The Tragedy of King Richard II

Theatre 250/376 Seminar Fall 2008
Blank Verse and Scansion

Nay then, god b'wi' you an you talk in blank verse.
Jaques, As You Like It

"To young people studying for the stage I say, with all solemnity, leave blank verse alone until you have experienced emotion deep enough to crave for poetic expression, at which point verse will seem an absolutely natural and real form of speech to you. Meanwhile if any pedant with an uncultivated heart and a theoretic ear proposes to teach you to recite, send immediately for the police." George Bernard Shaw as quoted in "Freeing Shakespeare's Voice" by Kristin Linklater

Try speaking these lines:

Thou, Nature, art my goddess — to thy law
My services are bound. (King Lear, I, 2, Edmond)

What are the important words?

How about these from King Richard II — where are the stresses?

Desolate, desolate wil I hence and die.

Banished this fair sepulcher of our flesh.

Then thus: I have from Le Port Blanc, a bay
In Brittaine, received intelligence
That Harry Duke of Hereford, Rainold Lord Cobham,

Bid her send me presently a thousand pound.

More

Scansion refers to the form, the meter or rhythm in which Shakespeare's verse is written. Although form without content or emotion is far from Shakespeare's remarkably powerful poetry, an understanding of his form can open important doors to his words.

Scansion is homework, just like dictionary work: both serve to fuly help understand the content.

Studying scansion will result in clarity of meaning and will highlight and point to important words, images and meanings. Scanning Shakespeare's text will provide critical information on pronunciation. Further, discovering the intended rhythm and, more importantly, breaks in that rhythm, will underscore the emotions underlying the words. The rhythm of the words affects how we think, how we feel, and how we speak. We seek an appropriate balance of form and content.

Without proper scanning the words and their meanings can become hopelessly muddy for the audience.

An exploration of Shakespeare's verse suggests, at first, that it is based upon a rigid set of rules. There are, indeed, many rules to be learned. Each rule will serve to further unlock Shakespeare's instructions to the actor.

Shakespeare wrote the language he heard. In order to understand what he heard and what he meant an actor must learn to understand the clues that Shakespeare provides in his language through various means of notation and rhetorical devices:

• When to begin speaking (picking-up a line)
• When to go fast and when to go slowly
• Which words are important and which to emphasize
• When to breathe
• When to pause
• When the character is in a state of heightened emotion
• When an -ed is pronounced
• When a word or words are elided
• When a word has an extended pronunciation

This might suggest that Shakespeare is about nothing more than learning the rules and fulfilling them. This, however is simply not true because the one thing Shakespeare never tells us is "why" and "how" — these questions can only be answered by the actors' interpretation of character, motivation, and actions, and the number of choices open to actors is, in fact, infinite. The important thing is that the actor is not making a choice out of ignorance or simply because one way is more comfortable.

As important as learning these rules might be, it is equally important to understand how and why all of these rules may be broken. Each "rule" which is broken by Shakespeare is a signal that something is unusual. The emotional content and meaning of a line of verse is revealed by the rhythm, both regular and irregular. Further, the trained performer of verse has great freedom of interpretation once the rules have been fully explored. Often, after scanning carefully, we consciously choose to deny the "right" way becaus the result, after 400 years, will be jarring to the ears of the audience.

My own approach to scansion is based upon my work through discussions and classes with RSC founders Sir Peter Hall and John Barton, Patsy Rodenburg (voice coach for the Royal National Theatre), Louis Scheeder (founder of the Classical Studio at Tisch School for the Arts) and Joseph Bertram (LAMDA) who was a major influece on Kristin Linklater.

FEELING FOLLOWS FORM

There is no single right way to deliver a line of Shakespeare's verse. As long as the form is honored, the actor has many, many choices of actions and emotions. However, it must be understood that there are many decidedly wrong ways to deliver a line.

In Shakespeare's earlier plays (e.g.: The Comedy of Errors, King Henry VI) his blank verse tends to be very regular. In his more mature plays (e.g.: The Tempest, A Winter's Tale) he explores much greater freedom in breaking the rules.

