Hey actor! If you’re still hunting for the perfect fit monologue, I’ve put together a collection of my favourite Shakespeare monologues sorted by casting type and general vibe. Makes it easy to pick one you love and another one to contrast. You can find it here: shakespearewithsarah.com/shakespeare-collection/
Thank you Aimee! Honestly it's so funny to watch these videos back, I'm so judgemental of Rosalind 😂 I feel like I have a lot more sympathy for her now.
😂 I can see why. But as I started working on the play, I started understanding Rosalind 😅 I think she's pretty straightforward and, in a weird way, found a part of me in Rosalind 😂 I'm just happy to have found your channel, Sarah!! ❤
This is interesting, but personally I think Rosalind is actually trying to make Phoebe seize the opportunity to be with someone who loves her. I understand that the biggest things which jump out are the scathing insults, but remember that Rosalind herself is fully in love with Orlando. She’s been kept away from him, with no chance of seeing him for goodness knows how long. Sylvius panders to Phoebe and Phoebe is beyond horrible to him; Rosalind herself can’t bear to see this. I think context is everything, because back then Phoebe wouldn’t have had any right to act like this and, dressing up as a man, Rosalind has the opportunity to tell her so. I think the idea is that, if she were to stop acting so stuck up, Phoebe would allow herself to love Sylvius and be loved in return - which is all Rosalind wants and can’t have while she’s in disguise and on the run.
I think that’s a great take on it as well. I can definitely recognise that my reading of it is influenced by how I feel about Rosalind! I don’t consider my opinion as the only option. It’s the sort of thing you would work on with a director if you’re cast in a production, but so many people watching my videos are just preparing for auditions by themselves, so they just have to find what works for them and be ready to be flexible. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 😊
I think it's a very interesting justification for this monologue you gave, when I first came across it I was wondering why she was so rude to Phoebe and was meddling with them but it really makes sense that she'd be sort of projecting her insecurities while having this confidence that kind of comes from her disguise !
Riiiiight?!! I always just thought Rosalind was a stuck up cow 😂 but after researching what other actors have discovered when playing the role, it helped me understand more of what’s going on for her.
Isabella, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot about your request over the madness of Christmas! Do you still need help with this? I won't get a chance to film until later on in the week but I can try to get to it soon if you still need it.
Personally, I really love Rosalind, especially her scenes with Orlando. To me, why she's doing all those "love cure lessons" for Orlando isn't because she's testing him, or toying with him, it's because she's testing herself. I mean, she fell in love at first sight. She knows NOTHING about the guy, she can't begin to understand what's happening to her, and she's suddenly granted the opportunity to see what he's really about, while he's being genuine since he's not trying to seduce her. And since he says all the right things, she falls in love with him even more. As for this monologue... to me, one of the main reasons she gets so pissed off right there is because Orlando just stood her up ! She's so afraid that it means he doesn't love her, that when she sees a woman being showered with affirmations of love (I call it harassment, but to each his own) and rejecting it, it makes her see red. This joins your explanation, but it's heightened by Orlando's no-show.
Hi Sarah! Do you do drama classes? I'm doing a drama competition and I'm doing 3 monologues. Phebe's 'I would not be thy executioner' and 'Think not I love him though I ask for him' anddddddd this one! I need a bit of help... Your videos really helped! Thanks :)
i really like the interpretation of rosalind being insecure here! i was also wondering, though! do you think with the tone of the monologue, one could lean into the queerness of the play? maybe play rosalind as getting a bit flustered by, rather than outright dismissing phoebe's interest and getting defensive (and, admittedly, aggressive) after the "why, what means this?" part?
Great question. It’s always worth exploring different options and finding something that interests you. In this case though, I think it’ll be hard to make it work because the whole point of the monologue is that she’s letting herself be really honest about how she sees Phebe, and everything she says is along the lines of, “you’re not that great, so don’t fool yourself!” It’s useful to remember that Shakespeare’s characters generally say what they mean and mean what they say. There can be nuances of course, but they don’t tend to say the opposite of what they mean like characters often do in contemporary plays. With everything though, I always recommend testing it out on the floor. It’ll usually be obvious it’s not working, because you’ll find that it’s hard to connect to the next section, or maybe the climax/conclusion doesn’t work because your choice has taken you too far down a different path. Hope that helps.
