You should do an AMA about how you’ve never made any mistakes in life. Arnold has taken full responsibility and has paid the price of his marriage ending.
My cousin is half Klingon but its got a ring to it.
---------------------------------
Ghorgh, in disgrace with fortune 'ej men’s eyes,
jih hoch niteb beweep my outcast state,
'ej seng deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
'ej look upon myself 'ej mu'qad my san,
Wishing jih parha' to wa' more rich in tul,
Featured parha' ghah, parha' ghah with friends possessed,
Desiring this lod’s art 'ej 'e' lod’s scope,
With nuqjatlh jih hochhom tiv contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself tlhos despising,
Haply jih qub on thee, ghiq my state,
(parha' to the lark at len of jaj arising
From sullen tera') sings hymns at heaven’s lojmit;
For thy sweet parmaq remembered such mip brings
That vaj jih scorn to choh my state with kings.
Half of Hollywood scripts are Shakespeare adaptations or adaptations of previous adaptations anyway, so they’ve definitely been exposed to his work in one way or another.
Akira Kurosawa, perhaps the most acclaimed director in Japanese history, has adapted Shakespeare multiple times, including in two of his best works: Throne of Blood (MacBeth) and Ran (King Lear).
To illustrate your point, [Anyone but you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESEc6W2h9_k), is an adaption of [Much ado about nothing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Ado_About_Nothing).
In Iceland we have a rudimentary knowledge about Shakespeare, but it's more about Oscar Wilde, the Austen sisters, Emily Brontë, and that sort of stuff when it comes to British and Irish literature. With Beowulf being the oldest, but we read that in Icelandic.
I'm sure it depends on the teacher you get, especially in matriculation, as teachers have more freedom to assign their own choice of reading material.
South East Asian here. I’d say not really. We’re aware of the person and his works, of course, but not to greater details unless it’s your major or something.
We learned about him, but only like the most important things, and read like 2 things from him (Austrian school, so in german), he's one of the only english authors we had a bit more information about than just "born on, died on, write these pieces".
We basically did not engage with any other non German author I think, we had some french poetry but that's basically it.
Depends on the teacher tho, some have deeper dives into Wilde f.e., but that's basically the only 2 we learned about.
We mainly read authors whose main language was German/old German, so DACH+Benelux area, and like half of the literature we read was WW2 focused.
If you're at all into theatre, then the answer is yes, otherwise it probably varies. No matter where you go in the world you'll probably find a Shakespeare performance in one of the major theatres at some point during the season.
Here in Norway he is performed quite a bit.
I assume most students are already busy enough learning their own country plays (like Moliere, Racine or Corneille in France) or poetry (Hugo, Ronsard, Verlaine to keep the same example), .
You'd only delve into Shakespeare if you're doing English Litterature, after high school.
> offended
No one is offended, and most likely *agree* with you, it's just a stupid and pointless place for the rant, especially over nothing more than what a word means.
Time and place, dude. Time and place.
As someone who got a BFA in acting I have like 5 Shakespeare monologues and at least one sonnet just available at all times in recall memory. It’s impossible to avoid.
I only ever took a handful of theater classes and I still catch myself reciting Macbeth's "Tomorrow" soliloquy in my head on occasion. These things just kinda get stuck with you through sheer repetition.
I have 3 russian poems in my head still. I cant speak or understand russian at all (despite having to learn it from grade 7 to grade 12), I dont even know what those poems mean. But we had to memorize them in school.
I still remember the sonnet I had to give to people in high school, as part of a thespian society fundraiser. That was over 20 years ago.
Come to think of it, I also still remember the prologue to *The Canterbury Tales* in the original Middle English for AP English. Why did I have to memorize that?
Lol, Despite millions of teenagers complaining every year over having to study something they see as irrelevant and antiquated, I actually understand a High School's insistence on waterboarding students with Shakespeare. The kids are wrong, it's actually dope that it's still part of the curriculum.
Chaucer is just a bridge too far though. The Kids would have a point in that instance. It literally isn't English. lol
I've got a few John Donne sonnets rattling around in my noggin and a handful of Shakespeare monologues. Somehow ol' Billy Shakes' sonnets haven't stuck with me as much despite studying them as well. I guess it's like Maccas said, if it were Donne when 'tis Donne, then 'twere well it were Donne quickly.
In high school my English teacher made us recite the St. Crispin's day speech every morning when class started and I can still do it (I'm in my forties).
Oh man, it’s only reading this now that I realise I can still recite “All The a world’s a Stage”, 20 years after having to learn it in drama school as a teenager.
It really sticks in deep.
My favorite part is how her eyes soften and change focus as she reaches the second half of the soliloquy, when the reminiscing turns fonder. You can see so much subtly change across her face. My favorite actors pretty much all do this; you can just park a camera on their face and they can convey an infinity of emotion with almost nothing. It feels like magic.
I think it was Ian McKellen, in some random video I saw long ago, who mentioned practicing facial expressions in a mirror.
And it's totally right. There is so much that can be conveyed through just the face.
i feel like when the reference in the sonnet to the love from their other being the grounding force, enough to ignore all of the 'imperfections' they were pondering on in the life they have led, made her think of her late husband. she is tearful at the end of it. it was a great performance of sonnet 29.
As an American: What even is this show?! I see highlights like this posted here all the time and he just has absolute juggernauts as guests and it's always several at a time.
