As an actor, there are several ways of discovering
character. First, what does the playwright directly tell you. For example, "enter
Shylock, a middle aged, Jewish..." (Shakespeare does not do
this.)
Second, what does the character say. Third, what
does the character do. Finally, and this is the tricky one, what do other characters
say about your character. You must understand the relationship your character has to
the one speaking.
You can apply this to what you need to
for your assignment.
You haven't stated which character but
let us say for arguments sake we are talking about Shylock. His appearance is only
described after Jessica has run away, otherwise nothing is said about how he looks. It
is open to interpretation. In stage versions, I have seen everything from well dressed
(a businessman), exotic robes (Jewish gabardine?), and shabby (a miser, how else could
he get all that money?)
As for inner thoughts, look at his
asides and soliloquies. How he speaks and what he says and to whom are also revealing.
For example he is condescending to Bassanio since he knows that the loan will be to
Antonio. Notice the change from prose to verse in Act I, scene 3 when Antonio
enters.
In a soliloquy, understand that a character is
being honest with himself. We are hearing their inner thoughts which are often a debate
as the character struggles with important issues in their
lives.
Actions speak louder than words. In a play this
particularly true. Ask yourself, why does Shylock refuse an enormous amount of money so
he can collect his pound of flesh? For the character, the answer is simple. He made a
pact with god when he found out that Antonio would not be able to repay the loan. He
will revenge all the hurt and shame and hatred he and his fellow Jews have suffered at
the hands of the citizens of Venice.
The effects of his
actions reverberate throughout the play.
Hope this has
helped you both.
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