1. scanning verse  to scan a line means to mark the stressed accents  English likes “iambic pentameter” –You can find prose sentences in iambic pentameter in The Lord of the Rings or Moby Dick and other novels

2. Iambic pentameter  metrical terminology comes from Greek poetry  English meter is syllabic, based on stress-accent (the loudness with which a syllable is pronounced)  An iamb is a unit, or foot, that has one un stressed syllable followed by a stressed one  “pent” is five in Greek  Five iambs make one line (2 x 5 = 10)

3. A line of verse is a unit  Strong beginning, therefore the first syllable is often stressed rather than the second  Strong middle--look for a pause and verbs  Strong ending--therefore rhymes are common in English

4. Feminine ending  A line that ends with an eleventh, unstressed syllable is said to be “feminine” (a term used in French poetry”  Example: –To be or not to be, that is the question.  A line that ends on a stress is said to be “masculine” –Masculine lines are more common in English

5. Usefulness of scanning  Scanning helps you pronounce strange names correctly: –Wilt thou have music? Hark, Apollo plays. –If, Biondello, thou wert come ashore  But sometimes scanning is hard –Obviously the poet does not want dull repetition of a sound pattern, and so, even in very regular verse, will vary the stress. –C. S. Lewis reminds us of this point, and the choriamb

6. Choriamb  Sometimes a line has a “choriambic” = stress/unstress/unstress/stress  Often this follows a pause or comma: –To be or not to be, [that is the question]. –Notice there are two ways to scan this line  Or the choriamb occurs at the beginning: –[Tarry, Petru]chio, I must go with thee. –1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  Or both places: –[Knock you here, sir?] Why, [sir, what am I?]

7. Practice Tranio, since for the great desire I had To see fair Padua, nursery of arts, I am arriv’d for fruitful Lombardy, The pleasant garden of great Italy.

8. Tips  In early Shakespeare, find five stresses  Find two- or three- syllable words whose accent you know. –An affable and courteous gentleman.  In later Shakespeare, there may be only four. –There is more “elision” (blurring together of syllables, or additional syllables sounded quickly)

9. Tips  Only “regular” (5- stressed) lines appear on exams.  Accents or stresses fall on the even syllables: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10  Just count the syllables and mark stresses on the even numbered ones. –Her name is Katharina Minola. –1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  Sometimes -ed is pronounced.

10. Acting  A break in the meter is an indication something unusual is happening.  Use pauses to give shape to lines. –Tranio, since for the great desire I had –Tranio, since for the great desire I had (choriambic)