Rhythm and meaning in Shakespeare : a guide for readers and actors / Peter Groves.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Groves, Peter L., author.

Series:

Literary Studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Literary style.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Dramatic production.

Performing arts.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (219 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Clayton, Victoria, Australia Monash University Publishing 2013

Victoria, Australia : Monash University Publishing, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

How did Shakespere intend that his plays be read? Rhythm and Meaning in Shakespeare explores the rhythmical organisation of Shakespeare's verse and how it creates and reinforces meaning both in the theatre and in the mind of the reader. Because metrical form in the pentameter is not passively present in the text but rather something that the performer must co-operatively re-create in speaking it, pentameter is what John Barton calls "stage-direction in shorthand", a supple instrument through which Shakespeare communicates valuable cues for performance. This book is thus an essential guide for actors wishing to perform in his plays, as well as a valuable resource for anyone wishing to enhance their understanding of and engagement with Shakespeare's verse. Has supplementary audio files.

Contents:

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Prosody - The Music of Speech

1.1: Syllables

1.2: Lexical Stress: Major, Minor and Weak

1.3: Accent: High and Low Syllables

1.4: Syntactic Stress

1.5: Beats: The Timing of Syllables

Chapter 2: Pentameter and its Common Variations

2.1: The Prototype: Verse and Line

2.2: Changing the Pattern (Metrical Variation)

2.3: Changing the Representation of the Pattern (Prosodic Variation)

2.4: Other Variations in Rhythm

Chapter 3: Pauses, Breaks and Transitions

3.1: Pauses and Short Lines3.2: Transitions Between Speakers

Chapter 4: The Short Pentameter 1: Silent Offbeats

4.1: The 'Jolt'

4.2: The 'Drag'

Chapter 5: The Short Pentameter 2: Silent Beats

5.1: Rests that Cue Stage Business

5.2: Rests that Cue Expressive Gestures

5.3: The Deictic Rest

5.4: Multiple Lacunae

Chapter 6: Other Kinds of Verse in the Plays

6.1: Short and Long Lines in Blank Verse

6.2: Rhymed Verse

Chapter 7: Taking it Further: Metrical Analysis

7.1: What is Scansion (and Why is it Useful?)

7.2: Prosodic Politics: Independence, Domination and Liberation

7.3: Scanning Elastic Words

7.4: Context and Accent

7.5: Scanning Compounds

7.6: Scanning and Stress Exchange

7.7: Scanning Short Pentameters

Appendices

Appendix A: Differently Stressed Words

Appendix B: Pronouncing Shakespeare's Names

Appendix C: Stress in Monosyllables

Appendix D: Select Glossary

Appendix E: A List of Symbols used in Scansion

Appendix F: A List of Abbreviations

References

Back Cover.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

CC BY-NC-ND

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781925523058

1925523055

9781921867996

192186799X

OCLC:

933580979

Access Restriction:

Unrestricted online access