I’ve never read it! I’m actually such a pleb, I really haven’t read enough classics. Except for Shakespeare obviously 😂 but now I want to read it! Thanks for the inspiration!
It's probable Shakespeare read a translation and nicked it for his own devices. He was a supreme creative borrower and adapter. Originality wasn't considered very important then. His facility in that respect is one of the reasons Shakespeare is so good. He is saturated in story and character that he takes from elsewhere and turns to his purpose.
ROSALIND Love is merely a madness, and, I tell you, deserves as well a dark house and a whip as madmen do: and the reason why they are not so punished and cured is, that the lunacy is so ordinary that the whippers are in love too. Yet I profess curing it by counsel. Lol
Shakespeare like the other writers of his milieu (the English renaissance dramatists) are dark as all hell even when they are being funny or sublime. There is always a knot of tragedy, a sort of fissile moral obliqueness, in the bow of their comedy and vice versa. Rosalind is a picture of wit, not kindness.
Hey actor! If you’re still hunting for the perfect fit monologue, I’ve put together a collection of my favourite Shakespeare monologues sorted by casting type and general vibe. Makes it easy to pick one you love and another one to contrast. You can find it here: shakespearewithsarah.com/shakespeare-collection/
Just found this! Auditioning with this monologue tomorrow and was looking for a brush up review - this is great. Thank you!!!
Sarah's the best! It's super fun to watch her break down a Shakespeare charecter! Very informative!❤
Thank you Aimee! Honestly it's so funny to watch these videos back, I'm so judgemental of Rosalind 😂 I feel like I have a lot more sympathy for her now.
😂 I can see why. But as I started working on the play, I started understanding Rosalind 😅 I think she's pretty straightforward and, in a weird way, found a part of me in Rosalind 😂
I'm just happy to have found your channel, Sarah!! ❤
This is interesting, but personally I think Rosalind is actually trying to make Phoebe seize the opportunity to be with someone who loves her. I understand that the biggest things which jump out are the scathing insults, but remember that Rosalind herself is fully in love with Orlando. She’s been kept away from him, with no chance of seeing him for goodness knows how long. Sylvius panders to Phoebe and Phoebe is beyond horrible to him; Rosalind herself can’t bear to see this. I think context is everything, because back then Phoebe wouldn’t have had any right to act like this and, dressing up as a man, Rosalind has the opportunity to tell her so. I think the idea is that, if she were to stop acting so stuck up, Phoebe would allow herself to love Sylvius and be loved in return - which is all Rosalind wants and can’t have while she’s in disguise and on the run.
I think that’s a great take on it as well. I can definitely recognise that my reading of it is influenced by how I feel about Rosalind! I don’t consider my opinion as the only option. It’s the sort of thing you would work on with a director if you’re cast in a production, but so many people watching my videos are just preparing for auditions by themselves, so they just have to find what works for them and be ready to be flexible.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 😊
well said. I think your explanation is totally valid. @@ShakespearewithSarah
I think it's a very interesting justification for this monologue you gave, when I first came across it I was wondering why she was so rude to Phoebe and was meddling with them but it really makes sense that she'd be sort of projecting her insecurities while having this confidence that kind of comes from her disguise !
Riiiiight?!! I always just thought Rosalind was a stuck up cow 😂 but after researching what other actors have discovered when playing the role, it helped me understand more of what’s going on for her.
Thank You so much Sarah! You just made me very excited about this monologue
I also have the exact same candle you have in the background. So cute!
thank you this has helped so much I chose this monologue a few weeks ago but have been stuck on the language but you've made it so easy to understand!
I really like your theory about Rose being triggered by Phoebe! That makes a lot of sense. I never thought about it that way 🤦♀️🤔
tysm this helped so so much !!
thank you so much for this!!
This was so incredibly helpful! Thank you so much for your insight!
woooo a fellow aussie
I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS, THANK YOU!
