Robert Wilson Quotes

The Greek playwrights, we're all beholden to them, every one of us.

If you look at the timing of many of the Greek dramas from the theatrical point of view, it's all off, and I think the reason for that is that music played a very important part.

I come from a classical background.

Not unless I do all these ancient and Italian or French or Baroque in the beginnning, I do German.

I think all novels are contemporary. When people went to see 'Antony-Cleopatra' at the Globe in the 16th century, they were not going to get a history lesson on the Roman Empire. It was about love, sex, and also about dynastic troubles.

My background is somewhat unusual, as I trained to be a ballet dancer. I worked in the theatre for eight or nine years as a contemporary dancer. But as an actor one does read Shakespeare and does try to learn the classics.

I think American actors are much more intimidated by Shakespeare.

For Russians, to whom Pushkin's poem 'Eugene Onegin' is sacred text, the ballet's story and personae are as familiar and filled with meaning as, for instance, 'Romeo' and 'Hamlet' are for us. Russians know whole stretches of it by heart, the way we know Shakespeare and Italians know Dante.

Then I started listenin' a lot to classical composers. Piano works. Just to see what they were doin'. That sort of put me in a different groove to try to blend all that in.

I would love to play Richard III.

I was really exposed to great old-time literature - the classics, the poetic realists like Strindberg and Ibsen and all those guys. I was really inspired by all those guys. That's when writing became a primary focus.

It's incredibly moving to hear some of our greatest actors performing Shakespeare.

Shakespeare language is fantastic, and to be honest, you don't need to do anything to Shakespeare.

I love Shakespeare and the Greeks - learned a lot studying them at one time.

Who of English speech, bred to the traditions of his race, does not recognize Hamlet in his 'inky cloak' at a glance? Not to know him would argue one's self untaught in the chief glories of his language.

I've never been that keen on Shakespeare.

I'm lucky enough to work with, I think, the greatest writer there's ever been, Shakespeare. Whose collected works would always be under my pillow if I was only ever allowed one book to keep, and who never bores me.

I saw a production of 'Titus Andronicus' at the Royal Shakespeare Company with Brian Cox back in 1987. That sort of rocked my world. It was a remarkable production in its simplicity and its realism and passion.

Shakespeare is practically our only link with the classic and the past. The future of education has much to do with whether we will be able to cling to him or not.

Theatre probably originated without texts, but by the time we get to the classical Greek period, theatre has become text-based.

I'd love to do a comedic film. I'd love to do a very epic Shakespearian film.

The only Shakespeare I ever did was a production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' two years in a row in my garden in Rockland County on the Hudson River in the 1980s. I had all the actors from the Actors Studio come out, and we made our own costumes.

I was raised with a lot of classical music. I loved ballet. I was a bun head for 10 years.

Shakespeare wrote about what was happening during the time; it still relates to us now.

I got introduced to Shakespeare at four years old, and I fell in love with the language.