Although we begin working on a line of verse by overstating the rhythm of stresses, ultimately the rhythm must play underneath and be fairly lightly stated. If this is done well, the verse can be spoken quite naturally as colloquial speech and the full import and meaning will be preserved. Rhythm supplies the inner drive that moves poetic language.

TOPICS

1. Iambic Pentameter

2. The Importance of the Line

3. Scansion, Meter, Rhythm and Stresses

4. "Feminine" Endings

5. Alexandrine Lines

6. Expansion, Contraction and Elision

7. Packed Feet

8. Inverted Iambs

9. Short, Broken and Headless Lines

10. Shared Lines

11. End-Stopped Lines

12. Enjambment

13. Caesura

14. Pauses

15. The Monosyllabic Line

16. Rhymes and Rhymed Couplets

Iambic Pentameter
Blank verse was first used in England by Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey in his translation of the Æneid in 1554. Surrey is known for his sonnets which used therhyme scheme Shakespeare later used. Surrey may have gotten the idea of using blank verse from an unrhymed Italian verse form called versi sciolti. Earlier English drama was written in rhyming verse, often in lines of eight beat doggerel or lines of fourteen syllables, known as "poulters' measure" (it sounds a bit like chickens clucking). The first English play using blank verse was the tragedy Gorboduc by Norton and Sackville. Blank verse first came to prominence on the stage in the work of Christopher Marlowe.

• Shakespeare's "blank verse" usually consists of unrhymed lines of ten syllables. Each pair of syllables form a metric foot. An iamb is a foot which is made up of a weak syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
• Iambic pentameter is a line of five iambs (dee-DUM). Often, these lines are end-stopped with a period.

I wast- ed time, and now doth time waste me. (King Richard II)

de DUM, de DUM, de DUM, de DUM, de DUM.

[I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM]

• Iambic pentameter suggests a heart beat. Our hearts normally beat with a steady "lub-DUB" rhythm (actually the sound you hear with a stethesope of first the tricuspid and then the mitral heart valves closing). However, we all know that our heat beat is subject to irregulariies due to both physical and emotional stress and strain. Blank verse, though predominantly regular, becomes irregular when the speaker is emotional.
• A good deal of the English we normally speak consists of iambs. Most common phrases in everyday English speech contain about five beats. Blank verse is meant to sound natural and as near to the natural rhythm of conversation. It best captures ordinary speech patterns. Look at the first speech of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet (I, 3) — he captures a remarkable sense of naturalistic informality her using supposedly formal speech.
  • I think I have to go to bed and sleep.
  • I don't re-mem-ber what i-am-bic means.
• Shakespeare used blank verse as the best means to capture the rhythm of everyday speech. It is meant to be delivered with a simplicity, lightness and pace.
• Regular blank verse means perfect iambic pentameter – exactly ten syllables of five iambs. Some of the exceptions are so common (beginning with an "inverted iamb" or ending with an extra unstress syllable) that they are considered essentially regular.
• An irregular line may have fewer or more syllables than ten. An irregular line may have breaks in rhythm (using other metrical feet or patterns). This is the way in which Shakespeare stretched the form he inherited from Marlowe.
• The most common irregularity in Shakespeare's verse is the use of an inverted iamb (or a trochee - DUM-dee), often found at the head of a line or mid-line after a caesura (see below). The trochee (the antithesis of the iamb), creates a break in rhythm like a skipped heartbeat or a bump in the road. It can slow the line thus giving more emphasis to the word(s) in the trochee. The stressed-unstressed-unstressed-stressed pattern of a regular iamb following a trochee can also create a galloping rhythm. A trochee often signifies a new thought, a resurgence within a thought, or conflict. “To be, or not to be (caesura) that is the quest-ion:” If used well, this allows you to make an acting point. Be sure that is what Shakespeare intended. Don’t stress the first syllable simply because it feels more natural. Always default to the iambic.
• The blank verse line is easily comprehended and is quite concise.
• Shakespeare uses irregular lines to catch the ear of the audience and to reveal something about character and intentions. He stretches the form in order to emphasize an emotional outbreak, create a sense of spontaneity, and a dramatic tension. Irregularities in Shakespeare's verse help creater a sense of alertness in the audience.
• In Shakespeare's hands, the iambic line remains constant, but is always flexible.
• In a regular line of blank verse the final word is generally stressed — indeed, it is often the most important word in the line. This notion is at odds with our 21st century habit of falling off at the end of a thought. Shakespeare's characters ar confident and end their lines with strength and belief in what they are saying (as opposed the the Valley Girl's tendency to end every thought as an upwardly inflected question). Shakespeare's rhythmic lines move relentlessly to the final word which then serves as a springboard to the first word of the following line.
• Each line of blank verse ends with not necessarily a pause, but always with at least a tiny sense break (even if there is only a comma or no punctuation at all). Running lines together will break the structure and may destroy the meaning and comprehension. Even worse, it might necessitate taken a breath in an inappropriate place. The skill of actor involves finding a successful way of marking line endings lightly. Make certain you always are aware of the end of a verse line.
• Although Shakespeare utilized blank verse in all of his plays, the percentage of blank verse, rhymed verse, and prose varies from play to play. His blank verse is quite regular in the early plays with many end-stopped lines. In the later plays, the irregularities become far more complex. King Richard II is written in entirely blank verse (along with King John and King Edward III) with no prose and a significant amount of the verse is rhymed.
• Not all stressed syllables are necessarily equal (otherwise the line becomes overly mechanical). Not every word that's stressed is a key word, but every key word will receive a stress.
• One way to think of scansion is that in a line of iambic pentameter there will likely be five stressed syllables — this is more important than their absolute pattern and it gives the actor a bit mor freedom to explore.

