Shakespeare

Synonyms:
Olde English Scene

Introduction:
The following scene will be carried out as if William Shakespeare had written it.

Description:
There are improv troupes out there that do nothing but Shakespeare scenes. It is a mainstay of the artform. What does one have to do to make their scene a Shakespeare scene? The most obvious one is to change the way that one talks. A British accent helps. The use of words associated with Shakespeare's age also helps. It doesn't really matter whether they are used correctly or not. This kills the scholars in the audience, but hopefully they will be behind you like most of the audience is. Verily, alas, alack, anon, a plethora of thats, ohs, fores and forsooths. There are also grammatical alterations that lend to the genre. "Fore the skills to describe those here I do lack." The relationships are usually familial and bitter. The stories usually involve intrigue, betrayal, quests, or revenge. There are lots of licenses to advance the plot. Soliloquies, witches and prophesies are all part of the genre. Shakespeare is really just a genre like any other. (Science fiction, film noire, detective, love story, etc.) It has earned its own little blerb because it is such a mainstay of the improv scene.

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