The eNotes Blog Shakespeare in His Time New Audio Guides for AuthenticPronunciation

Shakespeare in His Time New Audio Guides for AuthenticPronunciation Might the actors who comprised Lord Chamberlains Men have sounded more like Americans from the East Coast? That is the conclusion that Sir Trevor Nunn, former director of the Royal Shakespeare Theater, has come to, after working closely with the actor Kevin Spacey. However, the renowned Shakespeare scholar  John Barton, contends that the speech was likely a blend of both English and Irish accents. And some historians complain that the accent isnt as much of a problem as the pacing, which, they argue, is too slow in modern productions. In the past, you would have to attend a play in which the actors were truly trying to offer a real rendition of Shakespearean speech. But   now the British Library has taken the advice of those who have studied how to render authentic sixteenth century English dialect. Several audio versions have been released. Listen and judge for yourself: Extract from Romeo and Juliet:   Or, perhaps youre in the mood for a sonnet? Heres Sonnet 116: And here is another excerpt from  Macbeth: Ben Crystal, a British actor who has long advocated for making Shakespeare accessible, curated the ambitious project. For the first time in centuries, he explains, we have 75 recorded minutes of sonnets, speeches and scenes recorded as we hope Shakespeare heard them. It is, in short, Shakespeare as youve never heard him before. â€Å"The modern presentation of Shakespeares plays and poems in period pronunciation has already attracted a wide following, despite the fact that hardly any recordings have been publicly available, he said. For more information on the project, click here.