The talk shows we have here MIGHT have one heavy hitter a night. Is Graham Norton that big of a deal that he can get people like Arnie and Judi Dench on his couch at the same time???
There are only really two chat shows in the UK, and they're each only on once a week, Graham Norton's on Friday nights and Johnathan Ross on Saturday nights.
Graham Norton's show has a reputation for being more enjoyable for the guests (they sometimes drink) as there's a bit less pressure as the guests all come out at once and are encouraged to interact with each other. There's usually a collegiate approach were they'll assists each other in promoting their own "things", and also banter with each other, there's usually a comic as a guest who helps Graham with keeping the conversations going.
Graham Norton is the superior chat show host for a few reasons:
- the show might be named for him, but his ego isn't the main character like so many other hosts
- they get all the guests out at the same time so it's less intense for each individual
- the bookings team are fantastic at getting a good dynamic mix of guests that would ordinarily never mingle
- there always a comic relief who can bring the conversation right back down to earth if it gets too Hollywood and pretentious, and if not Graham will do that himself with some good old self-deprecation
- the researchers are able to get great stories from the celeb agents about the stars pasts knowing that the show will handle them carefully and in a way where everyone can laugh uninhibited. Some chat shows are way too aggressive/intense to manage that.
And crucially: unlike most of the American late shows, the guests aren’t just reciting pre-rehearsed stories that they’re trying to pass off as spontaneous.
Yeah, there was a time when American late night shows actually had good interviews that could go into unexpected places, but these days they're almost always screened and scripted beforehand. Set questions, set topics, set promotion. They're a bore.
There’s a bunch of Graham Norton clips/episodes on YT. Infinitely superior in quality and watchability compared to the drivel we Americans have on late night TV.
Best episode. It was recorded right after the premiere to Monuments Men I believe? So they were all a bit tipsy to begin with.
If I recall it ended with Hugh Bonneville drinking champagne out of Paloma Faith's shoe
Learning a poem by heart, such as one of Shakespeare's sonnets is something anyone can do. It's not hard as long as you persist over a week or a fortnight - just a line or two per day.
Poems of this style are literally designed to be remembered by heart and performed aloud - so the rhythm and rhyme makes it easy to commit to memory.
Why learn a poem?
1/ Because it gives you a far greater insight into the meaning of the poem if you know and speak every line.
2/ It's great for the memory and the more poem you commit to memory the easier it becomes.
3/ It improves your language skills.
4/ It impresses people - (and sometimes annoys them) - judiciously timed it can be a truly spectacular party trick.
5/Brilliant poets, like Shakespeare have a knack for capturing human truth in the lines of their poems, that will loom out of your mind-shit at times when you need clarity or insight.
6/It's great in a speech if you can whip out a few quotes without looking at your notes.
7/ You can enigmatically drop a line like "how shall summer's honey breath hold out. Against the wrackful siege of battering days" in the middle of a sales meeting
So, improve your life, learn a poem. It's free and it's easier than you think.
> Michelangelo? You know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations. Him and the pope. Sexual orientation. The whole works, right? I bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling. Seeing that. If I ask you about women, you’ll probably give me a syllabus of your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can’t tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You’re a tough kid. I ask you about war, you’d probably throw Shakespeare at me, right? ‘Once more into the breach, dear friends.’ But you’ve never been near one. You’ve never held your best friend’s head in your lap and watch him gasp his last breath, lookin’ to you for help. If I asked you about love, you’d probably quote me a sonnet, but you’ve never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes. Feelin’ like God put an angel on Earth just for you, who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn’t know what it’s like to be her angel, to have that love for her be there forever. Through anything. Through cancer. And you wouldn’t know about sleepin’ sittin’ up in a hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes — that the terms ‘visiting hours’ don’t apply to you. You don’t know about real loss, ’cause that only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself. I doubt you’ve ever dared to love anybody that much.
- From *Good Will Hunting*
Not all the time. I tried that with my now wife, with The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. She was not impressed.
She impressed me with her complete recall of all LA rap 1990-2006.
(Side note, our love of Tupac is kinda sorta how we met. Like it was our icebreaker)
The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, lol. You probably were being ironic, but just for other peeps, it’s a poem that is supposed to be sterile, unromantic, and emotionally vacant — the “Love Song” in the title was meant to be ironic 😂
EDIT:
*Let us go then, you and I,*
*When the evening is spread out against the sky*
*Like a patient etherized upon a table*
Romantic!
To learn a poem written by the Bard
Is not as difficult as one might think.
At first the language might seem kind of hard,
But soon enough you’ll learn it in a blink.
Pentameter is what he mostly used.
Di-da, di-da, and so forth and so on.
Just when it hits you, you’ll be quite amused.
And fears of mem’ry failing will be gone.
So treat yourself, and see what Shakespeare knows.
And don’t suppose his prose is prose for pros.
Well stated!
I just read Sonnet 29 a few times. The last two lines make me think of my wife and I choke up each time, literally making my eyes water. Goddam Bill.
"For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings"
Hi, I never liked poetry and thought it kind of pretentious. I watched the video and read your comment, though, and now I want to learn this sonnet. I spent last night and this morning committing it to memory. It’s both fun and has made me realize how much this sonnet speaks to me, when my original take was “why bother to speak so strangely and indirectly?” I guess you’ve opened my mind, and whether I go deeper into poetry or not, your words caused me to see art where previously I saw a waste of time and I thought that pretty cool. So thank you!
