“The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not mov’d with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.”
The Merchant Of Venice, Lorenzo (V, i, 83-85)
I’m planning to show the importance of music in relation to reading Shakespeare. I’ve always found it strange to read a Shakespeare play; I much prefer to see them performed. I was watching a production of Othello when I began to wonder ‘how important is music to a play?’ I began thinking of the different impacts music from different time periods will have on a play; so this is where the idea for my project came from. I hope to explore the relationship between the music of the period and the writings of Shakespeare and how it may have influenced his writings. To hear some music that Shakespeare would have heard click here. Perhaps look at the themes that were occurring in music and explore whether or not they may have had an impact on Shakespeare. I also wish to look at how the meaning of Shakespeare can be distorted by juxtaposing the text with modern music. I hope it will turn out to be an interesting project!
I am a third year student studying music and english, for my project I decided to combine by two passions, hopefully it will all go to plan!! Feel free to leave a comment or suggestion!
Leahtopia 