Chapter 6 of Shakespeare in the Theatre is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Shakespeare in the Theatre is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No. 16.--... As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...." These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it." But this is not at all what a producer should say.
Chapter 6 of Shakespeare in the Theatre is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
plural of “actor” — a theatrical performer
From this reading “These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."”
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading “These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."”
a condition requiring relief
From this reading “As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."”
participate in games or sport
From this reading “As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."”
someone who manufactures something
From this reading “But this is not at all what a producer should say.”
the painted structures of a stage set that are intended to suggest a particular locale
From this reading “As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."”
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading “These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."”
for that reason; as a result
From this reading “As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No. 16.--...
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
plural of “actor” — a theatrical performer
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
for the reason that
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
a condition requiring relief
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
not any; not one
From this reading "No. 16.--...
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
participate in games or sport
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
someone who manufactures something
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
express in words
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
the painted structures of a stage set that are intended to suggest a particular locale
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
in or at that place or location
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
for that reason; as a result
From this reading As it is there is great need for scenery, and therefore the better the scenery the better for the play...."
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
precisely as stated
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But this is not at all what a producer should say.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
the words that are spoken
From this reading These words might be interpreted thus: "The more of Gordon Craig's scenery the better, because Shakespeare and his actors are very little good without it."
Chapter 6 of Shakespeare in the Theatre by William Poel holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 6 holds 233 sentences of Shakespeare in the Theatre, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Shakespeare in the Theatre by William Poel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Shakespeare in the Theatre by William Poel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2420 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35109 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35109, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 201 minutes of reading across 484 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shakespeare in the Theatre section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Shakespeare in the Theatre to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Shakespeare in the Theatre, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
