April 24, 2026
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
In my undergraduate coursework, I took a class on Shakespeare’s tragedies. We read Romeo and Juliet first. I will never forget my second day in that class because it was mortifying. The professor, a white-haired theatrical visiting professor from England, was only interested in how we could read Shakespeare out loud. On our second day in class, he asked me to stand up and recite a couple of Juliet’s lines. Others were asked to do the same thing, so I shouldn’t have been so ashamed or afraid. But what really unnerved me was that I actually didn’t know how to read them aloud. I didn’t know how to deliver lines. I couldn’t decide on the single right way to say, for example: “It is an honor that I dream not of.”
When I stumbled on this line, the professor asked me if I understood the scene. “Yes,” I replied, turning red. “Then what emotion does she convey with this line?” he asked. And I replied quietly and ashamed: “I don’t really know,” because in truth, I really didn’t know. I had ideas, thoughts, questions, possibilities…but no real decisive answer. The professor moved on, thank goodness. But I’ll never forget that line or that scene or the many, many times that I have practiced it since. Funny thing is, I still don’t know exactly how to speak it. It all depends on how you read Juliet. Is she haughty? Is she being demure? Is she sincere? Maybe she’s annoyed at the conversation. Or, quite possibly, she is lying.
Instead of being nervous, I wish I had begun a conversation about how many different ways this line could be read. It’s fun to imagine a variety of Juliets. Of course, there are clues as to her character. There are wrong answers about how to read the line. But Shakespeare grants a lot of flexibility. I used to prefer a day-dreaming Juliet, the absent-minded teenager. This Juliet dreamt of love, but not marriage. She felt passion, but was not keen on the duties imposed by parents or status. This Juliet disliked her parents’ relationship and wanted something akin to true love for herself. This Juliet knew nothing of politics or money and didn’t court either. She wanted love, not a contract.
Of course, Juliet’s mother is thinking of all of the other things: the contracts, wealth, stability, reputation, etc. In fact, she might be thinking of everything but her daughter in this scene. The Nurse gives us wonderful clues about Juliet too. As Juliet’s mother rambles, almost daydreaming of Paris herself, the Nurse implies that she has mostly raised Juliet. The Nurse also belittles Paris, calling him a flower and a man of wax. So, if the Nurse, who knows more about taking care of Juliet than Juliet’s birth mother does, doesn’t care for the potential marriage, then maybe neither does Juliet.
Shakespeare builds each character through dialogue. The reader must compile clues. But, being a play, the reader might also bring a bit of themselves to the reading. As I have since learned, the plays are infinitely more fun when spoken aloud, trying on different personalities like clothes. After my twins were born, I read a number of plays to them in cribs and rockers. Hopefully they aren’t scarred for life, but in front of this small audience, I practiced with a whispering Hamlet, a rotten Richard III, a weepy Richard II, an astonished King Leontes, and more. This helped the characters come alive.
Now I, too, always encourage readers to say Shakespeare’s scenes out loud. I also advise them to try scenes in a variety of emotions or tones. Maybe there isn’t a single answer for many of these lines. Humans are complex. And Shakespeare’s characters perfectly reflect this complexity.
Photo credit: Shutterstock/ Viktoriia Hnatiuk
