BrainWork

Although reading and writing are my work and my passions, I also understand that it is important to stretch your brain in different ways.  Memorization is one very important source of exercise.

I invite you to join me in taking in and storing the powerful words of history’s greatest authors for pondering and easy retrieval.  On this page, I keep track of the speeches and poetry I memorize.  Feel free to suggest passages from your own favorite authors.  Most of my current material comes from Shakespeare, but I plan to expand gradually.

Shakespeare 

• Taming of the Shrew, Act V, Scene 2
  Katharina, “Fie, fie! unknit that threatening…” (44 lines)
• The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene 1
  Portia, “The quality of mercy is not strained…” (22 lines)
• Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2
  Cassius, “Why, man, he doth bestride…” (27 lines)
• Cymbeline, Act III, Scene 4
  Imogen, “True honest men being heard…” (44 lines)
• Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1
  Hamlet, “To be, or not to be…” (33 lines)
• Sonnet 116
  “Let me not to the marriage of true minds…”
• Titus Andronicus, Act V, Scene 3
  Marcus, “You sad-faced men, people…” (29 lines)
• Measure for Measure, Act III, Scene 1
  Duke, “Be absolute for death…” (37 lines)
• Henry VI, part 2, Act II, Scene 4
  Duchess, “Ah, Gloucester, teach me to forget…” (31 lines)
• Richard II, Act III, Scene 2
  Richard, “No matter where…” (34 lines)

Robert Frost

• “The Road Not Taken”

Dylan Thomas

• “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

*in progress