A few pages from Hamlet (Act II, Scene 2) for high school honors English. - Stephen Mack #TeamMomo

I played Becket in "Murder in the Cathedral" in college. The play's Interlude is a long-ish sermon. - Steele Lawman

Stephen, cool. Was you assignment specifically to memorize that bit of Hamlet? - Micah

Steve, how long did it take you to feel like you had it down pat? - Micah

The entire musical, Les Misérables [excepting the strictly male numbers]. - Kelli H.

(Sidenote: *squeee*—I looove Les Misérables) - Micah

Me too, MICHAH. Still. :) - Kelli H.

I messed it up in at least one of the performances. :) I guess I knew it well enough at that point to cut, summarize, etc. on the spot. It took many weeks, because I was also learning the rest of the part. - Steele Lawman

The Hamlet soliloquy. I was so nervous my voice was quavering. The teacher thought I was emoting and wanted to put me in a Shakespeare contest. I declined. - Spidra Webster

I read the book in Jr High and saw the play in Orange County (a long time ago) in that theatre with the rotating circular floor. Kelly, when did you perform it? - Micah

Paul Revere's Ride - Jessie

Steve, different but the same: forgetting my formation steps during a field performance in my HS marching band—yeah, the sweat that starts pouring out, oye. :) - Micah

Spidra I don't whether or not to say you doth protested too much. :>) - Micah

Jessie, what was the occasion for performing Paul Revere? - Micah

One or another of the French poems I recited in French class in high school. The poems weren't very long, maybe 20 lines or so. - John (bird whisperer)

John, did you take much French, or just one year? - Micah

Probably Mark Antony's speech in Julius Caesar. - Akiva

My social security number - Todd Hoff

Todd, I effectively have two—have only one memorized. - Micah

Akiva, where did you perform it? - Micah

Madison Square Garden. - Akiva

(And by that, I mean 10th grade English class.) - Akiva

Well. - Micah

I think it was 5th grade history class? - Jessie

I played Prospero in The Tempest. The guy had a bajillion lines, including one extremely long monologue. - chrisofspades

The Highwayman (http://www.potw.org/archive...). In 7th or 8th grade? - Marianne

Not sure. I did theatre for 15+ years, and memorized a whole crapton of plays and musicals, and then a lot of monologues for various theatre competitions. I'd be hard pressed to figure out which was the longest. - Hookuh Tinypants

Either the Jaberwocky or the Centepede's poems about Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge from James and the Giant Peach. - kendrak

Had to memorize a handful of prayers when I did my first communion (13th birthday) and for my quinceañera. Didn't grow up saying them so had to do a crash course each time and then recite them to the priest so he could decide if I was ready for the ceremonies. - peamageddon

Oof. Good lord, all those prayers in catechism...*shudders* between first communion and confirmation...it's no surprise I still remember every single prayer now, a full 25 years after I stopped attending church. - Hookuh Tinypants

The Lord's Prayer, probably. I can't remember having memorized and recited anything else. - Eivind

The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe. - Starmama from FFHound(roid)!

the opening soliloquy from Richard III, I think - Bren

Jaques' monologue from As You Like It - Kristin

This is a bit embarrassing, but I once memorized the words to "Drunken Fool" as they were printed in poem form in Playboy magazine (back in the 70's... I read it for the articles, of course.) The verses were slightly different, but the overall idea was the same. The drunken fool is being cuckolded by his wife, but is seemingly so gullible that he "buys" her explanations night after night. I do remember one verse that memorized had something to "pudding"... as in "Well come here my little wifey, explain this thing to me... How come that <something's> in your puddin', where my <something> oughta be?" (Yes, it was dirty, but it six or seven damn verses, and I was proud! Here's a similar version: http://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinf... [Edited link to better version] - Jkram|ɯɐɹʞſ

Also, I only recited this 'publicly' if that includes performing it for a small group of friends. Also, in my memory it was much longer and more complex. My memory plays tricks on me. - Jkram|ɯɐɹʞſ

I think it was a sonnet for english class. I forgot which grade. - Rodfather

Apparently I've blocked it from memory. I can recite The Beasties Boys "Paul Revere" from memory though, FWIW. - Derrick

Dozens of old ballads when I was a Folkie back in the 60's. Barbara Allen, Mary Hamilton, The Unquiet Grave, The Bonnie Earl of Murray, stuff like that. The "Quality of Mercy" speech just so I could study it. A couple more Shakespeare things for English class. Always wanted to learn the Canterbury Tales Prologue in Middle English but never got very far. - m9m, Crone of FriendFeed

My best man speech for my best man. Three pages written I think. Still stands as greatest in history. :) - SteVe C

1 Corinthians chapter 13. - Steven Perez

Jkram, my parents had a paperback book of jokes & ribald poems from Playboy. Dirty pictures too. Drunken Fool was in there! Also some stuff by Shel Silverstein. I sneaked & read that book so often, I'm sure I had a lot of it memorized. - Starmama from FFHound(roid)!

Yes! That was where I first saw anything by Shel Silverstein. His Playboy stuff was awesome. Perchance do you recall "Stacy Brown, He Got Two"? I loved that! - Jkram|ɯɐɹʞſ

"Stacy Brown, he got two, he got two. Is it under his hat? Is it in his shoe? Stacy Brown, he got two, he got two..." accompanied by a drawing of a hep cat (70's style) wearing a sporty hip cap that had an odd "bulge" protruding from the top, and he had a woman on his arm (who was wearing a big broad smile.) #YouFigureItOut - Jkram|ɯɐɹʞſ