Monologue Monday - Henry V by William Shakespeare

For this edition of Monologue Monday, I'm doing an easy one. One that I don't have to think much about. As it is, I'm still at home and recovering from Christmas. I think we'll probably have more on that in the next post, since I've been thinking a lot about New Year's Resolutions. For the record, write more on my blog is not one. I tend to get very reflective around this time of year, as, I imagine, others do, and I'm looking forward to unpacking the soul searching I've been doing over the last week.

But, until then, here's Williams from Henry V by William Shakespeare. He's my favorite part in the entire play, no joke. It was one of my monologues from UPTA last year, and I'm sure I'll have it bouncing around in my head, but it isn't going to be what I show people. For that, I've got a couple of choices. All of which, I'm sure you folks will become familiar with.

But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath
a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and
arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join
together at the latter day and cry all 'We died at
such a place; some swearing, some crying for a
surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind
them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their
children rawly left. I am afeard there are few die
well that die in a battle; for how can they
charitably dispose of any thing, when blood is their
argument? Now, if these men do not die well, it
will be a black matter for the king that led them to
it; whom to disobey were against all proportion of
subjection.

See you on the other side.

Monologue Monday* - Hurrah at Last by Richard Greenberg

* From now on...I'll try to do these on a Monday. I just couldn't turn down the alliteration.

I've made a vow with fellow actor, Dennis Frymire to post a monologue that I like once every two weeks. Granted, these will probably tend toward monologues that I could do, but who KNOWS what will show up here. Maybe I'll be able to dig up 24 monologues that I like, maybe not. At the very least, it'll give me some food for though and hopefully expand my repertoire as I see what Dennis puts up there.

Also, naturally, if you like the monologue, I strongly encourage you to hunt down the play. The more stuff like this is seen and passed around, the better it is for all involved. And, I feel weird saying this, but if you happen to be a copyright holder for any material I use on here and you take offense, just let me know and I'll take it down. Weird.

The first one I'm going to use is from a play I recently discovered, called Hurrah at Last by Richard Greenberg. In this, Oliver (a playwright and occasional screen writer) is telling his friend, Laurie (a novelist) why it is going to be difficult to adapt his novel for the screen.

Oh darling - of course there's nothing wrong with the way you write. For a leisurely paced chronicle of rumination your style can't be beat. It's just that...well...your book is like the novels those English ladies write- where two hundred pages later they've poured the tea. I mean, it's virtually adaptable. You see, it comes down to the differences between the media. You've got Theatre, where I toil, which is totally irrelevant. Then you've got novels, which you do so magnificently, which are totally irrelevant as well as completely archaic. Then there are movies which, for the time being, people are still going to and, therefore, unlike those other media have to have some vitality. And I'm thinking that if I can just trump up a really strong opening shot, it'll trick people into thinking something is going to happen in the story. Which, of course, it does not.

I'm going to try and keep it around the minute / minute and a half line. If anyone else wants to join in, help yourself! I'd love to see your monologues on Monologue Monday, which won't always be on a Friday!