The Lines I Love Part 1

In our new occasional series, we ask theatre insiders to pick a speech from Shakespeare that strikes a chord with them. In part one, Bell Shakespeare's outgoing Executive Director, Gill Perkins, shares her pick with writer Andy McLean.

Understandably, Gill Perkins is in a reflective mood currently. After 25 years with Bell Shakespeare, the Company’s Executive Director is departing in July 2025. Though she’s leaving with a smile, Gill also admits it’s hard to imagine her life without Bell Shakespeare in it. Which might explain why a speech from Constance in King John resonates with her strongly right now. 

“Constance’s son has been abducted and is likely to be killed. In this speech, she vividly articulates the effect of his unremitting absence,” explains Gill. “I’m of course feeling a vastly different form of loss as I step away from Bell Shakespeare, but Constance really expresses grief so beautifully in these words."

"And you can’t read these lines and not feel connected to William Shakespeare himself, whose own son died at the age of eight. It feels like the lines in Constance’s speech could only have been written by someone who is experiencing this grief first-hand.” 

Here is Constance's speech in full, from Act 3 Scene 4: 

Grief fills the room up of my absent child,

Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me, 

Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words, 

Remembers me of all his gracious parts, 

Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form;

Then, have I reason to be fond of grief?

Fare you well. Had you such a loss as I,

I could give better comfort than you do.

[She unbinds her hair.]

I will not keep this form upon my head

When there is such disorder in my wit. 

O Lord! My boy, my Arthur, my fair son, 

My life, my joy, my food, my all the world, 

My widow-comfort and my sorrows' cure!