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The Importance of the Line

• The iambic pentameter line is the basic building block of Shakespeare's verse and it needs to be recognized, honored, and maintained. It is the structure of the line which is important, not the individual words. We must ask ourselves why Shakespeare took as much care to write in blank verse if he didn't care about the form of the lines in delivery
• Unlike modern dialogue, pauses cannot be arbitrarily taken by actors — they will interrupt the smooth flow and vital energetic rhythm of the line.
• Unearned pauses in Shakespeare's blank verse will destroy the meaning of the line.
• Nearly every line of iambic pentameter is weighted near the end and one must drive through to the final word of the line — this is the most important word in roughly three-quarters of Shakespeare's verse lines. Unlike our modern American English, this final word must be emphasized (in American English we tend to drop our vocal energy at the end of every phrase). Carry the energy through to the end of the line.
• Not surprisingly, modern performances of the plays in which actors pause excessively have gotten longer and longer. Even worse, by destroying the energy and impact of Shakepeare's line, the attention of the audience is sacrificed.
• Modern editions of the plays tend to over-punctuate — they are edited for reading, not performing. The best text to use in the theatre should be punctuated as lightly as possibly.
• Play the lines, not the words.

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Scansion, Meter, Rhythm, and Stresses

• Meter is simply an identifiable pattern of stressed and unstressed sounds.
• A metrical foot is a combination of stressed and unstressed sounds which make up a line of verse.
• Scansion is the analysis of meter.
• The rhythm of a line is a function of the meter. The rhythm is felt on an elemental level. It is not surprizing that the rhythm of our heartbeat is iambic!
• The following chart lists all of the various metrical feet. All we ever really care about is whether or not we have an iamb or not! Usually, if it isn't an iamb it is a trochee.
• Many of Shakespeare's blank verse lines begin with a trochee (Dum de, which happens to be the inversion of the iamb).

Here to make good the boist'rous late appeal (King Richard II, I, 1)

Here to / make good / the boist' / -rous late / ap-peal

DUM de, de DUM, de DUM, de DUM, de DUM.

• Some lines of verse (especially in the late plays) are wildly irregular.

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows (A Midsummer Night's Dream, II, 1)

I-know / a bank / where the / wild thyme/ blows

DUM, de de DUM, de de DUM, DUM, DUM.

