Stress-inversion like stress-weakening is practised within certain limits. (1) It is commonest after a pause-i.e., in the first and after that in the third and fourth feet. It is not often found in the second. (2) It is very rare in the last place-there is no clear case of such inversion in As You Like It-because a change of rhythm in that place produces a halting effect. Hence the name scazon ('limping') given to this metre in Greek. (3) There are never more than two inversions in a line,—a majority of inversions would alter the character of the rhythm, not merely of the foot, but of the line. (4) Two inversions rarely come together. (B) Under the conditions recorded above (b 8) the two syllables of a foot may have approximately equal stress, thus giving a level or 'spondaic' rhythm. This is occasionally found even in the fifth foot; e.g. More than your enemies. Cel. Will you go', coz'? (i. 2. 221). (d) Rhyme.-Shakespeare is very sparing of rhyme in As You Like It. He employs it only in two closely related ways. (1) To close a scene or speech. (2) To clinch an argument. Thus (1) scenes i. 2, i. 3, ii. 3, ii. 4, ii. 7, iii. 4, iii. 5, v. 4 end with rhymed couplets; as also do speeches in ii. 3. 67, 68, iii. 5. 78, 79, v. 4. 166-169. In the last of these cases, as also in v. 4. 185-188, and ii. 3. 69-end, we find sequences of two and four couplets. The first two instances are appropriate to the closing scene; the last is a series of sententious reflections put into the mouth of old Adam, and is connected with the second use of the rhymed couplet, (2) to clinch a point. This naturally coincides very often with the end of a speech, but is also found in other places, e.g., Rosalind's Cry the man mercy; love him; take his offer; Foul is most foul, being foul to be a scoffer (iii. 5. 61-2), the proverbial turn of which may be compared with the rhyme in i. 2. 253, 254. APPARENT VARIATIONS. 4. Apparent variations, due to difference of pronunciation then and now, are (a) Accentual (6) Syllabic. (a) Accentual Variations.-There has been little change in the accentuation of simple words; but E. E. shows greater laxity in the case of compounds. (a) Germanic Compounds.-If the word is felt as compound it is naturally accented on the important part. Thus verb-compounds are regularly accented on the verb, e.g., outface' (i. 3. 115); whereas compounds of two prepositions, and pronominal compounds, in which the parts are of nearly equal importance, show no fixed rule: e.g., unto' (iv. 3. 143), but also un'to; therein' (ii. 7. 71) and there'in (i1. 7. 81); there' by (ii. 7. 28) and whereby'; there'fore and therefore', &c. Possibly where'in (ii. 7. 83). Older compounds, on the other hand, which have ceased to be felt as compounds, follow the rule of simple words. But the verb part generally keeps the accent even when compounded with an inseparable prefix. Un- is sometimes accented before the p. part.; rarely before any other part of the verb. (B) French and Latin Compounds.-The struggle in M.E. between the French and English systems of accentuation ended in the victory of the latter. But the influence of Latin quantity has preserved or restored the original accent in the case of many compounds, and by analogy in simple words as well. Thus in Shakespeare we sometimes find the English accent, e.g., an'tique (always) (ii. 3. 57), quint'essence (iii. 2. 136) where we have returned to the Latin. On the other hand we find exile' (ii. 1. 1) and exiled' (v. 4. 155), but also ex'ile; confines' (ii. 1. 24), but also con fines; contents' (iv. 3. 8), but also con'tents; aspect' (iv. 3. 53) (and so always); compact (v. 4. 5), but also com'pact; allies' (v. 4. 179) (always). Misconstrues (i. 2. 231) was pronounced, as it was often spelt, miscon'sters. Probably also ex'ceeded in the difficult line i. 2. 210 But justly, as | you have ex' | ceeded | all promise. (6) Syllabic Variations.'-(a) A vowel may be lost before a consonant in prefixes and monosyllables: e.g., 'gainst (i. 2. 244); 'mongst (iv. 3. 122); 'tis, 'twas (passim), was't (iv. 3. 132); were't (i. 3. 107); mark't (iii. 4. 50); write't (iv. 3. 22). This will present no difficulty, and is often indicated in printing. (B) Short e is almost always mute in -es of genitives and plurals. In the 3rd pers. sing. of verbs es2 (mute) -eth (sonant) is the rule. In -ed and -est there is much variety, but Shakespeare favoured the short form as he grew older. E.g., marked (ii. 1. 41); lived (ii. 3. 72); promised (v. 4. 2); be'st (i. 3. 36); diest (i. 3. 38); frail'st (iii. 5. 12), &c. Here, too, the printer is a guide. (7) An unaccented vowel is sometimes lost before a consonant in the middle of a word of more than two syllables; e.g., residue (ii. 7. 196); covetousness (iii. 5. 90); medicine (ii. 7. 61); but in such a case it is not always easy to say whether the vowel is lost or an extra syllable inserted. (8) Two adjacent vowels may be run into one, in the same or in adjacent words. 1 In this section I have followed the order adopted by Prof. Herford in his Richard II., in preference to the artificial nomenclature of König. And I would take this opportunity of acknowledging my great obligations to Prof. Herford; his Richard II. has supplied me with countless suggestions, both as to form and matter. 