In First Folio, capital letters in the main body of the text signify a word which needs additional emphasis. Capital idea is a simple instruction to engage learners with these capital letters and add appropriate stress dictated by the verse.
Begin by reminding learners of Tool 4: Verse or Prose. When a capital letter is at the start of a line in the left-hand margin, it signifies the text is in verse. Inform learners that there are also capital letters present in the main body of the lines, which give additional clues for them to utilise in performance.
Explain to learners that if there is a capital letter present in their text and it is not in the left-hand margin -signifying verse – or following a piece of major punctuation – signifying the start of a new thought- it is an instruction to emphasise that word in their performance of the text.
Ask learners to identify any capital letters in the main body of the text.
Once learners have had an opportunity to identify the capital letters present in their lines, instruct them to perform the scene; however, when they reach a word which begins with a capital letter, add additional emphasis to the word.
Following this performance, ask learners to reflect on what might be motivating their character to emphasise that word in that moment of dialogue.
Tray Two : Living The Text