Sonnet Recitation!

1. Sonnet Recitation! Performances are Tuesday!

2. The Assignment • Explicate (translate) and Summarize the ENTIRE charted sonnet. It should be messy but easy for me to read as well. Write the summary on the BACK of your charted sonnet. Make sure to identify the VOLTA in the translation AND mention it in the summary. This is part 1 of your grade. • Choose a quatrain (1-4; 5-8; or 9-12) to Memorize and Interpret. • Don’t just recite the lines; perform them. What gestures, facial expressions and inflection can you use to create meaning in your recitation? This is part 2 of your grade. • As a group, practice, interpret and recite the couplet! For a better edge, Memorize these lines, too.

3. Rubric An EXEMPLARY Recitation… Meets ALL the requirements of PROFICIENT in addition to: • Explication goes beyond the obvious and digs deeper into the sonnet’s meaning and tone. • Performance goes beyond memorization and basic interpretation, showing clear mastery of prosody and interpretation. A PROFICIENT and ACCURATE Recitation… • Explicates the sonnet for understanding and for diction/syntax meaning and the tone suggested by the language. • Recites their quatrain of the sonnet so that it demonstrates the sonnet’s meaning and Shakespeare’s tone. • Memorizes individual quatrain for recitation AND speaks with appropriate affect and interpretation. A BASIC Recitation… • Meets all the PROFICIENT requirements at a BASIC level – OR – inconsistently. A LIMITED Recitation • Shows little to no understanding of the sonnet’s meaning or the importance of Shakespeare’s diction and syntax.

4. Tips for a stellar explication • Try to replace as many words as possible. What is a better and more understandable substitution for the word already there? Your choice will show you understand the language. • Make sure that the translation is parallel. It should make sense grammatically when you read it out loud. That includes using the correct punctuation, too. • Untangle convoluted sentences from the original. Shakespeare likes to talk like Yoda and inverts a lot of his phrases and sentences. When appropriate and where it will help create better understanding, write the translation in a more modern way. • Pay attention to figurative language. Don’t write “the eye of heaven” in the translation. What IS the “eye of heaven.” Make the figurative literal. Your translation should not be poetic sounding. Take the makeup off Shakespeare’s language. • In some cases, your translation should be a little longer than the original because you are writing so it is easier to understand.

5. Summary • Example summary for Sonnet 29. Write this on the BACK of your charted sonnet. In sonnet 29, the speaker feels alone and isolated from society since he feels he has disgraced himself somehow. He sounds like he is feeling sorry for himself and cries out to God about his state of mind. He begins to want what other’s have (talent, friends, looks, etc). However, in line 9, he changes his attitude. The idea of his loved one (a girlfriend or special other) makes him rethink his situation, and because of his feelings for this person (and this person’s feelings for him perhaps), he wouldn’t trade his life with even a king. • I am just summarizing what the translation is about. In a nutshell, how would I describe this sonnet to a classmate. I am not analyzing anything. I talk about the volta in line 9 (your’s might be different). It’s short and sweet (like your teacher).

6. Memorization • EXPLICATE • READ, READ, READ OUTLOUD, OUTLOUD, OUTLOUD • WRITE out lines to test yourself • PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE • Feel the words (slow down and enunciate) • Have FUN!