Donate
The power of Shakespeare’s language

Long-read

The power of Shakespeare’s language

Fiona Shaw

Topics Books Long-reads

Want to read spiked ad-free? Become a spiked supporter.

From playing Celia in As You Like It to a famously gender-bending turn as Richard II, actress and director Fiona Shaw has long breathed life into some of Shakespeare’s most famous creations. But what is it like to speak those lines? How important is the rhythm of the language? And how reverent ought we to be towards his plays? Ella Whelan decided to find out…

Fiona Shaw is an actress and theatre and opera director. She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress for Electra (1990) and Machinal (1994). She played Kate in The Taming of the Shrew(1987) and Richard in Richard II (1995). And she played Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films and Marnie Stonebrook in True Blood.

To enquire about republishing spiked’s content, a right to reply or to request a correction, please contact the managing editor, Viv Regan.

Topics Books Long-reads

Comments

Want to join the conversation?

Only spiked supporters and patrons, who donate regularly to us, can comment on our articles.

Join today