A spoken category in which each entrant delivers three set-form pieces, one sonnet, one psalm and one Shakespeare excerpt, recorded on the template as a four-minute entry scored out of 100 and offered in all seven classes.
Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare is the sixty-fifth entry on the Jamaican national performing arts festival template and the tenth category of its Speech discipline. It follows story telling and leads into the stand-up comedy class. The festival handbook files it as category 12 of the speech syllabus, with the abbreviation SPS on entry forms. It is the only solo speech class that asks for three different pieces in one appearance, which makes it a test of range as much as of delivery.
The handbook sets the requirement for the solo class in a single sentence. The entrant presents one sonnet, one psalm and one excerpt from Shakespeare. The psalm must come from the original King James Version only. The sonnet must be a fourteen-line structured selection. The Shakespeare excerpt must come from a play and must be a monologue or a dramatic dialogue. Each selection is limited to three minutes, so the whole appearance is nine minutes at most. The handbook lists the class as open to Classes 2 to 6, so the youngest age band is not eligible for this category.
On the day the round is a short programme. The entrant is introduced with the three titles, performs them in turn and leaves. The panel marks the whole appearance on the four-part table shared by the Speech discipline: voice production, speech, presentation and interpretation. Because the three pieces are so different in language and mood, the marks usually go to the entrant who treats them as three separate performances: the compressed argument of a sonnet, the praise or lament of a psalm and the dramatic voice of a stage character.
The same general rules as the other speech classes apply. The right author or source of each piece must be acknowledged, the entry must say what is being presented, and a copy of the selections goes in with the entry form. Costume must suit the characterisation, so an entrant speaking Shakespeare as a character may dress for the part, while the handbook asks for bright and bold colours and warns against school uniform and plain black, white or grey unless the piece calls for it. The handbook does not say whether a monologue may be performed with a prop, or whether the three pieces must be linked by a theme, so those are points to confirm with the organiser before entering.
The template records the item as a team entry, both genders together, with English as the language, a four-minute window with the warning bell at three minutes, and a score out of 100, in all seven classes. The handbook describes the solo category as an individual class for Classes 2 to 6 with three selections of three minutes each, nine minutes in total. A four-minute window would cut the programme off after the first piece and a half, so an organiser who wants to follow the handbook should set the entry type to individual, the time limit to nine minutes and the age bands to Classes 2 to 6. The handbook also lists a separate speaking ensemble version for groups of 7 to 16 members, which this item does not cover. Organisers run this class because it gives older children and adults a place to be judged on classical English texts that are rarely spoken aloud outside the classroom.
Where Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare comes from
The three forms in this class have long histories in English. The sonnet is a fourteen-line poem that reached English from Italy in the sixteenth century and was made famous by Shakespeare’s own collection. The psalms are the Old Testament songs and prayers, and the King James Version, the English Bible translation completed in 1611, is the text the handbook names. Shakespeare’s plays date from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Nothing in the source for this template says when the class joined the festival or how it has developed, so no festival history is claimed here.
Where Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare is run
On eTalenter this item is used in one template, the Jamaican national performing arts festival template, where it is assigned to all seven classes (six age bands from the youngest children to adults aged 20 and over, plus a combined class) in the Speech discipline, after story telling and ahead of the stand-up comedy class. Sonnet, psalm and Shakespeare recitation also appears as sections of school speech festivals, drama festivals and elocution contests in many English-speaking countries; this page covers the version defined by the Jamaican festival handbook, and each event sets its own time limits, age bands and rules.
- Jamaica (the national performing arts festival the template is built from)
Key facts
- Abbreviation SPS on entry forms; the handbook lists it as category 12 of the speech syllabus, for Classes 2 to 6, and its awards scheme names it Best Sonnet, Psalm and Shakespeare (Classes 2-6)
- Three selections: one sonnet, one psalm and one Shakespeare excerpt. The psalm must be from the original King James Version only, the sonnet must be a 14-line structured selection and the excerpt must be a Shakespearean monologue or dramatic dialogue from a play
- Time: each selection is three minutes only, nine minutes in total as the maximum
- The template gives a team entry, both genders together, English as the language, a four-minute limit with the warning bell at three minutes and a score out of 100, in all seven classes; the handbook describes an individual class for Classes 2 to 6
- Marked on the shared four-part speech table: voice production, speech, presentation and interpretation, weighted 20, 30, 20 and 30 at auditions, 10, 35, 15 and 40 at parish level and 4, 20, 4 and 22 (out of 50) at the national finals
- Ideas, not rules, for building a programme: pair a sonnet about time passing with a psalm of thanksgiving and a comic monologue for contrast; follow a quiet psalm with a spirited speech so the three pieces sound different; choose a monologue where the speaker is talking to someone, so the audience can follow the story. Always check each text with the organiser
On eTalenter, Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 4 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare
What a Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- The handbook prints one marking table for the whole Speech discipline, so the three pieces are scored together on the same four headings as every other speech class; the points below follow that table and are a summary, not a quotation of the rule