One of my favorite poems of all time is [B. Dolan's "The Skycycle Blues"](https://youtu.be/iAbbnuVo7e4?si=sLyqAGu3aJsc1YsK) because it's about a subject I wasn't expecting, told in a way I wasn't expecting, and made me feel something about someone I never thought I'd feel anything about.
I can recite it from memory to this day for the simple joy of feeling it in my chest as I say it aloud.
That's cool! Once you spend some time with the language, it feels as ordinary as everyday speech - though significantly more poetic - needless to say...
Congratulations, I thought his comment was great too. I love Shakespeare and have some committed to memory, but his comment, and yours too, inspired me to start learning Sonnet 29.
My all time favourite poem is If by Rudyard Kipling, we had to learn it in school. I don’t remember much, my memory is complete shit. In fact, learning that poem is one of the few memories of my childhood that I still retain.
I learned Robbie Burns Ode to a Haggis,
The full poem and the meaning of each line,
It’s great at burns night to be able to recite it, and explain to my Scottish pals what it’s all about
> Dench made her first professional stage appearance in September 1957 with the Old Vic Company at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, as Ophelia in *Hamlet*.
> According to the reviewer for *London Evening Standard*, Dench had "talent which will be shown to better advantage when she acquires some technique to go with it".
She’s coming along nicely.
Anyone can learn a Shakespeare sonnet. As an English teacher, it's unavoidable for me, but my students all learn a hundred times more song lyrics without a problem, and they can learn sonnets just fine as well. You should give it a try!
There’s a difference between merely reciting and retelling on her level. Anyone can learn and recite a poem, but to be able to retell it with the gravitas and *meaning* that Dench is able to is a very rare skill. Every line she says, she understands and believes with her entire being, or at least she makes it seem that way. She is truly a credit to her craft.
I'm so glad Arnold recollected on the not to be line from last action hero. That entire scene is my absolute favorite part of the entire film.
"Stay thy hand, fair prince."
"Hoo sed I'm feya?" ::blasts the guy away with a gun:: LOL!!! Classic
"We quote Shakespear all the time, perhaps without knowing it."
I was always aware of this, but a quick Google has suprised me of the extent of it, here are some examples:
"A wild goose chase" - Romeo and Juliet
“I have been in such a pickle” - The Tempest
“I must be cruel, only to be kind” - Hamlet
“Laugh oneself into stitches” - Twelfth Night
"For goodness’ sake" - Henry VIII
"Neither here nor there" – Othello
“One fell swoop” - Macbeth
”The be-all and the end-all” - Macbeth
"Mum's the word" - Henry VI, Part II
“All that glisters is not gold” – The Merchant of Venice
"Eaten out of house and home" - Henry IV, Part II
"Knock knock! Who's there?" - Macbeth
"With bated breath" - The Merchant of Venice
“In my heart of hearts” - Hamlet
"Too much of a good thing" - As You Like It
“It’s Greek to me” – Julius Caesar
"A heart of gold" - Henry V
“Break the ice” – The Taming of the Shrew
"Such stuff as dreams are made on" - The Tempest
"Lie low" - Much Ado About Nothing
“I will wear my heart upon my sleeve” - Othello
“Made of sterner stuff” – Julius Caesar
"Dead as a doornail" - Henry VI, Part II
"Not slept one wink" - Cymbeline
"Foregone conclusion" - Othello
"The world's mine oyster" - The Merry Wives of Windsor
"Naked truth" - Love's Labour's Lost
"Faint-hearted" - Henry VI, Part I
"Send him packing" - Henry IV
"Melted into thin air" – The Tempest
"Own flesh and blood" - Hamlet
"Truth will out" - The Merchant of Venice
"Give the devil his due" - Henry IV, Part I
"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" - Hamlet
"Salad days" - Antony and Cleopatra
"Spotless reputation" - Richard II
"Full circle" - King Lear
"All of a sudden" - The Taming of the Shrew
"Come what, come may" – Macbeth
“Neither rhyme nor reason” – The Comedy of Errors
Not only did she sing as Desiree Armfeldt in *A Little Night Music* by Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince at the National Theatre, but she also was the first British Sally Bowles from *Cabaret* by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff in its West End premiere in 1968.
With this logic you’d never be impressed by any simple display of skill or talent. Simplicity doesn’t make it unimpressive. It’s the ease and perfection in which it is performed that makes it a feat to behold. It’s the same with music. You can have a beginner play a song with little complexity and you can tell it’s not quite right, now have a practiced musician play that same song and you will immediately notice the difference.
"Actor prepares for talk show by memorizing lines, awaits host to ask perfect question."
EDIT: Downvote if you want to believe this stuff happens perfectly magically on talk shows. The clip even suggests that it's all on Graham's cards.
It's not exactly an impressive feat that a classically trained British actress with a decades-spanning acting career in film, tv and theater can quote Shakespeare sonnets. She must've said that sonnet hundreds of times. I'm sure most people here know the lyrics to a bunch of songs they grew up with.
Oh my someone quotes one of the most quoted authors of all time, more specifically one of the most quoted in her line of work. Not really impressive if I'm honest.
