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Radiolab Blog. No. 14: The Four Groans

Alternative title
Four Groans
Synopsis
A Radiolab podcast which offers a meditation on what happens after the moment of death, as Shakespeare envisions it.

In the 1623 Folio, published after Shakespeare’s death, Hamlet’s final line "the rest is silence" is followed by a half line made up of a single repeated syllable - O,O,O,O. which is omitted from many modern editions. Author Ron Rosenbaum speaks of how the ‘four groans’ show us what is ‘on the other side of consciousness’. Actor Mark Rylance, interviewed in New York, believes that actors made the addition to the Folio. He speaks of how and why he incorporated the four groans into his portrayal of Hamlet and gives illustrations of his different motivations in delivering the line and varying the tone and tempo.
Language
English
Country
United States
Medium
Radio
Recording date
12 Aug 2009
Transmission details
(Channel: WNYC)
Duration
7 mins

Credits

Contributor
Mark Rylance; Ron Rosenbaum

Additional Details

Production type
Documentary/Educational/News
Plays
Hamlet; Two Noble Kinsmen, The
Subjects
Drama
Keywords
death; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); textual analysis; Folio editions

Notes

General
Radiolab is a radio programme produced by WNYC, a public radio station in New York City, and cast on public radio stations in the United States. The show is nationally syndicated and is available as a podcast. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, it focuses on topics of a scientific and philosophical nature. The show attempts to approach broad, difficult topics such as "time" and "morality" in an accessible and light-hearted manner and with a distinctive audio production style [Wikipedia].
Textual information
Professors Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor in William Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Compact edition (Oxford, 1988) are defenders of the Folio text and believe that the ‘four groans’ are the work of Shakespeare’s final revision.
Reviews
The Radiolab podcast is available at: http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2009/aug/12/14-the-four-groans.

Coyle, Martin ‘O,O,O,O Hamlet Again’ http://www2.lingue.unibo.it/acume/acumedvd/Essays%20ACUME/AcumeCoylefinal.pdf (accessed 11/2011).

Production Company

Name

WNYC

Web
https://www.wnycstudios.org/ External site opens in new window

Record Stats

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