Carving Hamlet into stone

As our exhibition of favourite Shakespeare quotes, Well Said! opens, we talk to artist Gary Breeze about carving Shakespeare’s words into stone.

Writers, actors and poets have selected their favourite quotes to be transformed into artworks for our Well Said! Exhibition.

Gary Breeze described the process of making his Well Said! commission – a stone sphere carved with the quote: 'O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams' (Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2).

Gary is a lettercutter who works mainly in stone and wood. His commissions include work for the New Scottish Parliament, Westminster Abbey and The V&A, a 50p commemorating the Battle of Britain and the lettering and carving to the tomb of Richard III.

He said: “I didn’t want the sphere to be too big because the text makes reference to Hamlet being bounded in a nutshell so I wanted it to be quite intimate. The material and inscription fit well with the gravitas of the quotation."

Making the sphere

Gary Breeze working with a chisel on a stone sphere with words carved into its surface

Starting to carve

Before carving the stone, Gary makes a a very accurate scale drawing on a papier mache ball, so he knows exactly how the letters will look and how to place them. He then plots the lettering on the real sphere.

© The artist – Image Licensing
Gary Breeze chiselling the stone sphere

Chiseling the lettering 

Gary works with a hammer and chisel, carving out Shakespeare’s words. On the left in the picture you can see the papier mache model of the sphere, with the lettering drawn out in pencil.

© The artist – Image Licensing
A stone sphere with words carved into its surface resting on a piece of gauze

Completing the sphere 

Gary’s sphere is 25cm across - about the size of football. Once he's completed the piece (shown here in Gary's workshop), the artist will transport it to Stratford-upon-Avon. The work will sit on an oak plinth in the PACCAR Room.

Find out more about Gary and his work at www.garybreeze.co.uk

© The artist – Image Licensing
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Well Said! is in the PACCAR Room (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 2nd floor), until 18 September 2016. Entry is free. Find out more about Well Said! and the artists whose work is featured in the exhibition.

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