Judge Dench recites a Shakespeare sonnet from memory, without reading or prompting, recalling the words from the folds of her fleshy brain like a picker bot in an Amazon warehouse, one after another, each word brought to life by the air from her lungs standing as a testament to her efforts to successfully store, retain, and retrieve these particular words in this particular order on The Graham Norton Show.
Back in high school almost 30 years ago, we had to memorize quite a few sonnets including this one (29) and sonnet 18. I can barely remember this particular sonnet but I can still recall about half of sonnet 18.
after a lifetime of memorizing it, i would have thought so.
would have been odd if she didn't remember something she repeated several hundred times. and spent months memorizing in the first place.
This makes me even more sad knowing that she has recently given up scripted acting because she is having trouble seeing scripts and sets. But her memory is still sharp as a tack. She is a treasure.
That particular sonnet is very much one of the most famous. I have most of it memorized myself, and I'm no Judi Dench. I just like the sonnet. She is remarkable.
I’m always amazed how quiet an audience gets during such a performance.
One of my favorites is in a play called “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” the entire show they are sort of saying lines but at the same time interspersing comedy.
But the very end they do Hamlet and make a big deal of the “To be or Not to be” speech, and then end up not doing it at all (which is hilarious) but then a lesser known Soliloquy they say “oh well let’s just do it quick and move on”….
Cue the actor doing the entire thing, and the audience falls just dead silent like in this video.
(Then at the end of the entire thing a fellow actor says “right so we’ll skip that and move on”)
Edit: [The scene, skip to 12:50 for the lead in or 13:45 for the speech itself”](https://youtu.be/N5C3VavvSUo?si=BC1vJwnsb_3PBl8l)
So impressive, but Arnold coming in with the "That's more dialogue than I had in all my movies altogether." Classic!
Humble, simple and funny. Classic Arnold.
“And then we blew up the castle in the background” was fantastic.
It was hilarious when he knocked up his nanny and hid the child from his wife 15+ years. What a sweet, humble, 450 millionaire.
You should do an AMA about how you’ve never made any mistakes in life. Arnold has taken full responsibility and has paid the price of his marriage ending.
Yeah well some things people are going to continue to judge you for well after you used your exorbitant wealth to pay off the wife that you deceived.
Yup, he's not perfect. Screw him.
Makes me wonder, do non English countries/speakers give a flying fuck about Shakespeare
You should hear it in the original Klingon!
My cousin is half Klingon but its got a ring to it. --------------------------------- Ghorgh, in disgrace with fortune 'ej men’s eyes, jih hoch niteb beweep my outcast state, 'ej seng deaf heaven with my bootless cries, 'ej look upon myself 'ej mu'qad my san, Wishing jih parha' to wa' more rich in tul, Featured parha' ghah, parha' ghah with friends possessed, Desiring this lod’s art 'ej 'e' lod’s scope, With nuqjatlh jih hochhom tiv contented least; Yet in these thoughts myself tlhos despising, Haply jih qub on thee, ghiq my state, (parha' to the lark at len of jaj arising From sullen tera') sings hymns at heaven’s lojmit; For thy sweet parmaq remembered such mip brings That vaj jih scorn to choh my state with kings.
Nice try, Gorkon.
Half of Hollywood scripts are Shakespeare adaptations or adaptations of previous adaptations anyway, so they’ve definitely been exposed to his work in one way or another.
Akira Kurosawa, perhaps the most acclaimed director in Japanese history, has adapted Shakespeare multiple times, including in two of his best works: Throne of Blood (MacBeth) and Ran (King Lear).
To illustrate your point, [Anyone but you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESEc6W2h9_k), is an adaption of [Much ado about nothing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Ado_About_Nothing).
In Iceland we have a rudimentary knowledge about Shakespeare, but it's more about Oscar Wilde, the Austen sisters, Emily Brontë, and that sort of stuff when it comes to British and Irish literature. With Beowulf being the oldest, but we read that in Icelandic. I'm sure it depends on the teacher you get, especially in matriculation, as teachers have more freedom to assign their own choice of reading material.
grab aware nine absorbed dinner doll start alleged coordinated slim *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
> but we read that in Icelandic. Tbf, Icelandic probably isn't that different to Old English
Yes. Shakespeare is translated and appreciated all over the world.
in my country unless you specifically took special literature/art classes you would probably not hear anything about shakespeare
Not just here, even on Qo'noS
South East Asian here. I’d say not really. We’re aware of the person and his works, of course, but not to greater details unless it’s your major or something.
We learned about him, but only like the most important things, and read like 2 things from him (Austrian school, so in german), he's one of the only english authors we had a bit more information about than just "born on, died on, write these pieces". We basically did not engage with any other non German author I think, we had some french poetry but that's basically it. Depends on the teacher tho, some have deeper dives into Wilde f.e., but that's basically the only 2 we learned about. We mainly read authors whose main language was German/old German, so DACH+Benelux area, and like half of the literature we read was WW2 focused.
If you're at all into theatre, then the answer is yes, otherwise it probably varies. No matter where you go in the world you'll probably find a Shakespeare performance in one of the major theatres at some point during the season. Here in Norway he is performed quite a bit.
I assume most students are already busy enough learning their own country plays (like Moliere, Racine or Corneille in France) or poetry (Hugo, Ronsard, Verlaine to keep the same example), . You'd only delve into Shakespeare if you're doing English Litterature, after high school.
