The Music of Language

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The Music of Language

• English 112
• Romeo and Juliet Unit

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• 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

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• 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 __ __ U U __ U ___ U U
• Reveal fabulous genius symphony
• In your notebook scan the following words
• pineapple prepare basketball
• musician yesterday alive

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• 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 mers 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.

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• 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.

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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)