• Even the irregular lines tend to have five accents, though they be distributed unevenly

• This is generally the earliest homework an actor does with a piece of text. Scan every line of verse you speak.
• Identify the irregular lines (inversions, unusual number of syllables, etc.) and determine why it might be irregular. When a line just won't scan, consider what Shakespeare's might be implying about the emotions (doubt, unrest, etc.).
• Be sure to consider elisions, contractions, and expansions before assuming a line is irregular.
• When scanning, common sense is the rule. Assume that the line is regular blank verse. Try your best to make it scan unless it is clearly impossible or illogical to stress those syllables.
• When scanning lines try humming them out loud.
• Try exaggerating the iambic rhythm by beating it out while speaking.
• A change in the regular iambic pentameter rhythm catches the attention -- like a heart which skips a beat. Look for words or syllables that tend to speed you up or slow your down.
• Shakespeare always places the stress on the important words!
• Do not allow the iambic rhythm to overwhelm the meaning. Variations are always possible.

   

Additional Scansion Notes

• Generally, pronouns are not stressed. However, when the emphasis does fall on a pronoun it usually for a reason and means something.
• "No," "Never," and "not” are rarely stressed.
• Personel pronouns are not usually stressed (unless, perhaps, an antithetical comparison is being made).
• "And" is rarely stressed.
• "Cannot": generally stress the Can-
• To "-éd" or not to "-éd": "Blessed" may be pronounced either "bless-ed" or "blest" — usually the correct choice is based upon scanning the line properly. Some editions of Shakespeare use an mark over the "e" (é or è) when it is to be pronounced: blessèd.
• Capitalized nouns and words with extended spelling in the Folio are usually stressed.

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"Feminine" Endings or "Double" Endings

• A line with an eleventh unstressed syllable is said to have a feminine ending. As Shakespeare matured he began using more and more lines with feminine endings. This created a more organic feel to the language and sometimes a predominance of them suggests a sense that the speaker is troubled.
• A feminine ending tends to propel you to the following line. It often indicates either urgency or stumbling and insecurity.

To be or not to be that is the ques-tion. (Hamlet, III,1)
or
To be or not to be that is the ques-tion.

You urged me like a judge; but I had Rath-er. (King Richard II, I, 3, 237)

• Indeed, each of the first four lines of this famous speech has a feminine ending. This might have something to do with Hamlet's overriding self-doubt and his emotional state since he is contemplating suicide.

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Alexandrine Lines (Hexameters)

• A line with an twelve syllables (six iambic feet). This is the most common form of dramitic verse written in French — not surprisingly, the most common French phrases in normal speech involve six beats.

The No -bles they are dead, the com-mons they are cold. (King Richard II, II, 2, 88)

• Unlike iambic pentameter, a line of hexameter can be divided equally in half. This can result in a heightening of emotional content, especially if it is a shared line.
• There is a sense of cramming too much (meaning? emotion?) into a limited space ("12 into 10"). After WWII when the House of Commons was being rebuilt, Sir Winston Churchill had it done so that it would be too small to seat every member. This meant that at times of crisis everyone would be very close and there would be a charged atmosphere. An actor may need to speak fast or in a higher emotional state using these lines.
• Unlike the iambic line, they have a middle between two feet.
• Hexameters can have feminine endings resulting in a 13 syllable line.

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Expansion, Contraction and Elision: Some lines appear to be a bit messy. They seem to have too many or too few syllables. Further, it seems impossible to apply regular iambic pentameter to such lines. Although there are occasionally 11 or 12 syllable lines as well as short lines, an effort must be made to seek to "fix" such messy lines by either stretching or shrinking the pronunciation of some words.

Elision

• When there are eleven or more syllables and the final syllable is stressed, two interior syllables are frequently elided or combined - an internal vowel is often omitted or supressed (almost always the schwa which is so common in English). Sometimes the elision is clear (e'en for even) and sometimes the actor has to make a determination (read "best guess").
• Contiguous vowels are often elided also (heav-i-er becomes heav-yer, glor-i-ous becomes glawr-yus)

To God, the wi- dows Cham- pyan and de-fense. (King Richard II, I, 2, 44)
not
To God, the wi- dows Cham- i-on and de-fense.

or

To God of heav'n, King Ri- chard, and to me; (King Richard II, I, 3, 40)
not
To God of heav en, King Ri- chard, and to me;

or

His no-ble kins-man. Most de-gen-rate king! (King Richard II, II, 1, 262)
not
His no-ble kins-man. Most de-gen-er-rate king!