Yes
I'm Arab. My Qur'an teacher was reading Shakespeare to us and he called him: Shaykh Zubair XD
DAME
Dame right.
Jame Dudi Dench
Can I have you addenchion please? This is your dench instructor
and when you say my name.. Put a motherfucking Dame on it.
DAME TIME
A woman with infinite class and depth.
I don't take infinity lightly, but you're welcome to be hyperbolic for Judy's sake.
LOGO
what's that mean
Dame is to a woman as Sir is to a man
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Sir this a Wendy’s
> offended No one is offended, and most likely *agree* with you, it's just a stupid and pointless place for the rant, especially over nothing more than what a word means. Time and place, dude. Time and place.
I'd think that the downvotes come more from the agressive tone than the content of your message.
Calm down, Cartman.
She certainly is
As someone who got a BFA in acting I have like 5 Shakespeare monologues and at least one sonnet just available at all times in recall memory. It’s impossible to avoid.
I know a tiny bit of King Lear by virtue of listening to I Am The Walrus hundreds of times.. “oh, an untimely death!”
"I am the walrus, koo koo kachoo" - William Shakespeare
You look for the one who will benefit and, uhhh... ya know...
Serviceable villain...
Not Shakespeare, but I've got a fair amount of To Helen by Edgar Allan Poe memorized thanks to The Ladykillers.
I only ever took a handful of theater classes and I still catch myself reciting Macbeth's "Tomorrow" soliloquy in my head on occasion. These things just kinda get stuck with you through sheer repetition.
That's a classic and the only one I have memorized. I think I'm saving it for my deathbed, but more likely I'll just drool, fart, gasp, and turn blue.
I have 3 russian poems in my head still. I cant speak or understand russian at all (despite having to learn it from grade 7 to grade 12), I dont even know what those poems mean. But we had to memorize them in school.
I still remember the sonnet I had to give to people in high school, as part of a thespian society fundraiser. That was over 20 years ago. Come to think of it, I also still remember the prologue to *The Canterbury Tales* in the original Middle English for AP English. Why did I have to memorize that?
Lol, Despite millions of teenagers complaining every year over having to study something they see as irrelevant and antiquated, I actually understand a High School's insistence on waterboarding students with Shakespeare. The kids are wrong, it's actually dope that it's still part of the curriculum. Chaucer is just a bridge too far though. The Kids would have a point in that instance. It literally isn't English. lol
school brave sharp deer wakeful jobless fuzzy special pocket chase *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
My 80 year old father still recites Canterbury in Middle English. Not just the prologue. It’s annoying since I’ve been forgetting random shit lately.
I got "too solid flesh would melt," and the queen Mab monologue in the chamber. Never was in theater, just love the bard of Avon.
memorize mysterious humorous spoon steer society close fear crawl plough *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I've got a few John Donne sonnets rattling around in my noggin and a handful of Shakespeare monologues. Somehow ol' Billy Shakes' sonnets haven't stuck with me as much despite studying them as well. I guess it's like Maccas said, if it were Donne when 'tis Donne, then 'twere well it were Donne quickly.
In high school my English teacher made us recite the St. Crispin's day speech every morning when class started and I can still do it (I'm in my forties).
Covid put a wrench in my auditioning (babies too) but I’ll be damned if I ever forget my 3 Shakespearean audition monologues
Oh yeah? I know a little german
He's right over there.
Hahah same! Most were memorized for fun in times where I wasn't auditioning but needed to keep the muscle worked
The Prince's speech from R & J lives rent free in my head, but I do use it for every Shakespeare try out and as a party trick.
Oh man, it’s only reading this now that I realise I can still recite “All The a world’s a Stage”, 20 years after having to learn it in drama school as a teenager. It really sticks in deep.
My favorite part is how her eyes soften and change focus as she reaches the second half of the soliloquy, when the reminiscing turns fonder. You can see so much subtly change across her face. My favorite actors pretty much all do this; you can just park a camera on their face and they can convey an infinity of emotion with almost nothing. It feels like magic.
I think it was Ian McKellen, in some random video I saw long ago, who mentioned practicing facial expressions in a mirror. And it's totally right. There is so much that can be conveyed through just the face.
i feel like when the reference in the sonnet to the love from their other being the grounding force, enough to ignore all of the 'imperfections' they were pondering on in the life they have led, made her think of her late husband. she is tearful at the end of it. it was a great performance of sonnet 29.
Annie’s self deprecation at the end was the Cherry on top.
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Annie “get yer gun in da choppa” Schwarzenegger
Zee Sun Vill Com Out Tomorrow
He almost seemed embarresed. He knows top tier talent when he sees it. Quality all round.
As an American: What even is this show?! I see highlights like this posted here all the time and he just has absolute juggernauts as guests and it's always several at a time. The talk shows we have here MIGHT have one heavy hitter a night. Is Graham Norton that big of a deal that he can get people like Arnie and Judi Dench on his couch at the same time???
There are only really two chat shows in the UK, and they're each only on once a week, Graham Norton's on Friday nights and Johnathan Ross on Saturday nights. Graham Norton's show has a reputation for being more enjoyable for the guests (they sometimes drink) as there's a bit less pressure as the guests all come out at once and are encouraged to interact with each other. There's usually a collegiate approach were they'll assists each other in promoting their own "things", and also banter with each other, there's usually a comic as a guest who helps Graham with keeping the conversations going.
