Elizabethan Tongue, The

Synopsis

Radio programme. Passages from the plays of Shakespeare are delivered in what was thought to be their original Elizabethan pronounciation. The programme is introduced by Daniel Jones, Professor Emeritus of Phonetics, University of London, who was also the phonetic advisor for this production. The passages are spoken by radio actors Raf de la Torre, Andrew Foulds, and Laidman Browne. Excerpts comprised Henry V, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, King John, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest. With harpsichord music played by Cecil Dixon.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Radio

Transmission details

28 Dec 1949 at 20:20 (Channel: BBC Third Programme)

Duration

25 mins

Availability

No archive copy known.

Credits

Producer

Mary Hope Allen

Contributor

Daniel Jones

Cast

Raf de la Torre	King Henry V
Raf de la Torre	Philip the Bastard
Norman Shelley	Sir John Falstaff
Laidman Browne	Caius Cassius
Robert Eddison	Feste
Andrew Faulds	Bardolph
Raf de la Torre	Curio

Additional Details

Production type

Documentary/Educational/News

Plays

Henry IV Part 2; Henry V; Julius Caesar; King John; Romeo and Juliet; Tempest, The; Twelfth Night

Subjects

Drama; English language and literature

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Elizabethan English

Notes

Notes

Daniel Jones’s foreword to the broadcast is published under the title ‘The Tongue that Shakespeare Spake ...' , Radio Times, 16 December 1949.
Detailed act, scene, and line references are published in Radio Times programme notes together with a note suggesting that listeners may find the text useful in occasional passages.

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)