• “Seven” may be pronounced “sev'n”, 1 syllable — the way we pronounce it today when counting quickly. Fire, power and hour are other examples of words which can be pronounced with either one or two syllables.
• People tend to speak quickly during confrontations. The schwas, the most common sound in English, tend to disappear.
• Elisions help to maintain a tension between the regularity of the iambic rhythm and the more colloquial and spontaneous.
• A “messy” line of 12 syllables might mean a heightened emotion because too much is being packed into a small space (“12 into 10”).

Contraction

• Just as is the case in modern English, phrases such as you are, we are, I will, etc. are often contracted to become you're, we're, I'll, etc.

Well I'll (I will) for re-fuge straight to Bris-tol Cas-tle, ( King Richard II, II,2,135)

Expansion

• Sometimes we must add a sysllable to a word in order to preserver the meter.
• The most common form of expansion is pronunciation of the suffix -ed .
• Some modern editions differentiate these: -ed is pronounced, while 'd is not.
• Other editions differentiate these: -èd is pronounced, while -ed is not.
• Finally, some editions do not distinguish them at all.

With signs of War a-bout his ag-ed neck. ( King Richard II, II,2,74)

• Occasionally, words with contiguous vowels will expand. This should generally be done quite lightly and with care to avoid sounding unnatural and often directors chose to ignore these.

Shall not re-greet our fair do-min-i-ons, ( King Richard II, I,3,142)

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Packed Feet : Some lines appear to be wildly messy with an extra syllable that just won't allow it to scan. Consider the fact that two small words might be crowded into one of the syllables of an iambic foot. In Tony Soprano's world this might be called a ba-da-BING iambic foot.

That thinks men hon-est that but seem to be so, ( Othello, I,3,406)

That thinks men hon-est that but seem to be so, ( Othello, I,3,406)

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Inverted Iambs : The most common variation in meter that Shakespeare used was to begin a line with a trochee DUM-dee (which is, of course, simply an inverted iamb). Asways use the iambic as a default. If this interferes with sense because of the importance of the unstressed word, consider using an inverted iamb.

Tell me more-o-ver, hast thou sound-ed him ( King Richard II, I,1,8)

This tends to create something of a galloping feeling that gives strength and drive to a line: DUM-de de-DUM. Here's an example of three such lines in a row from King Richar II (II,1,187-190):

Par-don me,if you please; if not, I, pleased
Not to be par-doned, am content withal.
Seek you to seize and gripe into your hands

Inverted iambs can also be encountered in the foot immediately following a caesura (see below). Here's an example:

And let thy blows // doub -ly re- dou-bl-ed, ( King Richard II, I,1,8)

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Short, Broken, and Headless Lines

• A so-called "short line" has fewer than ten syllables. A short line usually indicate the need for a pause. The length of the pause is essentially the number of missing beats. An actor might consider where in the line the pause(s) might work best.
• A short line often implies an actual or psychological action which fills the pause.
• An irregular line, line a change in rhythm, is designed to catch the attention.

Believe me, noble lord,
I am a stranger here in Gloucestershire. (King Richard II, II, 3,3-4)

• A nine syllable "headless" line begins with a pause instead of an unstressed syllable (these are extremely rare):

Stay! the king hath thrown his war-der down. (King Richard II, I, 3,118)
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Shared Lines

• Two or more lines add up to a single line of iambic pentameter. When this is done the lines are to be said together quickly and without pauses. The second actor must come in exactly on cue.

  KING: And Norfolk, throw down his.
  GAUNT:                                          When, Harry, when? (King Richard II, I, 1,162)

• Together, these three lines add up to one perfectly scanned line of iambic pentameter. They must work together in tempo, pace, rhythm and energy to form a single seamless line. The spacing of the lines on the page is always a clue.
• The actor must learn to give and receive half lines so that the full line is preserved.
• The pause might simply be a pause, or an action might be implied.

