why? which? or what?—and are properly used before names, dates, or other words or phrases to which you desire to call special attention. They demand either a slight suspense, or pivoting on the word preceding that requiring emphasis. Pauses must be used with common sense and good taste.

Particles, conjunctions, and prepositions are passed by without emphasis unless they imply a distinct relationship between what precedes and what is to follow. It requires as much intelligence and art to slight words as to emphasize them.

Q. Apply these technical points to Hamlet's speech.

A. "Speak the speech, I pray you [the last three words are parenthetical. The listener asks, How?], as I pronounced it to you [How did you pronounce them ?], trippingly on the tongue : but if you mouth it [Here what follows "but " does not relate to what precedes, and the word "but" is therefore to be slighted, the voice hurrying on to "mouth it," the important words], as many of your players do [a parenthetical phrase], I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. Nor [to be slighted] do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, but use all [How?] gently; for [slighted] in the very torrent

66

[not "tawrunt"], tempest [not "tempust"], and, as I may say [last four words parenthetical], whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance [not " temperunce"] that may give it [what?] smoothness. [Thereupon, owing to a disgust seizing Hamlet, the normal voice is temporarily suspended for what may be called a "heart tone."] O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious [pronounced "robustyus"] periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable [properly accented on the syllable ex] dumb-shows and noise: I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant; it outherods Herod: pray you, avoid it. [Note the rational protest against extravagance of speech and action. Then follows a return to the normal voice.]

"Be not too tame, neither, but let your own discretion [good taste, judgment] be your tutor [not "tooter"]: suit [not "soote"] the action to the word [not "wurred"], the word to the action; with this special observance [not "obsurvunce"], that you o'erstep not the modesty [avoid undue emphasis on this last word] of nature [not "nacher" nor "nate-your "]: for anything so overdone

is from the purpose of playing [emphasize "playing" but not "purpose"], whose end, both at the first and now [use sustained tone on this last word; that is, employ neither an upward nor a downward slide], was and is [emphasize "is"] to hold, as 't were [last phrase parenthetical], the mirror up to nature; to show virtue [not "virchoo"] her own feature, scorn her own image [not "immidge," the a is long and partially stressed], and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. Now this overdone, or come tardy off, though it make the unskilful— laugh, cannot but make the judicious-grieve [note the contrast, to be variously emphasized, between "unskilful" and judicious," between "laugh" and "grieve"]; the censure of the which one [Who? The judicious person] must in your allowance [the last three words parenthetical] o'erweigh a whole theatre of others. [Again Hamlet takes up his tone of disgust in all that follows.] O, there be players that I have seen play, and heard others praise, and that [here a pause, to express incredulity. How?] highly, not to speak it profanely [last five words are parenthetical, referring to what ensues], that neither having the accent of Christians, nor the gait of Christian, pagan, nor man [the words "accent," "gait," and "man"

66

are emphatic], have so strutted, and bellowed, that I have thought some of nature's journeymen [those who have not attained mastership in their art] had made men, and not made them well [why? Because] they imitated humanity [how ?] so abominably."

Close interpretation demands that you find out the meaning of words used in older and obsolete senses, as "pressure," and all the words and phrases that you do not understand, like "Termagant" and "out-herods Herod." In this speech we find "form" and "pressure" meaning consistency with a given time. For example, if you are staging a play of the colonial period, the scenery, costumes, speech, and action, everything that relates to the play, must be true to that period. Again, in the words "Termagant" and "out-herods Herod": "Termagant" a wellknown character in the mystery plays, was made out a violent tyrant and a fabled Moslem god, so it is possible to overdo even an outrageous tyrant - to out-herod Herod. Herod, too, was a bloodthirsty and violent tyrant; do not rival him.

PLATFORM MANNERS

Question. In what capacity may I appear on a platform to command an audience?

Answer. As lecturer, reader, reciter, orator, actor, or singer.

Q. What are the important elements of a good appearance?

A. Mental and physical poise, facial expression, dress, manner of taking the stage-including walk and manner of greeting your audience, the placing and handling of your manuscript, book, or music, when used, the engaging and holding attention: in short, the taking and keeping command. An audience prefers to be dominated, to be subordinated to the purpose for which it is gathered.

Q. What is the ordinary attitude of an audience?

A. It is eager, curious, and full of anticipation. Q. What is your duty?

A. Not to disappoint your audience. Give more pleasure than has been looked forward to, create an instantaneous impression of desiring