with, Got the other. He does
three plays in that book. and the same thing
happens where he just throws something at
you that you think, oh, my God, I can't wait to play
that. That's wonderful. you know,
so nice. Have we

(01:56:19):
gone over? Have we, Ah, are we.

>> Nathan Agin (01:56:21):
There is, there is no time limit.

You can.

>> Nathan Agin (01:56:24):
You can stay here for the rest of the night talking about theater.

>> Randall (01:56:27):
Another enjoyable session.

Yes.

Thank you so much.

>> Randall (01:56:31):
Thank you.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

Thank you, Randy, Annie. And thank you,
Nathan.

>> Nathan Agin (01:56:36):
Thank all of you guys.

Thomas, thanks for seeing that script close by.
Thomas. Yeah,
thanks, Tom.

>> Nathan Agin (01:56:43):
Thanks, Lizzie. Thank you, everybody.

>> Randall (01:56:44):
Thank you. Good
night, everyone. Next week.

All Episodes

King Lear - Week 2: "Unpacking Shakespeare's Punctuation" - The Rehearsal Room

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Are You A Charlotte?

Dateline NBC

Stuff You Should Know

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}King Lear - Week 2: "Unpacking Shakespeare's Punctuation" - The Rehearsal Room