1. I read to students the Shakespearean sonnet I could not remember yesterday that I had promised they would enjoy. It is a very odd and ironic sonnet.
2. We began with a discussion of what a “dramatic monologue” is – the idea that it is spoken to the audience by the speaker who may or may not be entirely sane. To help students understand this type of mindset, I showed them a portion of Vincent Price’s dramatization of “The Telltale Heart” story. He is completely compelling in his interpretation and acting in this scene. It draws a viewer in entirely.
3. After having watched a portion of that video, though, it was much easier for students to understand the mindset of the speaker of the poem “Porphyria’s Lover”. While I was the one who read the poem aloud, and I did my best to add dramatic pausing for effect, I asked that they picture Vincent Price and imaging his voice expressing the poem. It was a surprising poem, for them, and almost all of them had a pretty strong and positive reaction. I was pleased to be able to have shared it with them.
4. After having read through it again, taking it in sections and paraphrasing its parts along the margins (in their books), students answered a few reflective questions, such as the meaning behind the last few phrases of the poem where he reveals to the reader that he is still sitting, with her head propped up against his shoulder, “yet God has not said a word”. Does it mean he thinks he’s gotten away with something or is he expecting (surprised it hasn’t happened yet) that God will judge / make him pay for what he’s done?
5. Students have a fun assignment now, that they seemed to respond positively to. They are going to act out their own dramatic reading of this poem. They can be in groups of three or four (the responsibility and expectations vary depending on size of group) and will have to include props and costumes and any type of sound effects ect. The ultimate part of what will be evaluated, though, is that they take great care to maintain the tone of the poem – one that is very dark and disturbed. We’ll see how things go!!

Here is the video of Vincent Price. He is an actor that will never be able to be replaced. No one could perform those horror / gore type roles as well as this actor. See what you think!?

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/2LNjgv5p3Ek" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/TM-tAb-bM-s" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

So?.... Leave a comment! Tell me how you think he did.