❤❤❤
Thanks so much for this💓💓
Could you do Goneril's 'By day and night, he wrongs me' in King Lear?
Yes I can! It will take a few weeks though because I’m getting a lot of requests at the moment. I’ll let you know when it’s up. 😊
Isabella, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot about your request over the madness of Christmas! Do you still need help with this? I won't get a chance to film until later on in the week but I can try to get to it soon if you still need it.
Personally, I really love Rosalind, especially her scenes with Orlando. To me, why she's doing all those "love cure lessons" for Orlando isn't because she's testing him, or toying with him, it's because she's testing herself. I mean, she fell in love at first sight. She knows NOTHING about the guy, she can't begin to understand what's happening to her, and she's suddenly granted the opportunity to see what he's really about, while he's being genuine since he's not trying to seduce her. And since he says all the right things, she falls in love with him even more.
As for this monologue... to me, one of the main reasons she gets so pissed off right there is because Orlando just stood her up !
She's so afraid that it means he doesn't love her, that when she sees a woman being showered with affirmations of love (I call it harassment, but to each his own) and rejecting it, it makes her see red. This joins your explanation, but it's heightened by Orlando's no-show.
Hi Sarah! Do you do drama classes? I'm doing a drama competition and I'm doing 3 monologues. Phebe's 'I would not be thy executioner' and 'Think not I love him though I ask for him' anddddddd this one! I need a bit of help... Your videos really helped! Thanks :)
do you think this is a good monologue for drama school auditions? :)
Helpful!
Yay! Glad it helped. ❤️
which concept of feminism would you examine with Rosalind character?
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
i really like the interpretation of rosalind being insecure here! i was also wondering, though! do you think with the tone of the monologue, one could lean into the queerness of the play? maybe play rosalind as getting a bit flustered by, rather than outright dismissing phoebe's interest and getting defensive (and, admittedly, aggressive) after the "why, what means this?" part?
Great question. It’s always worth exploring different options and finding something that interests you. In this case though, I think it’ll be hard to make it work because the whole point of the monologue is that she’s letting herself be really honest about how she sees Phebe, and everything she says is along the lines of, “you’re not that great, so don’t fool yourself!”
It’s useful to remember that Shakespeare’s characters generally say what they mean and mean what they say. There can be nuances of course, but they don’t tend to say the opposite of what they mean like characters often do in contemporary plays.
With everything though, I always recommend testing it out on the floor. It’ll usually be obvious it’s not working, because you’ll find that it’s hard to connect to the next section, or maybe the climax/conclusion doesn’t work because your choice has taken you too far down a different path.
Hope that helps.
Do you like Don Quixote? This scene always reminds me of the Marcela and Chrysostom section.
I’ve never read it! I’m actually such a pleb, I really haven’t read enough classics. Except for Shakespeare obviously 😂 but now I want to read it! Thanks for the inspiration!
It's probable Shakespeare read a translation and nicked it for his own devices. He was a supreme creative borrower and adapter. Originality wasn't considered very important then. His facility in that respect is one of the reasons Shakespeare is so good. He is saturated in story and character that he takes from elsewhere and turns to his purpose.
@@ishmaelforester9825 I know he borrowed from Cervantes for the lost play Cardenio, but I think As You Like It predates Don Quixote.
Can you please do roslinds epilogue, it is not the fashion for the lady to be the epilogue...”
Where do you think would be an appropriate place to cut some of the monologue?
How short do you need it to be?
ROSALIND
Love is merely a madness, and, I tell you, deserves
as well a dark house and a whip as madmen do: and
the reason why they are not so punished and cured
is, that the lunacy is so ordinary that the whippers
are in love too. Yet I profess curing it by counsel.
Lol
Shakespeare like the other writers of his milieu (the English renaissance dramatists) are dark as all hell even when they are being funny or sublime. There is always a knot of tragedy, a sort of fissile moral obliqueness, in the bow of their comedy and vice versa. Rosalind is a picture of wit, not kindness.
Thanks but no tahnks your going way too slow for me ill find anotjer video ti describe as you like it for me.
Or you could just speed up the video 🙄🙄🙄