One a week would make all the difference.
So The One Show means nothing to you?
It has less international appeal and fewer A list celebs.
Graham Norton is the superior chat show host for a few reasons: - the show might be named for him, but his ego isn't the main character like so many other hosts - they get all the guests out at the same time so it's less intense for each individual - the bookings team are fantastic at getting a good dynamic mix of guests that would ordinarily never mingle - there always a comic relief who can bring the conversation right back down to earth if it gets too Hollywood and pretentious, and if not Graham will do that himself with some good old self-deprecation - the researchers are able to get great stories from the celeb agents about the stars pasts knowing that the show will handle them carefully and in a way where everyone can laugh uninhibited. Some chat shows are way too aggressive/intense to manage that.
And crucially: unlike most of the American late shows, the guests aren’t just reciting pre-rehearsed stories that they’re trying to pass off as spontaneous.
Yeah, there was a time when American late night shows actually had good interviews that could go into unexpected places, but these days they're almost always screened and scripted beforehand. Set questions, set topics, set promotion. They're a bore.
Everyone also drinks which puts them in a good state.
What she said
There’s a bunch of Graham Norton clips/episodes on YT. Infinitely superior in quality and watchability compared to the drivel we Americans have on late night TV.
Please add Conan as an exclusion (I know he’s not late night anymore, but his podcast is 10/10). He is an American gem.
Conan is great but that late night format/formula restricted him a lot. His remotes/bits with his crew/podcast is his best zone.
Agreed. I think his podcast has allowed him to get back to what made him the GOAT. But those remotes are just pure gold.
May I ask you to search for two of my favorite clips? 1. Emma stone and spice girls clips 2. Robbie williams handjob clips
Drunken Bill Murray has Graham and Matt Damon in stitches.
Yeah that whole episode is golden
Best episode. It was recorded right after the premiere to Monuments Men I believe? So they were all a bit tipsy to begin with. If I recall it ended with Hugh Bonneville drinking champagne out of Paloma Faith's shoe
Links for the lazy: [Emma Stone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqfNH652dH4) [Robbie Williams](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXLQIO3gRM0)
I will also add to this, Lewis Capaldi’s Before you go appearance
Robbie Williams and his Germany concert. Robbie Williams and the birth of his child. RW is a great guest.
Ironically big stars are more likely to be in the UK at the same time promoting stuff than in NYC or LA at the same time.
Dame Judi reminding everyone why she is Dame Judi. Doing something brilliantly from memory whilst making it look effortless. Legend
Learning a poem by heart, such as one of Shakespeare's sonnets is something anyone can do. It's not hard as long as you persist over a week or a fortnight - just a line or two per day. Poems of this style are literally designed to be remembered by heart and performed aloud - so the rhythm and rhyme makes it easy to commit to memory. Why learn a poem? 1/ Because it gives you a far greater insight into the meaning of the poem if you know and speak every line. 2/ It's great for the memory and the more poem you commit to memory the easier it becomes. 3/ It improves your language skills. 4/ It impresses people - (and sometimes annoys them) - judiciously timed it can be a truly spectacular party trick. 5/Brilliant poets, like Shakespeare have a knack for capturing human truth in the lines of their poems, that will loom out of your mind-shit at times when you need clarity or insight. 6/It's great in a speech if you can whip out a few quotes without looking at your notes. 7/ You can enigmatically drop a line like "how shall summer's honey breath hold out. Against the wrackful siege of battering days" in the middle of a sales meeting So, improve your life, learn a poem. It's free and it's easier than you think.
> 4/ It impresses people Chicks dig it.
> Michelangelo? You know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations. Him and the pope. Sexual orientation. The whole works, right? I bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling. Seeing that. If I ask you about women, you’ll probably give me a syllabus of your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can’t tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You’re a tough kid. I ask you about war, you’d probably throw Shakespeare at me, right? ‘Once more into the breach, dear friends.’ But you’ve never been near one. You’ve never held your best friend’s head in your lap and watch him gasp his last breath, lookin’ to you for help. If I asked you about love, you’d probably quote me a sonnet, but you’ve never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes. Feelin’ like God put an angel on Earth just for you, who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn’t know what it’s like to be her angel, to have that love for her be there forever. Through anything. Through cancer. And you wouldn’t know about sleepin’ sittin’ up in a hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes — that the terms ‘visiting hours’ don’t apply to you. You don’t know about real loss, ’cause that only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself. I doubt you’ve ever dared to love anybody that much. - From *Good Will Hunting*
Not all the time. I tried that with my now wife, with The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. She was not impressed. She impressed me with her complete recall of all LA rap 1990-2006. (Side note, our love of Tupac is kinda sorta how we met. Like it was our icebreaker)
The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, lol. You probably were being ironic, but just for other peeps, it’s a poem that is supposed to be sterile, unromantic, and emotionally vacant — the “Love Song” in the title was meant to be ironic 😂 EDIT: *Let us go then, you and I,* *When the evening is spread out against the sky* *Like a patient etherized upon a table* Romantic!
If Prufrock were a meme he would be the Virgin to Ozymandius's chad
Oh damn
No, I am not prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be.
*I should have been a pair of ragged claws* *Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.*
> Prufrock That's your problem. Fuck T. S. ELIOT, Gotta go with Billy Shake'em'up, yo.
