Dame Judi Dench leaves Graham Norton ‘spellbound’ with a dramatic reading of one of Shakespeare’s sonnets from memory
Dame Judi Dench gave a dramatic reading of one of Shakespeare’s ballads from memory on Friday evening.
The award-winning actress, 88, appeared on the Graham Norton show and left the presenter, 60, ‘spellbound’ with her impeccable rendition of Sonnet 29.
Dame Judi appeared on the chat show alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Whitehall and Jay Blade from The Repair Shop.
The Queen actress was promoting her new memoir, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent.
She explained the title: “Michael (her late husband Michael Williams) and I had both been in Shakespeare plays for four years when we first met, so he literally paid our rent.”
Incredible: Dame Judi Dench, 88, gave a dramatic reading of one of Shakespeare’s ballads from memory, during Friday night’s episode of The Graham Norton show
Wow! The award-winning actress left host Graham, 60, ‘spellbound’ with her flawless rendition of Sonnet 29
In good company: Dame Judi appeared on the chat show alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Whitehall and Jay Blade from The Repair Shop
Graham asked how much Shakespeare was ‘constantly in’ her head, to which the talented star admitted: ‘Well, as much as any of us, of course. We don’t realize it, Graham. We quote Shakespeare all the time, perhaps without even knowing it.”
Jack Whitehall then challenged Graham to quote a passage from Shakespeare.
Host Graham replied, “How all occasions inform against me,” as he recited Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 4, Scene 4.
In turn, Graham asked if Dame Judi would read some Shakespeare to the audience, while the actress quickly moved to reading Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 from memory.
“That’s enchanting,” Graham said to Dame Judi when she finished, as the audience cheered with delight.
In 2021, Dame Judi discovered that her ancestors had multiple links to William Shakespeare himself.
The actress took part in the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are and was told that her maternal ancestor was at the court of a castle with links to Hamlet.
In addition, another ancestor attended performances by a traveling English actor who happened to be one of Shakespeare’s favorite players.
Connections: In 2021, the Oscar winner discovered that her ancestors had several connections to William Shakespeare himself
“I hope my maternal grandmother loved Shakespeare eight times or she might have missed the evening!” Judi joked.
‘But knowing that Will Kempe visited the castle and probably performed there makes me feel like I’ve come one step closer to my beloved Shakespeare.
‘The castle was Kronborg Castle and was Elsinore Castle in Hamlet, a place I always wanted to visit and now I have!
“Not only did I visit it, but I now have a link to it.”