Soliloquy Lesson

Soliloquy:
I want to buy an apple from Victoria
But i've only got a ha'penny coin
I'm very very very very hungry
I wish I had more money to my name
No one here appreciates my wigs
Not even Will Shakespeare himself.
It makes me feel ever so upset
My wigs. My wigs.

 I have chosen to break the pentameter rhythm on the last line to show how upset Richard is about the lack of credit he gets for fitting and making wigs. All he really cares about is building up his reputation and gradually working his way up the social ladder. However, he feels looked down upon by other people at the theatre and doesn't feel particularly accepted.

 The physical pentameter exercise in class helped me write my soliloquy as it taught us how iambic pentameters work and sound. After the exercise I could still here the rhythm in my head and this was very helpful when it came to writing the soliloquy itself.

 I believe the line 'No one here appreciates my wigs' best show Richard's feelings. He gets upset because no one appreciates his work in wig making- especially the theatre workers. However the line is actually a lot deeper then it appears on the surface. Richard was disowned by his parents when he was just 10 after he ran away due to being neglected and mistreated. He always has a feeling deep down that no one really wants anything to do with him and no one 'appreciates' him. His biggest fear is being disowned by his current friends/family and what happened with his blood family will always haunt him. This line obviously also explains what has happened in his life (with his family). The line 'I've only got a ha'penny coin.' shows that he doesn't have that much money although he doesn't have a bad wage- he just likes to spend money on things he shouldn't be buying just to show off.

 Today's lesson was very interesting as it taught me many things. Mainly, it taught me a lot of Contextual information about William Shakespeare and the era that his work was first published and performed which is vital knowledge when portraying a Shakespearean character. My Character, Richard Price, is a wig maker and I learnt that although Wig Makers are essentially working class, they would spend most of their time working for/and with the middle/upper class. Due to his constant mixing with those of higher social classes, Richard likes to think he is of a higher social class then he really is, so naturally he is very well spoken. In the soliloquy I have chosen to focus on his life at the theatre. He often feels like he doesn't get enough money, or credit, for his wig making. He doesn't just work in the theatre but on show days he does spend the whole day there preparing and fitting wigs on actors and performers. The improvisation exercise reminded me of how hard it is to stay in character for a suspended amount of time without having scripted lines! Unlike musicals, you don't have songs and dances to break up scenes- it is constant acting.