Q&A: Patrick Stewart on performing Shakespeare's sonnets

During the pandemic, millions watched videos online of Sir Patrick Stewart reading Shakespeare’s sonnets. He continued day by day, a copy of the Folger Shakespeare edition of the sonnets in hand, until he’d read all 154. Now, a new audiobook, Patrick Stewart Performs the Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare, offers fresh performances of the poems accompanied by personal reflections, from explorations of a particular word or phrase to candid insights about the essential message of love at the heart of each sonnet.

“I have been so fortunate to spend much of my life in and around the works of Shakespeare, from my first time onstage with the Royal Shakespeare Company onward,” Sir Patrick tells us. “In so many ways, returning to these sonnets feels like coming home. It also felt quite new. Recording them now, I was struck by how simple and straightforward many of them are, while others are extraordinarily complex in their language and meaning. My hope is that anyone who listens now will have the same experience I did, a realization of how alive they feel, so many years after they were first written, and how they remain perhaps the most vivid exploration of love in all its expressions… ever written.”

In the Q&A below, Sir Patrick shares more about the project, along with readings of three Shakespeare sonnets and commentary from his audiobook.

What inspired you to create this audiobook recording?

One night over dinner in the early days of the Covid pandemic, I recited the exquisite Sonnet 116 to my wife. Many of her musician friends were beginning to share music recorded at home via their social media platforms, so she saw a similar opportunity for me…why not record and share me reciting a “sonnet a day”. It became something of a part-time job for us, and to this day I’m so proud of this little internet project we created.

Can you describe the process of recording such a passion project?

I’ve had William Shakespeare in my mind and my mouth from the age of twelve years old, and now, some seven decades later, it is still a delight and a privilege to read and speak his language. But it was paramount for me to make this work personal—I wanted the listener to feel as though I was speaking to them, with them, for them. I wanted my readings to feel immediate and down to earth, so that people could actually experience Shakespeare’s brilliance for themselves, on their own terms.

You’ve been a student of Shakespeare for decades. What attracted you to his sonnets in particular?

While sonnets are, by definition, formulaic in their structure, there exists an enormous range of diversity in the 154 sonnets of Shakespeare. There’s love, loss, despair, ecstasy, fear, jealousy…the whole of human experience can be found in this remarkable body of work.

What do you hope listeners take away from your recording and interpretation of the sonnets?

It would be my great hope that listeners take away a deeper understanding of what it means to be human, whatever that might mean for them. Shakespeare was an astonishing communicator, who at his best could hold up a mirror to his audience, allowing us penetrating moments to reflect on the miracle of our own individual and shared existence.

You have conquered all mediums from the stage to the screen. What has interested you in the audio realm?

There is something so wonderfully private, even intimate about the audio format. I imagine these recordings might make their way into schools, with perhaps a classroom full of students listening together. But I can also see a person alone, maybe on a long-haul flight, absorbing these beautiful lines through good headphones, and having a very personal and unique reaction which is all their own.

What sonnet means the most to you and why?

Without question, Sonnet 116 is my favorite. As a love poem, its subject matter is obviously rather well-trodden. But for me, 116’s power lies in its forcefulness. Shakespeare is making a declaration…a pronouncement. True love isn’t something that withers, or bends, or shrinks. True love is permanent, it cannot be altered, and even time itself can’t rob us of love. What a glorious thing to believe and experience, and to have preserved eternally for us in Shakespeare’s luminous language.

Making the audiobook

“What struck me most in working on this recording is how deeply personal Shakespeare’s sonnets are for Sir Patrick,” shares Christina Zarafonitis, Executive Producer for Simon & Schuster Audio. “In both Sonnets and his memoir, Making It So, he reflects on the profound influence of his teacher, Cecil Dormand, who encouraged a classroom of students who didn’t see themselves as academic. Mr. Dormand would tell them, ‘Shakespeare is not difficult—it’s easy. You’ll get it.’ His simple reassurance gave Patrick confidence and changed the course of his life. You can feel that same spirit here. Patrick invites listeners in as if to say, ‘Come with me—let’s explore these together.’ He’s open about the fact that some sonnets are challenging, even for him, but that’s part of the thrill of discovering them. Here is one of the great Shakespearean actors of our time, and yet what comes through most is his humility and his genuine desire to connect with the listener.”

About Sir Patrick Stewart

Sir Patrick Stewart is a distinguished stage and screen actor whose illustrious career spans six decades. A classically trained theater artist who got his start at England’s Royal Shakespeare Company, Stewart’s legendary performances have garnered him three Olivier Awards, Emmy and Tony Award nominations, and a Grammy Award, among countless honors. His beloved screen work, known to audiences worldwide, includes his iconic portrayals of Star Trek’s Jean-Luc Picard and X-Men’s Professor Charles Xavier. Follow him on social media at @SirPatStew.