![]() ![]() She's begun to study scansion, and she counts the syllables in everything she reads - from the quatrain above (a variation in iambic pentameter of Milne's "Rice Pudding") to a piece of Shakespeare - trying to make them come out right. Also notice how the fourth line (only 10 syllables) suddenly and powerfully ends the beat.And stares and mumbles like one gone insane. Notice how, by doing so, you create a kind of lilt to the speech, softening its blow. TRY READING THE LINES LINGERING ON EACH OF THE WORDS THAT MAKE UP THE FEMININE ENDINGS. ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty, ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it. Pay close attention to feminine endings, as they can develop the poetic mood, making the line sound and feel slightly fuller. ![]() It makes the word softer and carry a deeper meaning. ![]() The extra syllable tends to cause the actor to linger on the word and give it a kind of held note, like a half-note instead of a quarter note. This extra beat causes the line to have what is calledĪ FEMININE ENDING. Shakespeare often extends the iambic line by one beat. TRY READING THESE LINES INSERTING THE CAESURA WHERE THE BREAK IS NOTATED (//) IN THE LINE.įEMININE ENDINGS – unstressed ending – usually 11 syllables.Īn Iambic line has 10 syllables. ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Where civil blood // makes civil hands unclean.įrom forth the fatal loins // of these two foesĪ pair of star-crossed lovers // take their life. ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / From ancient grudge // break to new mutiny, ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / In fair Verona, // where we lay our scene, ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Two households, // both alike in dignity Note the Caesuras in the Chorus's opening speech in Romeo and Juliet This acts like a spring board to catapult you to the end of the line. Most lines of verse have a break, or a balancing point, that consists of a slight pause or linger in the space around the fifth beat. The Caesura is often marked with punctuation, but notĪlways - it is a instinctual pause dictated by your own sense or natural speech Except for rests and syncopation, we almostĭon’t stop until we get to the end of the play.Ĭaesura (or Cesura) Defined: A Caesura is a pause, a stop or a 'cut' - usually in the Here are some of the rules of Build.ĮVERY LINE OF VERSE LEADS TO THE END OF THE BEAT.ĮVERY BEAT GOES TO CLIMAX AND LEADS TO THE NEXT BEAT.Ī SPEECH CONSISTS OF SEVERAL BEATS, ALL OF WHICH LEAD TO THE CLIMAX OF THE SPEECH. That is, by scanning and deciphering the various aspects of the verse, we are going to discover the inner rhythm, write the rising melody, and develop the musical 'build'. In interpreting a Shakespeare soliloquy, we are composers. They act as innocents, with no concept of how their secret prejudices are going to explode all over the family. Neither realizes what their hatred is going to do to their children. The juxtaposition of stress tells us that Shakespeare feels it’s important that we understand it’s about two families, who are full of dignity. and really emphasizes the first syllable in DIGnity. See how the first option gives us a much stronger beginning. ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / Two households, both alike in dignity Two HOUSEholds, BOTH aLIKE in DIGniTY ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ ~ Two households, both alike in dignity TWO HOUSEholds, BOTH aLIKE in DIGnity. As you speak it, juxtapose it with the METRE STRESS For example if you encounter an unstressed word that, in fact, needs stress for meaning, it creates a tension between sound and meaning that adds weight to the word – a weight of meaning and emotion. These are CLUES on how to manage the line. You will notice right away the METRE STRESS does NOT always lie with the SENSE STRESS. The which if you with patient ears attend, (Perfect) Is now the two-hours’ tra f fic of our stage (It SEEMS "hours" should be emphasized too) Which but their children ’ s end, naught could remove- (Perfect - But, what's with the dash? Shakespeare whispering?) The fearful passage of their death-marked love (Perfect)Īnd the continuance of their parents’ rage- (Trying to make 'continuance' two syllables is impossible) This is called an 'elision') ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /ĭoth with their death bury their parents’ strife. Whose misadventured piteous overthrows ("piteous is only two syllables instead of three. ( Perfect)įrom forth the fatal loins of these two foes (Perfect)Ī pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, (Perfect) Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. ![]() Sense and Iambic match)įrom ancient grudge break to new mutin y, (It SEEMS that "break" should have emphasis) In fair V erona, where we lay our scene, (Perfect Iambic line. T wo households, both alike in dignity ( it SEEMS like "Two" should have emphasis also) ![]()
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