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Brutus and Other Heroines - Playing Shakespeare's Roles for Women by Harriet Walter
'A part we have played is like a person we once met, grew to know, became intimately enmeshed with and finally moved away from. Some of these characters remain friends, others are like ex-lovers with whom we no longer have anything in common. All of them bring something out in us that will never go back in the box.'
In a varied and distinguished career, Harriet Walter has played almost all of Shakespeare's heroines, notably Ophelia, Helena, Portia, Viola, Imogen, Lady Macbeth, Beatrice and Cleopatra, mostly for the Royal Shakespeare Company. But where, she asks, does an actress go after playing Cleopatra's magnificent death? Why didn't Shakespeare write more - and more powerful - roles for mature women?
For Walter, the solution was to ignore the dictates of centuries of tradition, and to begin playing the mature male characters. Her Brutus in an all-female Julius Caesar at the Donmar Warehouse was widely acclaimed, and was soon followed by Henry IV. What, she asks, can an actress bring to these roles - and is there any fundamental difference in the way they must be played?
In Brutus and Other Heroines, Walter discusses each of these roles - both male and female - from the inside, explaining the particular choices she made in preparing and performing each character. Her extraordinarily perceptive and intimate accounts illuminate each play as a whole, offering a treasure trove of valuable insights for theatregoers, scholars and anyone interested in how the plays work on stage. Aspiring actors, too, will discover the many possibilities open to them in playing these magnificent roles.
The book is an exploration of the Shakespearean canon through the eyes of a self-identified 'feminist actor' - but, above all, a remarkable account of an acting career unconstrained by tradition or expectations. It concludes with an affectionate rebuke to her beloved Will: 'I cannot imagine a world without you. I just wish you had put more women at the centre of your world/stage... I would love you to come back and do some rewrites.'
Every purchase you make supports the work of Shakespeare's Globe. Thank you!
Detail
Author: Harriet Walter
Format: Paperback
Pages: 224
- 80% cotton, 20% polyester
- Standard fit
- Long sleeve
- Crew neck
- Printed in the UK
We aim to deliver sweatshirts within:
UK – 1-5 business days
Europe – 1-2 weeks
Rest of world – 1-3 weeks
Please note:Print to order sweatshirts are dispatched separately to the rest of your order. This means that if you order these items alongside other shop products, they won’t all arrive together, and you’ll get several deliveries.
Manufacturer contact information
Nick Hern Books
Nick Hern Books Ltd, The Glasshouse, 49a Goldhawk Road, London W12 8QP
EU Authorised Representative Information
Easy Access System Europe
Mustamäe tee 50, 10621 Tallinn, Estonia
Nick Hern Books is committed to publishing in the most environmentally sustainable way possible to us.
Our books are printed, wherever possible, on paper accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Many of our titles are printed by companies who offset the carbon emissions generated by their production processes, and/or whose electricity uses 100% renewable resources.
'A part we have played is like a person we once met, grew to know, became intimately enmeshed with and finally moved away from. Some of these characters remain friends, others are like ex-lovers with whom we no longer have anything in common. All of them bring something out in us that will never go back in the box.'
In a varied and distinguished career, Harriet Walter has played almost all of Shakespeare's heroines, notably Ophelia, Helena, Portia, Viola, Imogen, Lady Macbeth, Beatrice and Cleopatra, mostly for the Royal Shakespeare Company. But where, she asks, does an actress go after playing Cleopatra's magnificent death? Why didn't Shakespeare write more - and more powerful - roles for mature women?
For Walter, the solution was to ignore the dictates of centuries of tradition, and to begin playing the mature male characters. Her Brutus in an all-female Julius Caesar at the Donmar Warehouse was widely acclaimed, and was soon followed by Henry IV. What, she asks, can an actress bring to these roles - and is there any fundamental difference in the way they must be played?
In Brutus and Other Heroines, Walter discusses each of these roles - both male and female - from the inside, explaining the particular choices she made in preparing and performing each character. Her extraordinarily perceptive and intimate accounts illuminate each play as a whole, offering a treasure trove of valuable insights for theatregoers, scholars and anyone interested in how the plays work on stage. Aspiring actors, too, will discover the many possibilities open to them in playing these magnificent roles.
The book is an exploration of the Shakespearean canon through the eyes of a self-identified 'feminist actor' - but, above all, a remarkable account of an acting career unconstrained by tradition or expectations. It concludes with an affectionate rebuke to her beloved Will: 'I cannot imagine a world without you. I just wish you had put more women at the centre of your world/stage... I would love you to come back and do some rewrites.'
Every purchase you make supports the work of Shakespeare's Globe. Thank you!
Detail
Author: Harriet Walter
Format: Paperback
Pages: 224
- 80% cotton, 20% polyester
- Standard fit
- Long sleeve
- Crew neck
- Printed in the UK
We aim to deliver sweatshirts within:
UK – 1-5 business days
Europe – 1-2 weeks
Rest of world – 1-3 weeks
Please note:Print to order sweatshirts are dispatched separately to the rest of your order. This means that if you order these items alongside other shop products, they won’t all arrive together, and you’ll get several deliveries.
Manufacturer contact information
Nick Hern Books
Nick Hern Books Ltd, The Glasshouse, 49a Goldhawk Road, London W12 8QP
EU Authorised Representative Information
Easy Access System Europe
Mustamäe tee 50, 10621 Tallinn, Estonia
Nick Hern Books is committed to publishing in the most environmentally sustainable way possible to us.
Our books are printed, wherever possible, on paper accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Many of our titles are printed by companies who offset the carbon emissions generated by their production processes, and/or whose electricity uses 100% renewable resources.