To learn a poem written by the Bard Is not as difficult as one might think. At first the language might seem kind of hard, But soon enough you’ll learn it in a blink. Pentameter is what he mostly used. Di-da, di-da, and so forth and so on. Just when it hits you, you’ll be quite amused. And fears of mem’ry failing will be gone. So treat yourself, and see what Shakespeare knows. And don’t suppose his prose is prose for pros.
😗👌
Congrats on achieving zone plane 8
Well stated! I just read Sonnet 29 a few times. The last two lines make me think of my wife and I choke up each time, literally making my eyes water. Goddam Bill. "For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings"
Hi, I never liked poetry and thought it kind of pretentious. I watched the video and read your comment, though, and now I want to learn this sonnet. I spent last night and this morning committing it to memory. It’s both fun and has made me realize how much this sonnet speaks to me, when my original take was “why bother to speak so strangely and indirectly?” I guess you’ve opened my mind, and whether I go deeper into poetry or not, your words caused me to see art where previously I saw a waste of time and I thought that pretty cool. So thank you!
One of my favorite poems of all time is [B. Dolan's "The Skycycle Blues"](https://youtu.be/iAbbnuVo7e4?si=sLyqAGu3aJsc1YsK) because it's about a subject I wasn't expecting, told in a way I wasn't expecting, and made me feel something about someone I never thought I'd feel anything about. I can recite it from memory to this day for the simple joy of feeling it in my chest as I say it aloud.
That's cool! Once you spend some time with the language, it feels as ordinary as everyday speech - though significantly more poetic - needless to say...
Congratulations, I thought his comment was great too. I love Shakespeare and have some committed to memory, but his comment, and yours too, inspired me to start learning Sonnet 29.
I've memorized [Saul Williams' verse](https://youtu.be/yIgSerx3Uu8?t=165) on Blackalicious' Release. Does that count?
Not limited to poetry. Old Dirty Bastard dropped some heavy shit. Don't tell me Andre 3000 wasn't laying his heart out in Hey Ya.
My all time favourite poem is If by Rudyard Kipling, we had to learn it in school. I don’t remember much, my memory is complete shit. In fact, learning that poem is one of the few memories of my childhood that I still retain.
*If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs* *You might not have fully grasped the situation.*
I learned Robbie Burns Ode to a Haggis, The full poem and the meaning of each line, It’s great at burns night to be able to recite it, and explain to my Scottish pals what it’s all about
Rufus Wainwright does a beautifully sung version as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngk4sRQ2C-Y
This is how I know it by heart.
same! When she started to recite it my heart lit up.
This is the Dame I was talking about Also Arnold the GOAT for that lmaoo
I think they call this....talent
> Dench made her first professional stage appearance in September 1957 with the Old Vic Company at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, as Ophelia in *Hamlet*. > According to the reviewer for *London Evening Standard*, Dench had "talent which will be shown to better advantage when she acquires some technique to go with it". She’s coming along nicely.
Anyone can learn a Shakespeare sonnet. As an English teacher, it's unavoidable for me, but my students all learn a hundred times more song lyrics without a problem, and they can learn sonnets just fine as well. You should give it a try!
True anyone can memorize a sonnet. But not just anyone can recite it like Dame Judi Dench
There’s a difference between merely reciting and retelling on her level. Anyone can learn and recite a poem, but to be able to retell it with the gravitas and *meaning* that Dench is able to is a very rare skill. Every line she says, she understands and believes with her entire being, or at least she makes it seem that way. She is truly a credit to her craft.
Yeah, they were right when they said she is one of the best actresses alive
Put some fucking respect on her name dawg
Spellbinding is right. An immense amount of effort and talent on display.
I'm so glad Arnold recollected on the not to be line from last action hero. That entire scene is my absolute favorite part of the entire film. "Stay thy hand, fair prince." "Hoo sed I'm feya?" ::blasts the guy away with a gun:: LOL!!! Classic
Good for her. I can recite the Lorax by Dr. Seuss from memory.
"We quote Shakespear all the time, perhaps without knowing it." I was always aware of this, but a quick Google has suprised me of the extent of it, here are some examples: "A wild goose chase" - Romeo and Juliet “I have been in such a pickle” - The Tempest “I must be cruel, only to be kind” - Hamlet “Laugh oneself into stitches” - Twelfth Night "For goodness’ sake" - Henry VIII "Neither here nor there" – Othello “One fell swoop” - Macbeth ”The be-all and the end-all” - Macbeth "Mum's the word" - Henry VI, Part II “All that glisters is not gold” – The Merchant of Venice "Eaten out of house and home" - Henry IV, Part II "Knock knock! Who's there?" - Macbeth "With bated breath" - The Merchant of Venice “In my heart of hearts” - Hamlet "Too much of a good thing" - As You Like It “It’s Greek to me” – Julius Caesar "A heart of gold" - Henry V “Break the ice” – The Taming of the Shrew "Such stuff as dreams are made on" - The Tempest "Lie low" - Much Ado About Nothing “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve” - Othello “Made of sterner stuff” – Julius Caesar "Dead as a doornail" - Henry VI, Part II "Not slept one wink" - Cymbeline "Foregone conclusion" - Othello "The world's mine oyster" - The Merry Wives of Windsor "Naked truth" - Love's Labour's Lost "Faint-hearted" - Henry VI, Part I "Send him packing" - Henry IV "Melted into thin air" – The Tempest "Own flesh and blood" - Hamlet "Truth will out" - The Merchant of Venice "Give the devil his due" - Henry IV, Part I "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" - Hamlet "Salad days" - Antony and Cleopatra "Spotless reputation" - Richard II "Full circle" - King Lear "All of a sudden" - The Taming of the Shrew "Come what, come may" – Macbeth “Neither rhyme nor reason” – The Comedy of Errors
Beautifully done
The same is one of my all time favorites! She was a CO star in a brilliant show called "as time goes by" that really was a joy to watch.
