An Actor's Guide to "O what a noble mind is here o'erthrown" | Ophelia monologue

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Breaking down the meanings, context and acting choices for Ophelia's ”O what a noble mind is here o'erthrown" monologue from Act 3 Scene 1 of Hamlet.
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[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Actors! I just did a coaching session with an actor working on this monologue and I've shared it on KZbin. We focused on how to connect quickly to those big emotions , and do it safely, without having to access trauma. If you're working on this monologue for an audition, please check out this video. Make sure you join in with the exercises! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKusdJtni652msU

[@Dinoafied]

13:19 is the reading for anyone trying to memorize the lines ❤

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Friends, it's fine to listen to the reading but please make sure you don't copy how I do it! It will just come out fake if you copy another actor's way of doing it. You need to find your own way. Watch this video for some acting exercises to help you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKusdJtni652msU

[@selin_tanriverdi]

Your ability to understand and analyze this text is so outstanding. Thank you!

[@reneerussell1614]

You show a lot of emotion while acting. It seems natural which works in any actor's benefit. I love your classical work and can't to see more from you.

[@pmattapoisett]

Oh, but it is real and you made it such! Brava

[@fionatorresmoino]

Hi Sarah, this was really helpful. You helped me understand this monologue very deeply for my audition and now I feel like I understand Ophelia a lot much so thank you very much!!!!

[@martinaghidossi2415]

This is suuuuper helpful! Thank you!

[@supermeow970]

My audition is on Monday, thank you so much for this! You are a naturally excellent actress by the way :)

[@goodlookinouthomie1757]

WS certainly had a knack for writing heartbreakingly innocent characters, particularly female ones, who meet a tragic end in the chaos created by the disfunction around them.

[@haley_guzman]

This is sooo helpful. I love all of your videos!!! You are my Shakespeare inspo!!!!♥️♥️♥️♥️🥹🥹🥹🥹♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️👏👏👏

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Awww I love this, thank you so much Haley 🥰

[@TedMattison]

Hi Sarah, this is a really great video and very helpful! I'm an actor and an acting teacher in LA and while I have worked on Hamlet's speeches and scenes a lot...I've not had the chance to really dig in on Ophelia and her journey and her speeches. I have someone working on this scene now and have forwarded this to her. This is really thorough look at this critical scene from Ophelia's point of view. Thank you!

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

I'm glad it was helpful, thank you for forwarding it on! I find Ophelia is a tricky character for a lot of actors, as you have to be brave enough to look into the silences and make choices.

Thank you so much

[@japneetkaur321]

Hello! Your videos are so helpful with audition preparations! Please can you do a self tape and breakdown on Beatrice' monologue from Much Ado About Nothing act 4-scene 1 (Kill Claudio) :)

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Hmmm... I can, but it's not in verse. Do you need a verse/blank verse monologue for your audition?

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Hi all, thanks for watching! I have a breakdown for Ophelia's other monologue, "O my lord, I have been so affrighted" here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpO7c6Cfjb2Medk In that video I go into more detail about her character and give suggestions for how to prep.

[@ellamei9456]

Hello! Great video! Could you possibly do Luciana’s monologue from Comedy of Errors please?

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Oooh yes, I'll try to do that as soon as I can. Might be a few weeks though because I get lots of requests this time of year!

[@selin_tanriverdi]

Can you also do a video for two person plays like the scene right before this??

[@michellelee9293]

Hello! thank you so much for this video! Just wondering, is this a “verse” monologue?

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Sure is! I have a video explaining how you can spot verse monologues too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3yyf3p7r86Yb9U

[@Geraltofrivia1012]

Can you pretty please make it for the line that she says where is the ‘Denmarks queen’ seen?

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Do you mean her mad scene before she dies?

[@SageGarlandSingerSongwriter]

You said "scholar's" before "soldier's" even if you have it written the other way and many version on the internet have it written the other way. I'm now wondering what the order is supposed to be.

[@izzydeschamps5051]

I believe “scholar’s, soldier’s” is correct, as Ophelia next says “eye, tongue, sword” referring to the courtier’s eye, scholar’s tongue and soldier’s sword, in that order.

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Hey Jen, there are many different versions. It will depend on the edition. I think I was reading from my Arden edition and when I created the graphics I would have used an online edition. Neither are right or wrong as such, as editors have argued for years about which way it is "supposed" to be! As Izzy said in her reply, I prefer the "scholar's, soldier's" order because it corresponds to the "eye, tongue, sword".

[@SageGarlandSingerSongwriter]

@@ShakespearewithSarah Okay, thank you for clearing things up :)