Othello

Act 3 Sc iii

This scene is important because it is the first time that Iago begins to insinuate Desdemona’s possible infidelity to Othello. Othello does not want to believe Iago but he starts to because he thinks Iago is a true friend. Note how Iago never actually accuses Desdemona of being unfaithful but uses suggestion to stir Othello’s jealous imagination. Iago is doing this because he is angry that Othello has favoured Cassio for promotion in the Venetian army.

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Othello, Act 3 Sc iii

Act 5 Sc ii

Othello, driven mad with jealousy, suffocates Desdemona in her bed. This is one of the most tragic scenes in all of Shakespeare and it captures the essence of the idea of a ‘tragic hero’. By his words and actions, we can tell that Othello still loves Desdemona but he kills her because his jealousy has led him to believe that she is being unfaithful to him. His jealousy is his tragic flaw. His jealousy has blinded him to the lies that he has been told by Iago so he cannot believe Desdemona when she says she has not been unfaithful.

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Othello, Act 5 Sc ii

Romeo and Juliet

Act 2 Sc ii

This is the famous ‘balcony scene’. Romeo has met Juliet at the Capulet party and has bravely climbed into the Capulet orchard to try to speak to her. In the scene Shakespeare has given us a wonderful example of two young people falling in love with each other. Juliet is flattered by Romeo’s bravery but is also trying not to give her love away too easily. Romeo is overwhelmed by her beauty and is desperate to spend more time with her. Notice how both characters are very aware of the danger that being together puts them in but are almost powerless to stop their love because it is so strong.

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Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Sc ii

Act 3 Sc i

The scene opens with Benvolio and Mercutio (two of Romeos friends) walking in the streets of Verona. They tease each other about how much both of them enjoy getting into fights. Shakespeare uses this dialogue to create tension and prepare us for the fights that are about to happen. When Tybalt arrives the tension increases and Mercutio mocks Tybalt to try to get him into a fight. When Romeo arrives we think that they will fight but Shakespeare cleverly delays this by having Romeo back down and it is Mercutio who fights. Notice how it is because of Romeo interfering that his friend Mercutio is stabbed and killed by Tybalt. This sets up Romeo to be angry enough to get into the fight with Tybalt and then kill him. It is Tybalt’s death that sets Romeo’s banishment and the rest of the play in motion.

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Romeo and Juliet, Act 3 Sc i

Prologue 1

A prologue is a spoken introduction that playwrights use to prepare the audience for what they are about to see. Notice how in the prologue Shakespeare gives us the basic story and lets us know a little bit about what emotions we can expect. Some plays have a prologue only at the beginning of the play while others also have prologues at the start of different acts in the play.

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Romeo and Juliet, Prologue 1

Prologue 2

Shakespeare uses this prologue to take us further into the story of Romeo and Juliet. Notice how the mood of the prologue has changed from the first one. This second prologue is more ‘dangerous’ and the audience is further prepared for the tragedy that is about to unfold.

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Romeo and Juliet, Prologue 2

Epilogue

This is the last speech of the play and as such can be regarded as a type of epilogue. An epilogue is a speech at the end of a play that sums up what has happened and usually tries to capture the mood and feelings that the playwright thinks the audience should be feeling. Sometimes an epilogue can include a moral or lesson for the audience to take away with them.

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Romeo and Juliet, Epilogue

City Johannesburg by Mongane Wally Serote

Wally Serote is perhaps South Africa’s most highly regarded poet of the last 100 years. This poem is typical of the strongest theme in his work; life under to the oppressions of apartheid and the human response to that oppression. Note how the poem is lyrical in nature (i.e. it is like a song or a tribute addressed to the city). Notice also that the poem is strongly ironic in contrasting the lyrical form with the stark images of the city in which the author has to work. Serote gives the city human and machine properties to make it seem both more real and more dangerous.
City Johannesburg is recorded by kind permission of Dr Mongane Wally Serote.

