Shakespeare Speeches – Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of Portia’s ‘The quality of mercy is not strained’ Speech

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘The quality of mercy is not strained’: this memorable speech from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is spoken by Portia, who has disguised herself as a male lawyer in order to defend Antonio – the title character of the play – from Shylock, the Jewish moneylender who has demanded a ‘pound of flesh’ from Antonio in exchange for an unpaid debt. Portia’s ‘quality of mercy’ speech sees her appeal (or attempt to appeal) to Shylock’s merciful disposition, although she ultimately fails, because he hasn’t got one.

A Short Analysis of Mark Antony’s ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen’ Speech

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Mark Antony’s ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen’ speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a masterclass of irony and the way rhetoric can be used to say one thing but imply something quite different without ever naming it. Mark Antony delivers a funeral speech for Julius Caesar following Caesar’s assassination at the hands of Brutus and the conspirators, but he is only allowed to do so as long as he does not badmouth the conspirators for their role in Caesar’s death.

Antony’s references to Brutus as an honourable man subtly and ingeniously show that Brutus is anything but honourable, while also serving to show that Caesar was not the ambitious man Brutus has painted him to be.

A Short Analysis of Romeo’s ‘O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright’ Speech

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright’ is a famous speech spoken by Romeo in Act I Scene 5 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. But what does he mean by this speech? Although the meaning may appear to be straightforward, when viewed in the context of the play Romeo’s words shed some considerable light on his character.

Before we analyse the ‘O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright’ speech, though, here’s a reminder of what Romeo says:

A Summary and Analysis of Jaques’ ‘All the world’s a stage / seven ages of man’ Speech

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

How to reduce the whole span of an average human life into just a few lines of verse? Shakespeare managed it, in this famous speech from As You Like It, which begins with the famous declaration that ‘All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players’.

A Summary and Analysis of John of Gaunt’s ‘This Sceptred Isle’ Speech

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle’: so begins probably the most famous speech from Richard II, William Shakespeare’s 1590s history play about the fall of the Plantagenet king.

These words are spoken by the dying John of Gaunt, and the phrases he uses – from ‘this royal throne of kings’ and ‘this sceptre isle’ to ‘this other Eden’ and many others – have become known in the popular consciousness. Before we proceed to a short analysis of the meaning of John of Gaunt’s speech, here’s a reminder of what he says, in Act II Scene 1.