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 will be keeping track of the speeches and poetry I memorize during the year. Feel free to suggest passages from your own favorite authors. Most of my current material comes from Shakespeare, but I plan to expand in the near future.
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)
Robert Frost
Dylan Thomas
*in progress
