This
spring I choose to take a Shakespeare course and as our final we had to choose
a passage from one of his plays to recite complete with costume. For my
presentation, I ended up choosing part of Helena's closing passage of act 1, scene 1
of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
We were given the option to interpret what we chose to recite in
any way we wanted and while originally I was going to
wear a dress with a much more traditional Grecian look to it, I decided I would go for a 1950's interpretation.
Because
my passage was
about love and Cupid was mentioned, I thought my Valentine's heart skirt and blouse from last year would be the perfect choice of
costume. It was quite nippy and knowing it'd be even more so by the time
I left, I dug out some red tights
I'd had for ages. I'd had them so long that it turned out they didn't
fit any more (how a pair of bright red tights stayed in the back of the
drawer for so long without me noticing, I don't know), so I ended up
cutting the top part off and wearing them as stockings. This was a
really good reminder that I should buy some colored tights because I
love the way they look!
To add to this, and as a way to incorporate the original Athenian aspect of the play, I also made myself a flower garland wreath for my hair.
I didn't remember to grab it for these photos, but in order to hide the paper with my lines on it (which was allowed) I ended up bringing a flat silver clutch and it worked just perfectly!
By the time I presented I was quite nervous and while I can't say I recited without a hitch, when I had to explain my choice of costume afterward I felt like I had made the perfect choice!
♥ ♥ ♥
This is magnificent!!! I love a A Midsummer's Night Dream so much! We read it in ninth grade and the teacher wanted to go around the room and have each student read parts of it aloud. For better or worse, most were not keen on the idea and/or struggled a bit with often archaic language, but having always adored reading aloud, I jumped at the chance to fill in there for as many of my peers as I could (ahhh, and now I miss reading aloud all of a sudden - I wonder if the pets want to hear any Shakespeare? :D),
ReplyDeleteBut enough about me! Your outfit is so charming and pretty. I adore the abundance of red and that super lovely skirt. What a perfect tribute to this most whimsical of the Bard's works.
Big hugs,
♥ Jessica
Haha, I hope your pets are more receptive than mine. Anytime I try to read anything aloud the dog starts barking at me. :p
DeleteThank you for your sweet thoughts on my outfit. I was one of the few people who dressed up (actually the only one to dress up on the night I went, since it was split between two days), so I felt a bit silly walking across campus and then sitting in a room filled with people wearing mostly jeans and t-shirts, but I think it was worth it. :)
Although I love literature and, yes Shakespear has without a doubt stood the test of time, never really understood his work. I know that sounds bad. I do love your look, it's so cute and really would be perfect for a Valentine themed party.
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