  King John: Death. (broken line)
  Hubert:                My lord?
  King John:                        A grave.
  Hubert:                                         He shall not live.
  King John:                                                              Enough. (KJ)

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End-Stopped Lines

• An End-stopped line is one which completes a complete thought and ends with a period or full stop.
• In the early plays the blank verse is very regular and there are many end-stopped lines.
• In reality, it is best to avoid full-blown pauses at the end of any line. It is best to think of it as a slight hesitation, an opportunity to take a breath, and an invitation to go on to the next line.

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Enjambment

• This is a line which runs on to the middle of the next line where the thought ends with a semi-colon or period.
• These appear with greater frequency in the later plays. They are rare in Henry VI and very common in Othello, Tempest, and The Winter’s Tale.
• Common practice has been to ignore the enjambments in order to complete a thought. This was believed to be more naturalistic. Some actors play with the idea of not ignoring enjambments. The result of a slight pause at the end of the enjambed line is to create the effect that you don’t know what you’re going to say until you say it. This might be even more naturalistic because this is how we speak. Our thoughts shift in mid-sentence.

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Caesura

There lives and dies, / true to King Ric- chard's throne, ( King Richard II, I,3,86)

• This is a slight break in the middle of a line, often, but not always indicated by a punctuation mark, usually a semi-colon, question mark or period. A caesura follows an enjambment.
• The caesura indicates a sense-break or the end of a thought and may carry maximum meaning.
• A caesura suggests that a thought or an emotion is fragmented. Often the two parts that make up the line on either side of the stop are generally emotionally quite rich.
• A thought which starts in the middle of a line interrupts the flow of energy. It suggests a change of pace or tone for some reason.
• Although a caesura indicates a pause, the length of the pause must be controlled so that the sense and drive of the line is not lost.
• Although it is sometimes an actual pause, or breathing space, it is generally more like an inspiration - a new thought. It is a break made audible, but not necessarily an audible pause. (Caesarian section: “Macduff was from his mother’s womb/Untimely ripp’d” – Caesura derives from a Latin word meaning ‘cut or slice’).
• One way of dealing with caesura is to begin speaking the second half of the line (after the full-stop) as if you don't want to be interrupted. This might imply a sharp intake of breath.
• A caesura almost always occurs after the sixth beat, sometimes after the fourth, and rarely after the second.
• Many lines, though not everyone, have caesurae.
• Sometimes the pause can best work if the tempo of the first part of the line (preceeding the caesura) is relatively slow.
• A 'masculine caesura' occurs after a stressed syllable, and a 'feminine caesura' occurs after an unstressed syllable.
• Epic Caesura: In later plays more than earlier ones, this is more common and is, indeed, a pause, usually in an eleven syllable line. Something big is happening - certainly a new thought. Effective scanning through experience is the ultimate determiner.

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Pauses

• Pauses are generally indicated by punctuation. A full-stop (period) or semi-colon suggests the end of a thought and it potentially marks a pause.
• Locate all pauses in a speech.
• When a pause clearly exists, determine why it is there. Does it end a thought?
• Avoid pausing in the middle of a line. A caesura indicates a sense-break, not a full-blown pause.
• Half-lines or short lines suggest a pause. The length should approximate the missing feet. The placement of the pause must be thought out. Should it come before or after the partial line?

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The Monosyllabic Line

• About a quarter of Shakespeare's lines seem to be made up of words of a single syllable.
• Generally, monosyllabic lines indicate a certain weight and should be spoken at a slower pace.
• Seek out all of the monosyllabic lines in a speech and determine why it might want to be slower and more measured. try saying the line quickly. Is it still comprehensible?
• Occasionally a monosyllabic line might suggest giving each syllable equal stress.
• Honor the line and do not add additional pauses internally.

