Sir Patrick Stewart completes the set of Shakespeare’s sonnets in style, with tuxedo and martini
Sir Patrick Stewart reads the last of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Image Patrick Stewart (@sirpatstew) on Twitter
OCTOBER 6, 2020 - By George, he’s done it! Sir Patrick Stewart has completed his reading of all of Shakespeare’s sonnets, and to celebrate the final one, he went out in style.
If you’ll recall, back in March, fairly early in stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Star Trek: Picard actor started reading Shakespeare’s sonnets. It all started with Sonnet 116, the response to which was so positive that Stewart decided to start back from the beginning. At the time, he said, “I was delighted by the response to yesterday's posting of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, and it has led me to undertake what follows…” He then started a thread, with another video. That video was of Stewart reciting Sonnet 1.
Fast forward to this week, and on Saturday, Stewart completed the series with Sonnet 154. He dressed up for the occasion in a tuxedo, complete with bow tie, and a rather fashionable martini. In a tweet, he said, “Sonnet 154. The final one. Here's to everyone who has been so kindly watching and listening to these sonnets. We never expected anything like this and we appreciate it enormously. Thank you! #ASonnetADay”
Sonnet 154. The final one. Here's to everyone who has been so kindly watching and listening to these sonnets. We never expected anything like this and we appreciate it enormously. Thank you! #ASonnetADay pic.twitter.com/K2l1UAa3a0
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) October 3, 2020
As with all the performances, this one was heartfelt and masterful, as you would expect from the seasoned Shakespearean actor. In some ways the reading was bittersweet: while it is wonderful to have been treated to so many performances, recall back in March that many of us did not expect to still be dealing with the effects of the pandemic. When Stewart started Sonnet 1, more than 6 months ago now, he said, “When I was a child in the 1940s, my mother would cut up slices of fruit for me (there wasn't much) and as she put it in front of me she would say, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ How about, ‘A sonnet a day keeps the doctor away’?”
You can catch up on all of Stewart’s sonnet performances (they’re each a couple minutes long) on either his Twitter or Instagram feeds; he’s @sirpatstew on both platforms.
