The Shakespeare Memory Project

Phase 1: The Sonnets

This project a three-phase, multi-year project I've dubbed “The Shakespeare Memory Project.” As my love and respect for Shakespeare grows, I want to take his words with me, out of the written context and into the oral, lived context of my life.

Spoken words are always placed within a real, existential present; they are always used to modify total situations which are always more than verbal. To take the Bard’s wisdom and wit into my lived life seems, to me, a necessity as I grow more into my maturing self. I need him there with me, outside of the stale, dead environment in which written words are forgotten.

The project is a simple three-phase progression. Phase one, memorize all of Will’s 154 sonnets. Phase two, memorize all of his other poetry. Phase three, memorize passages which speak deeply to me within all of his plays.

I thought it may be nice to journal my journey and, though I journal for my own private pleasure, talking about this journey within the context of a blog may spark some interest within someone else. I know another person who memorized Shakespeare's sonnets—from a different blog. That post sparked an interest to read the sonnets for myself, having never done so, and from the first sonnet I read I knew I would memorize them all for myself. He's too rich to forget. I've been memorizing his words over the past few months before recently thinking that writing of my experience here may spark some of my readers to memorize his works as well. I've received much joy from him; I hope to convince you to follow suit.

If this project interests you then feel free to subscribe and follow along. Take care and remember, there's never enough time for poetry—but when is?