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Question: How should I perform this poem!?
A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone!?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream!.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp!?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave!?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream!?
I need to memorize it and perform it for reader's theater!.I easily memorized it,but I need to perform it as an 80 year old suicidal man!.I can't have any props and have to involve the class(I can have them sit a certain way or I can touch them,etc!.)Thanks for any help/suggestions!Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Don't worry about the poem, focus on your character!. Everything from the entrance to your posture needs to be in character!. Try answering these question about him to get you started!. Another advantage is that your teacher may ask you these questions, and you need to be able to know enough about your character to be able to answer!. The best way to find these answers is to get out and research!.
How does this old man stand!?
How does he walk!?
Shy or loud!?
Kind or bitter!?
Lonely or overcrowded!?
Happy or not!?
(Is there a middle ground!?)
Since he's suicidal, at what stage is he in this!?
Has he already resolved to kill himself, or is he still afraid to do it!?
WHY is he suicidal!?
He he attempted to kill himself before, and if so, what happened!?
What happened in the scene before this!?
Lastly, you should ask, WHAT is he saying in the poem, and WHO is he talking to!?
also, practice this many times, and do something new each time you rehearse!. You can discover things this way, and that is good!. When you rehearse to find the character, don't be afraid to really get into it!. remember, this is only practice, and sometimes being "strong and wrong" can help you discover what is 'strong and right!." Sorry, but I cannot tell you exactly HOW to deliver this speech!. If I did, I would only hinder your performance!. Just be strong, and discover!.
Break-a-legWww@QuestionHome@Com
Note the references to body parts -- lips (kissing), brow, "flown" (hands), hand, "creep" (fingers), fingers, weeping (eyes/face), grasp, clasp!.
Use your HANDS to make slow, specific gestures!. This will add movement and drama!. Speak slowly!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Try being very subtle at the beginning, then get more into the poem!. It will make it easier to get warmed up to the crowd if you have stage fright!. Good Luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com
expression,action,dont be afraid!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
oh its oral reading wow i used to be afraid of getting on stage when i started but that was in fourth grade i still do it n i love well wen u first start maybe just try to use inflection and change ur voices pitch high low etc and sit down n read it try to feel the poem n it will b easier if u can understand wut the poem is saying or portryin then u can easily see hw to act it just put urself n the place of the writerWww@QuestionHome@Com