“If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well if it were done quickly.” This is probably not how you’d tell someone to hurry it up in your day-to-day life. But as an actor, you’re likely to encounter some elevated language in your career. Also known as heightened language, it is a style of speech that is more formal, poetic, or expressive than everyday conversation. It often appears in classical plays, epic poetry, and stylized modern works, where dialogue is crafted with rhythm, imagery, and rhetorical devices.
Ready to start tackling elevated language like a Shakespearean pro? Read on for all the tips, tricks, and advice you need.
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Shakespeare plays
The works of William Shakespeare are arguably most famous examples of heightened language, with their use of iambic pentameter, rich metaphors, and rhetorical flourishes.
Greek plays
Born from the earliest form of acting, Greek tragedies like “Oedipus Rex” and “Medea” use poetic and formal speech to convey the weight of fate and destiny. The chorus, in particular, speaks in a stylized manner that requires careful attention to rhythm and diction.
Restoration plays
Plays from England’s Restoration period, such as William Congreve’s “The Way of the World” or John Dryden’s “Marriage à la Mode,” feature elaborate wit, fast-paced dialogue, and rhymed couplets that require precision and energy in delivery.
Modern examples in drama
Many modern playwrights continue to use elevated language, such as Arthur Miller with “The Crucible,” which mimics the speech patterns of historical dialects and the King James Bible, and Tony Kushner with “Angels in America,” where poetic dialogue heightens the intensity of the themes.
Modern examples in TV and film
Contemporary television and film often incorporate heightened language. “Game of Thrones” employs formal, poetic speech to create a sense of grandeur, and “Bridgerton” mixes period elegance with stylized dialogue to enhance its dramatic appeal.
Shakespearean English: A Complete List of Words + Phrases to Know Understand what you are saying
Beyond memorization, actors must grasp the meaning behind elevated text. Without comprehension, you risk sounding hollow. Take this example, from “Macbeth”:
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage”
An actor must understand the metaphor comparing life to a fleeting, meaningless performance. Without that depth, the scene will lack emotional weight.
Master the rhythm and structure
Many classical texts have strict rhythmic patterns. Honoring the structure provides clues about emphasis and pacing.
For example, we know iambic pentameter has a poetic structure of 10 syllables, alternating
unstressed and stressed (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM). We can “scan” Hamlet’s famous line to find the stressed syllables:
"To BE, or NOT to BE: that IS the QUEStion"
This line has what’s known as a “feminine ending” because of the extra, unstressed syllable.
The stressed words guide the meaning, but overemphasizing them can make the delivery
unnatural. Identify keywords, then follow acting choices to decide which words to emphasize within the thought.
We can also discover pacing in a scene using “shared” lines (when the dialogue of two characters combines to create 10 syllables) and “half” lines (when a line stops before 10 syllables). Here’s an example from Macbeth:
LADY MACBETH
I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. (A complete line)
Did not you speak?
MACBETH
When?
LADY MACBETH
Now?
MACBETH
As I descended? (Shared lines, showing quick pacing)
LADY MACBETH
Ay.
MACBETH
Hark! (Half line, indicating a pause or interruption)
Use the rhetoric
Heightened language often employs rhetorical devices within each line. Identifying these techniques helps actors find emphasis and enhance their performance. Here’s a few examples:
Antithesis (contrasting ideas)
“To be, or not to be:”
Shakespeare contrasts “being” (alive) versus “not being” (dead) to emphasize Hamlet’s existential dilemma.
Alliteration (repetition of initial consonant)
“Whereat, with blade — with bloody blameful blade —
He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast”
The repeated “B” sound brings out the comedy in Quince’s prologue in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Tricolon (rule of three)
“Friends, Romans, countrymen…”
Marc Antony’s speech in “Julius Caesar” demands attention with this distinctive opening, thanks to the age-old rule of three.
Breath support
Long, complex sentences require strong breath control. Consider Prospero’s passage from “The Tempest”:
“Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air.”
Try and get to the end of that thought in one breath. Learn to strategically use your diaphragm to ensure power and control.
Resonance
No matter how smoothly you deliver your lines, it won’t matter unless the audience can hear you, particularly in theater. Make sure you’re constantly training to project your voice safely, without screaming. This gives you more options for delivery.
Articulation
Heightened language needs to be crystal clear, no matter what twisted verbal roads it sends you down. Practice tongue twisters and articulation exercises; you can even use particularly challenging passages, like this one from Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline”:
“Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.”
Objective or intention
Every line should be driven by a clear, achievable objective. Return to “Macbeth,” when Lady Macbeth says:
“Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty.”
Choosing an objective like “to summon supernatural strength” grounds the words in something actionable, which should inform everything from your delivery to your physicality and movement.
Thought breaks
Breaking text into individual thoughts clarifies meaning. Consider Hamlet’s speech:
“’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub”
First, Hamlet expresses that death could be desirable. Then, he questions the possibility of “dreams” beyond death, something to be wary of. If these shifts in thought or perspective are not clear, the speech loses dramatic tension.
Embrace the language
Elevated language is not meant to sound natural. Like singing in musical theater, it exists in a heightened reality. For example, consider this translation of a passage from Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”:
“Could I behold them after this? Oh no!
Would I could now with equal ease remove
My hearing too, be deaf as well as blind,
And from another entrance shut out woe!”
Oedipus has stabbed out his eyes after witnessing his wife’s suicide; he has learned that she
was actually his mother and that he unknowingly killed his father. The language is over the top and theatrical, yet believable because it is rooted in raw emotion. Fully commit to the text and the audience will come with you.
Let it go
Once the text is analyzed, the rhythm internalized, and the objectives set, actors must trust their preparation and let go of the technicalities when performing. In the play-within-a-play, Hamlet advises actors to speak their lines “trippingly on the tongue,” meaning fluidly rather than overdramatizing every word. It’s good advice. Like musicians who master scales before a performance, or martial artists who practice drills to react instinctively, actors should prepare thoroughly so they can live in the moment.