1. Scansion: Meaning and the Actor’s Guide
Shakespearean Verse
Scansion: Meaning and
the Actor’s Guide

2. Language is the Key… WHY?
No (or very limited) stage sets
No (or very few) stage directions in the text
No (or very limited) special effects

3. Language is the Key… WHY?
No (or very limited) stage sets
No (or very few) stage directions in the text
No (or very limited) special effects
All of this information
must be conveyed through
LANGUAGE

4. Shakespearean Vocabulary
HUGE!
Used between 17 and 26 THOUSAND different words in his plays and poems
“Invented” over 1700 words (including…)
arouse
bet
eyeball
lonely
obscene
puking
swagger
torture

5. So… Listening was the KEY
Who attends a play?

6. So… Listening was the KEY
Who attends a play?
Audience
What is the root of that word?

7. So… Listening was the KEY
Who attends a play?
Audience
What is the root of that word?
Latin: audientia … to hear

8. The Actor’s Dilemma
At the deepest level: what am I saying? What am I feeling?
On the simplest level: How do I remember all those lines?
Hamlet has over 1300 lines
Is it easier to remember a paragraph or the words to a song?

9. Scansion Songs have rhythm… so do poems
Reading a poem for rhythm and meter is called “scansion”

10. Feet and Meter
A poetic “foot” is a multi-syllable “chunk” of the line that has a particular order of stress
iamb: unstressed followed by stressed
Examples: aRISE, aGAINST, reSPECT
trochee: stressed followed by unstressed
Examples: WINdow, NOthing, TWINkle, FORtune
Other feet: anapest, dactyl… and more

11. Feet and Meter (continued)
“Meter” refers to the number of “feet” in a line of poetry
One foot: Monometer
Two feet: Dimeter
Three feet: Trimeter
Four feet: Tetrameter
Five feet: Pentameter

12. Blank Verse
Shakespeare wrote many of his plays in “blank verse”… UNrhymed iambic pentameter
Sonnets are written in iambic pentameter as well, but with a very specific rhyme scheme
How many syllables per line?

13. The Sound of the Human Heart
iambic pentameter: five unstressed/stressed feet per line…
ten syllables per line
baBUM baBUM baBUM baBUM baBUM

14. An Exercise
I need ten volunteers…

15. Two Examples… Two of the most famous scenes in Shakespeare:
The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet
Hamlet’s soliloquy (dramatic monologue)
Graphic symbols:
~ = an unaccented syllable
\ = an accented syllable
_ = a caesura, or metrical pause

16. Ex. 1: Romeo and Juliet ROMEO
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

17. Ex. 1: Romeo and Juliet ROMEO ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
regular iambic pentameter line:
10 syllables
trochee foot
two syllables slurred as one
Look at the stressed words: they tell the story:
Soft! Light breaks… east, Jul (jewel?) is sun.

18. Ex. 1: Romeo and Juliet ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
That thou her maid art far more fair than she:
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
Be not her maid, since she is envious;
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
Her vestal livery is but sick and green
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.
two syllables slurred as one
all three syllables… why?

19. Ex. 1: Romeo and Juliet \ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
only three feet (six syllables)…
so a two-beat pause… WHY?
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
It is my lady, O, it is my love!
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ _ _
O, that she knew she were!
~ \ ~ ~ \ \ ~ \ ~ \
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:
awkward rhythms:
Romeo is confused
and lacks confidence

20. Ex. 1: Romeo and Juliet ROMEO ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ \ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
~ \ ~ \ ~ \
That I might touch that cheek!
~ \
JULIET Ay me!
~ \
ROMEO She speaks:

21. Ex. 1: Romeo and Juliet ROMEO ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
~ \ ~ \ ~ \
That I might touch that cheek!
~ \
JULIET Ay me!
~ \
ROMEO She speaks:
Three poetic lines?

22. Ex. 1: Romeo and Juliet ROMEO ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ \ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
~ \ ~ \ ~ \
That I might touch that cheek!
~ \
JULIET Ay me!
~ \
ROMEO She speaks:
Three poetic lines?
NO! Ten total syllables, ONE iambic pentameter line…
to be spoken WITHOUT PAUSES! (they’re sharing a heartbeat… ahhhhh)

23. Ex. 2: Hamlet HAMLET To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;

24. Ex. 2: Hamlet HAMLET ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ \ ~ ~ \ ~
Notice all the extra
unstressed syllables
at the end of the
first four lines;
The lines trail off…
And yet the extra
syllables lead us to
see that Hamlet
has too many
thoughts going
through his head.
HAMLET
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ \ ~ ~ \ ~
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
\ ~ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ ~ \ ~ \
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
This fifth line is even more problematic… it’s like there’s an entire line
missing at the end of the question… Is that a direction for the actor
to pause a full breath? It makes sense, given what follows…

25. Ex. 2: Hamlet
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
two syllables
slurred into one
another line with an extra
unstressed syllable…
too many thoughts?

26. Ex. 2: Hamlet
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ \ ~ ~ \
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
~ \ ~ \ _ \ ~ ~ \
Must give us pause: there's the respect
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
That makes calamity of so long life;
. . .
only 8 syllables in
this line… actor
needs to take a
breath… the next
sentence covers
the next 13 lines!

27. Ex. 2: Hamlet … ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~
And thus the native hue of resolution
~ \ ~ \ ~ ~ \ \ ~ \
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
~ \ ~ \ ~ ~ \ \ ~ \ ~
And enterprises of great pith and moment
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
With this regard their currents turn awry,
~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \ ~ \
And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!
extra unstressed
syllable here
awkward rhythms;
his resolution really
IS “sicklied o’er”
He’s interrupted (someone walks in on him);
it happens quickly… no pause (10 syllables)

28. Conclusion No lies: Shakespeare can be difficult BUT… Vocabulary
Written in poetry
BUT…
With work, including LISTENING and SAYING THE WORDS ALOUD, understanding the language and the mental/emotional state of the characters (not to mention the stage directions) can be done