Too good to be so, and too bad to live, (King Richard II, I, 1,40)

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Rhymes and Rhymed Couplets

• When Shakespeare uses rhymes they should be recognized and celebrated, not hidden. Rhymes can produce a sense of expectation and anticipation in the audience. they also are a form of wit and should be celebrated as such. Work to findout why the character needs to use rhyme at this moment.
• A number of plays (particularly the earlier ones) contain a good deal of rhymed verse (Love's Labor's Lost)
• When two consecutive lines rhyme at the end of a speech it is referred to as a rhyming couplet. All sonnets end with a couplet.
• Couplets are often found at the end of a scene (indeed, Shakespeare used this technique to signal to his audience that a scene had ended and another was to begin). A rhymed couplet might serve to provoke a laugh or, conversely, it might be quite chilling. Sometimes the couplet leads the audience into the next scene.
• In order to unlock the sense of a rhymed line, try stressing the penultimate word in the line.

  March sadly after. Grace my mournings here
  In weeping after this untimely bier. (King Richard II, V, 6,51-52)

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Some General Notes:

• A standard line of iambic pentameter is ten syllables long and ends with a stressed, or masculine syllable.
• A feminine line has eleven syllables and the final one is weakened.
• An Alexandrine has twelve syllables and might create a sense of trying to squeeze more into the line
• Look for possible elisions to make the verse work (heav’n, Jul-yet, rav’n).
• A line that is shorter than ten syllables suggests that there is a pause — it may be at the end of the line, before it, or in the middle of it somewhere. Try different readings .
• Initially, rely on common sense to identify the strong stresses in a line — what are the important words? Words with long vowel sounds and diphthongs are generally stressed.
• Beyond scasion, identify the key words in each line -- they will certainly be stressed, and they may ultimately be the only stresses in the line (while there are generally five stressed syllables per line, there may only be one or two key stresses.
• Ascending iambic line – it is as if you are stepping up a flight of stairs to arrive at the top. Pitch or emphasis gets a bit higher with consecutive each iamb, ending with the final stress which is often the most important word of the line.

Choice

In Shakespeare's language, some words are selected and receive extra choice. They are the primary words in a line or in a sense unit.

This does not necessarily mean that they are said louder than other words. It simply means that the are a bit more important and are subtly emphasized in one way or another (volume, pitch, tone, rhythm, pause, etc.).

The beauty of Shakespeare's use of scansion is that he always makes certain that the words which should receive choice because of their importance always fall on a stressed syllable.

Rarely would such words as the or of be stressed and, in general, Shakespeare does not stress personal pronouns (this is hard for folks in our "me" generation to understand).

The hierarchy of parts of speech goes as follows:

Concentrate on the VERBS (most emphasis) and NOUNS (less emphasis) and let the descriptive adjectives and adverbs take care of themselves.

Notice how far down the heirarchy pronouns are. That is often difficult for 21st century actors to fathom. "I" "me" "us" and "you" are rarely stressed in Shakespeare.

Shakespeare often ends each line with the most important word in the line - it certainly needs to receive extra choice (avoiding the American habit of dropping off at the end of each sentence). Be very carefully with multisyllable words which end lines. Don't merely stress the first syllable and allow the final stress to drop off (as in dignity).

In the Folio and Quartos, words with extended spellings and non-proper nouns which are capitalized tend to be important.

Conversely, certain words should usually not be stressed: pronouns, negatives (not, no, none, etc.), prepositions and connectives (but, and, if, of, etc.)

When stressing a preposition, connective, adjective or adverb seems critical for meaning and clarity, the above guidelines should be ignored. It is important to remain flexible. Scansion and decisions about extra choice are not exact sciences and rules are made to be broken every now and then.

Shakespeare takes great care to insure that important words will be stressed when properly scanned.

Other words which receive extra choice are identified by locating alliteration, assonance and antitheses.

The word NOW is usually an important one and needs to be stressed. This is also true for a number of other words such as ALL, BUT, THEREFORE,SINCE and YET.

The word "O" is an interjection. An interjection is a word added to a sentence to convey emotion. It is not grammatically related to any other part of the sentence.This single vowel is full of emotion and should always be celebrated, never swallowed.

© Lary Opitz 2008

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Lary Opitz, Prof.   |  Dept. of Theatre  |  Skidmore College  |  Rm. 237  |  Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theatre
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