- Voice production: audibility, projection, tone, resonance, colouring, texture and pace, worth 20 at auditions, 10 at parish level and 4 of 50 at the national finals. Three pieces in nine minutes ask a lot of one voice, so marks go to the entrant who changes pace and pitch from sonnet to psalm to stage speech, and are lost to one who delivers all three in the same reverent, even tone
- Speech: articulation, enunciation and pronunciation, worth 30, 35 and 20 of 50. Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English has words that are no longer in everyday use, and the handbook names Oxford English as its pronunciation reference. Marks are lost for slurred line endings, rushed old words and wrong stress, and won by an entrant whose every word can be understood by a listener who has never read the text
- Presentation: costume, stage presence, performance energy, style and visual impact, worth 20, 15 and 4 of 50. The sonnet and the psalm usually ask for stillness and focus, while the Shakespeare excerpt can use gesture and movement. The panel rewards a clean change between the three pieces and an appearance that suits the characterisation; costume that distracts from the words loses marks
- Interpretation: comprehension, expression, mood and feeling and believability, worth 30, 40 and 22 of 50. This is where most marks are decided. A sonnet argues in fourteen lines and turns on its final couplet, a psalm expresses a single strong feeling, and a Shakespeare speech is a person who wants something. The entrant who understands what each piece is saying and shows a clear turn in thought scores above one who simply recites the words
- Time and choice of pieces: each selection must stay inside three minutes. A long psalm or a long speech that has to be gabbled to fit loses speech and interpretation marks together, and a very short piece leaves the programme feeling thin. Choose pieces that fill about two and a half minutes at a comfortable pace
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare under Scoring Setup, or start from the full recitation and poetry judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare
How entrants and their teachers usually get Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare right on the day:
- Check the rules first: one sonnet of fourteen structured lines, one psalm from the original King James Version, and one monologue or dramatic dialogue from a Shakespearean play, each three minutes at most and nine in total. Ask the organiser whether the pieces may be performed in any order, how the entry form should list them and whether a short dramatic dialogue is acceptable for a solo entrant
- Choose the three pieces together, not one at a time. Look for contrast of mood, language and speed, so that a thoughtful sonnet, a joyful or sorrowful psalm and an active stage speech each give the panel something different to mark
- Read each piece aloud until you can say in one plain sentence what it means. A piece you cannot paraphrase cannot be interpreted, and the interpretation heading carries the most marks on the table
- Mark the text for sense, not just for rhythm: underline the words that carry the meaning, mark where the thought turns and mark where you need to breathe. In the sonnet, find the turn that usually comes at the end of the eighth line or in the final couplet and decide what changes in your voice there
- Look up every unfamiliar word and its pronunciation, and practise old words aloud until they feel natural. Record yourself and listen for clipped endings and unclear consonants, which are the quickest way to lose speech marks
- Time each piece separately with a stopwatch at performing speed, and then the whole programme. Aim for about two and a half minutes per piece so that nerves and pauses do not push any selection over three minutes
- Plan the changes between the pieces: where you stand, how you reset your breathing and how you change your face and posture. A deliberate pause of two or three seconds tells the panel a new piece has begun
- Rehearse in the costume you will wear and in a room of similar size, in front of a listener who does not know the texts. If they cannot say what each piece is about, the voice, pace or meaning is not yet clear
- After a result, ask for the adjudicator’s comments and note which of the four headings lost marks. If interpretation was low, rewrite your one-line meaning for each piece and rehearse the turning points; if speech was low, work on the old words and line endings
Ready-made event templates that include Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare
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| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| JCDC National Performing Arts Festival (Jamaica) | On Stage | Marks | 7 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Speech – Sonnets, Psalms and Shakespeare judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What do I have to perform in this category?
Three pieces: one sonnet, one psalm and one excerpt from Shakespeare. The handbook says the sonnet must be a 14-line structured selection, the psalm must come from the original King James Version only, and the excerpt must be a Shakespearean monologue or dramatic dialogue from a play.
How long can the performance be?
The handbook gives each selection three minutes only, with nine minutes as the maximum for the whole appearance. The template gives a four-minute window with the warning bell at three minutes, which is shorter than the handbook’s total, so an organiser following the handbook should change the limit to nine minutes.
Which age bands can enter?
The handbook lists the solo category for Classes 2 to 6, which leaves out the youngest age band. The template assigns the item to all seven classes, so an organiser who wants the handbook’s version should check which classes are switched on.
Can I use a modern translation of the psalm?
No. The handbook says the psalm must be selected from the original King James Version only. Check the exact wording against a printed copy of that version before you learn it.
Is this judged individually or as a team?
The handbook describes it as a solo class for Classes 2 to 6, and separately lists a speaking-ensemble version for groups of 7 to 16 members. The template records this item as a team entry, so an organiser who wants the handbook’s solo version should set the entry type to individual.
How is this different from the poem and prose classes?
The poem and prose classes ask for selections in standard English, Jamaican or a mix of the two, from any author. This class names the three forms and the sources: a structured sonnet, a King James Version psalm and a Shakespeare play excerpt. The audience hears three different kinds of text in one appearance, so range matters more than depth in one piece.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full recitation and poetry judging criteria guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
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