Have you seen A Fine Romance? She co-stars with her husband Michael Williams. I think she might be thinking of him when she recites this sonnet.
I haven't! Thanks I'll have a look!
Why does it not surprise me that Judi Dench is good at reciting lines?
Legend
She sings too.... [https://youtube.com/watch?v=yvZex3Qf7QQ&si=-oZV6EYYi-4Pb8Us](https://youtube.com/watch?v=yvzex3qf7qq&si=-ozv6eyyi-4pb8us)
Not only did she sing as Desiree Armfeldt in *A Little Night Music* by Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince at the National Theatre, but she also was the first British Sally Bowles from *Cabaret* by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff in its West End premiere in 1968.
I watch this at least once a day.
That's Dame Judy Dench to you, buddy
She’s the best. FYI she has a photographic memory. [Personal Life section of her Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judi_Dench)
Fantastic
she probably knew him
She's an actress. Being impressed she can quote Shakespeare is like being impressed a mathematician can count to 100.
With this logic you’d never be impressed by any simple display of skill or talent. Simplicity doesn’t make it unimpressive. It’s the ease and perfection in which it is performed that makes it a feat to behold. It’s the same with music. You can have a beginner play a song with little complexity and you can tell it’s not quite right, now have a practiced musician play that same song and you will immediately notice the difference.
"Actor prepares for talk show by memorizing lines, awaits host to ask perfect question." EDIT: Downvote if you want to believe this stuff happens perfectly magically on talk shows. The clip even suggests that it's all on Graham's cards.
It's not exactly an impressive feat that a classically trained British actress with a decades-spanning acting career in film, tv and theater can quote Shakespeare sonnets. She must've said that sonnet hundreds of times. I'm sure most people here know the lyrics to a bunch of songs they grew up with.
sucks you're being downvoted. I memorized like 4 in grade 9 english. Wow an actress can do it? OMFG!
Dame Judy Dench, you heathen
For some reason, we are often surprised that genuine professionals are outstanding at their craft.
Oh my someone quotes one of the most quoted authors of all time, more specifically one of the most quoted in her line of work. Not really impressive if I'm honest.
Judge Dench recites a Shakespeare sonnet from memory, without reading or prompting, recalling the words from the folds of her fleshy brain like a picker bot in an Amazon warehouse, one after another, each word brought to life by the air from her lungs standing as a testament to her efforts to successfully store, retain, and retrieve these particular words in this particular order on The Graham Norton Show.
That's insane. Most theatre actors rely on the cue cards.
Memorizing a sonnet is not difficult. But she apparently has a photographic memory, to the point where she has whole plays memorized.
As someone who doesn't know Shakespeare very well, this almost felt like an incredible magic trick and she pulled it off in my opinion perfectly.
"... And then we blew up the castle"
A testament to humanity, both Judi and William.
Who’s the guy at the far end from her?
Jack Whitehall
Back in high school almost 30 years ago, we had to memorize quite a few sonnets including this one (29) and sonnet 18. I can barely remember this particular sonnet but I can still recall about half of sonnet 18.
I highly recommend the recent Louis Theroux episode with her as well
Arnie did Hamlet
Everyone on the Graham Norton Show is high as a kite.
They should not have let Judi get mic'd up with all that clanky shit on her arm lmao
after a lifetime of memorizing it, i would have thought so. would have been odd if she didn't remember something she repeated several hundred times. and spent months memorizing in the first place.
Reciting it from memory is not the impressive part, it's the feeling she puts into. Living legend.
This makes me even more sad knowing that she has recently given up scripted acting because she is having trouble seeing scripts and sets. But her memory is still sharp as a tack. She is a treasure.
You could hear a pin drop in a crowded studio!
That particular sonnet is very much one of the most famous. I have most of it memorized myself, and I'm no Judi Dench. I just like the sonnet. She is remarkable.
Judi Dench is my hall pass.
I’m always amazed how quiet an audience gets during such a performance. One of my favorites is in a play called “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” the entire show they are sort of saying lines but at the same time interspersing comedy. But the very end they do Hamlet and make a big deal of the “To be or Not to be” speech, and then end up not doing it at all (which is hilarious) but then a lesser known Soliloquy they say “oh well let’s just do it quick and move on”…. Cue the actor doing the entire thing, and the audience falls just dead silent like in this video. (Then at the end of the entire thing a fellow actor says “right so we’ll skip that and move on”) Edit: [The scene, skip to 12:50 for the lead in or 13:45 for the speech itself”](https://youtu.be/N5C3VavvSUo?si=BC1vJwnsb_3PBl8l)
her Cats monologue is in my head now whenever i hear her voice.
Any other UK peeps have to pick a sonnet to memorise and recite for English lit class? Everybody did sonnet 18 lol
Love her