Transcript The Music of Language

The Music of Language
English 112
Romeo and Juliet Unit
All English words have rhythms, because the syllables
are either stressed or unstressed. When people say
the Shakespearean line To be or not to be, some of
the syllables are stressed: to BE or NOT to BE. If we
say that same line with each syllable stressed the
same way, the effect is unnatural, as if a robot were
speaking: TO BE OR NOT TO BE.
The way words are pronounced has to do, in part, with
the matter of stress. In the words below, the syllables
in capitals are stressed; the lowercase syllables are
unstressed:
PANcakes
RUMpelSTILLskin
adVENture
“Scansion” is the formal system for marking
words according to stress. You make a ___ for
a stressed syllable and a U for an unstressed
syllable.
U __
Reveal
__ U U
fabulous
__ U
genius
___ U U
symphony
In your notebook scan the following words:
pineapple
musician
prepare
yesterday
basketball
alive
The meter Shakespeare most often used is based on
the iamb. An iamb has two syllables: the first is
unstressed, and the second is stressed, like in the
word applause (a PPLAUSE).
These phrases have been scanned:
U ___ U ___
A sum | mer’s day
U __ U ___
U ___ U ___ U __
Alas | that love | whose view | is muf | fled still
U
__ U ___ U ___
U __ U ___
Should with | out eyes | see path | ways to | his will.
These last two lines taken from Romeo and Juliet
are an example of Iambic Pentameter – a line
of poetry with FIVE iambs. Shakespeare often
uses this poetic technique for his main
characters; whereas, the lower characters –
servants – often speak in prose.
More Examples…
• Pentameter
– To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
(Alfred Tennyson, "Ulysses")
– Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
(William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18)