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City Johannesburg

If you don’t stay bitter by Charles Mungoshi

Charles Mungoshi is one of Zimbabwe’s most well known and respected authors. He is mostly published as a novelist and short story writer but his poetry is also highly regarded. This poem is a good example of his skill as a poet in creating social commentary from observations based in the reality he sees around him. It also is a good demonstration of Mungoshi’s examination of the relationship between the young and older generations.

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If you don\’t stay bitter…

i thank you god for most… by ee cummings

ee cummings was one of the most radical poets of the 20th century. He had a very strong education and came from a free thinking religious background. He had a revolutionary interpretation of how poetry could be structured. He was closely allied to what is called the post-modern movement of art and creativity. As he grew older his poems reflected an increasing celebration of God, although his vision of God was not necessarily in the formal Christian tradition. This poem is a good example of both his ability to write in unconventional forms and his celebration of God as a powerful creator.

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i thank you god for most…

My parents kept me by Stephen Spender

Stephen Spender is an English poet who became well known in the 1930’s. He was part of a group of poets sometimes called ‘The Oxford Poets’. This group had all been to Oxford University and wrote poetry in a similar way and with similar concerns. Notice how this poem deals with very real images; the ragged clothes of the boys, the sound of their mocking laughter etc. The Oxford Poets were concerned with paying close attention to reality as they saw it. The poem also deals with the class difference between the poor and the more wealthy. This was also one of the main concerns of The Oxford Poets.

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My parents kept me…

My name by Magoleng wa Selepe

In this poem the author cleverly uses the one act of someone registering for her identity document to express outrage at the indifference of the whole apartheid system. Notice how the poem has very strong tones of language running through it; anger, outrage, pride, frustration etc. The author uses these strong tones to make us as readers and listeners respond emotionally to the poem. The author is asking us to put ourselves in Nomgqibelo’s place and to share her emotions.

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My name.

An Abandoned Bundle by Mbuyeseni Oswald Mtshali

Mbuyeseni Oswald Mtshali broke new ground for South African poets in the 1970’s. His writing opened the door to what became known as Soweto poetry. His poetry and those that followed it was strongly tied to the black consciousness movement in South Africa. He is renowned for the sharp visual images that he has in his poems and for his ability to stimulate all the readers senses (sight, smell, sound etc.) through his words. He also used these images in sharp contrast to each other to highlight the strong social issues that he saw around him. Notice the irony of the image of the ‘innocent’ mother contrasted with the dogs eating the baby.

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An Abandoned Bundle

Short Story

The Toilet by Gcina Mhlope

Gcina Mhlope is one of South Africa’s most respected storytellers and performers. Her short story ‘The Toilet’ is one of her better known works and tells the story of a young girl, Ms. Mhlope herself, who finds safety and freedom hiding in a public toilet. It is a story that highlights the absurdity of apartheid but, perhaps more importantly, it is also a story about how a young girl finds her independence and creativity through difficult conditions. These recordings are read by Gcina Mhlope herself and includes some valuable commentary from her about how and why she wrote this story.

The story is broken into three parts for quicker access.

Part 1:

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The Toilet, Part 1

Part 2:

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The Toilet, Part 2

Part 3:

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The Toilet, Part 3

John Kani is one of South Africa’s greatest actors and Shakespearean exponents. Amongst many other achievements, he was the first black actor to perform Othello on a South African stage. He spoke to Dramatic Voices about:

• Why Shakespeare is relevant to South Africans in the early 21st century

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John Kani 1

• Understanding Shakespeare’s language and learning to love it

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John Kani 2

Nick Pauling is representative of the talented younger generation of South African actors. He has performed to great acclaim both here and abroad. He spoke to Dramatic Voices about:

• Shakespearean language and human emotion

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Nick Pauling 1

If you would like to download the audio to burn to a CD or to listen at your computer later, visit The Free Download Library.

We are testing this material. We would love to hear any comments you might have about the Dramatic Voices concept. Did you find the extracts useful? What did you use them for? Were they easy to access? Tell us in the comments box at the bottom of the page.