2 The mark (.) under vowel shows that it is mute. (1) In the same word-envious (i. 2. 207), Amiens (ii. 1. 29), effigies (ii. 7. 193), executioner (iii. 5. 3), Silvius (iii. 5. 84), but also Silvi-us (iii. 5. 82); piteous (ii. 1. 40), being (ii. 7. 143, &c.), but also be-ing; lineaments (iii. 5. 56), virtuous (i. 3. 74), sinewy (ii. 2. 14), power (iii. 5. 29), voyage (ii. 7. 40 and v. 4. 181), &c. (2) In adjacent words-thou hadst (i. 2. 196), you have (i. 2. 208, &c.), I have (v. 4. 18), know it (ii. 7. 38), to it (iii. 1. 4)—pronounced thou'dst, know't, &c. (prodelision); the extremest (ii. 1. 42), the embosséd (ii. 7. 67), the extremity (iv. 3. 23), she urged (i. 2. 224) pronounced th' extremest, sh' urged, &c. (elision); do all (i. 3. 45) (slurred); follow her (iii. 5. 49)-pronounced foll'w'er. It will be seen that slurring is commonest, in both cases, when the first vowel is i or u, which readily assume a consonantal power y and w. -- (3) On the other hand, the terminations -ion, -ience, &c., now universally contracted, are frequently open in Shakespeare, e.g., conditi-on (i. 2. 230), intermissi-on (ii. 7. 32), observati-on (ii. 7. 41), reputati-on (ii. 7. 152), acti-on (iv. 3. 9), &c; pati-ence (i. 3. 71). In all these cases, except the third, the open i-on, i-ence is at the end of a line. (e) One of the most characteristic differences between Elizabethan and modern pronounciation is the fluid state of the semi-vowels, or ' vowel-likes', l, m, n, r, and perhaps -ng. These letters may exercise the function either of vowels or consonants, e.g., in little the first is consonantal, the second vocalic. The sign () under the letter is used to indicate the sonant (vocalic) value. (1) A sonant liquid (?, m, n, r) may form a new syllable; e.g., wrestler (ii. 2. 13). (2) A liquid may cause the loss of a syllable at the end of a word, either by becoming consonantal before a following vowel, or by being slurred before a following consonant. E.g., given him (=givnim) (i. 2. 204), sudden and quick (=suddnand quick (ii. 7. 151), complexion and (=complecshnand) (iii. 5. 115), brother his (=brothris) (iv. 3. 119), hither I (=hithri) (ii. 7. 195)—but see below (); perhaps too weeping into (3 syllables) (ii. 1. 46). Instances of slurred liquids are more numerous; e.g., heaven (i. 3. 97 and iii. 5. 58), bitter with him (3 syllables) (iii. 5. 138) father the (2 syllables) (ii. 7. 196), newfall'n dignity (5 syllables) (v. 4. 166), victuall'd so (2 syllables) (v. 4. 182). This rule probably applies to ii. 4. 69— And faints for succour. Fair sir, I pity her where there is a change of speakers (but see 3 (a) (a) above). So too I would scan i. 3. 35 And get you from our court | . Me', un' cle? You', cousin where me and you are clearly emphatic, and cousin is an extra monosyllable. Cf. We do debase | ourselves, cousin, do we not? Rich. II., iii. 3. 127. (3) Syncope of an unaccented vowel in the middle of a word, rare before a consonant, is very common before a liquid. E.g., humorous (i. 2. 232), natural (i. 2. 242), unnatural (iv. 3. 121), sovereign (i. 3. 59), reference (i. 3. 120), difference (ii. 1. 6), flattery (ii. I. 10), butchery (ii. 3. 27), boisterous (iv. 3. 31), murmuring (iv. 3. 78), desperate (v. 4. 32), Frederick (v. 4. 144), every (v. 4. 162); animals (ii. 1. 62), but trisyllabic in ii. 1. 36; countenance (iv. 3. 36). It will be seen that contraction before r is far the most common. Even when it comes before the vowel, a liquid seems to make contraction more easy; e.g., forest (i. 3. 100), innocent (ii. I. 39). (4) A long vowel or dipthong is sometimes resolved into two syllables before the liquid r; e.g., hour (2 syllables) (v. 4. 12); so prayers (iv. 3. 55) remains uncontracted. (3) In other, whether, &c., over, ever, even, seven, &c., contraction results after suppression of the consonant; i.e., whe'er (not wheth'r), e'en, se'en (not ev'n, sev'n). E.g., other (I syllable) (i. 2. 239), seventeen (2 syllables) (ii. 3. 71). Cf. Scotch loe for love. Add ta'en for taken (i. 2. 244). 5. Pauses. In §3 I have enumerated the variations possible within the limits of the single line. But, when we come to consider a sequence of lines, or verse-paragraph, a new source of variation is disclosed in the disposition of the pauses. Naturally there is a pause at the end of each line, with a slighter pause (caesura) within the line. Such is the regular structure of the primitive English pentameter (e.g., in Gorboduc); the caesura falling commonly after the second foot. This monotony Shakespeare breaks up (1) by varying the position of the caesura; (2) by dispensing now and then with the end-line pause, thus producing what are called enjambed or run-on lines. There is enjambement in some degree wherever the end of a line goes more closely in reading with what follows than with what goes before. But the closeness of an enjambement depends upon the grammatical connexion, the importance, and the order of the parts. The enjambements in As You Like It, though numerous, are not bold. There are more of those 'light' and 'weak' endings-lines closing on a conjunction, a preposition, a relative, or a copula-which may be found on every page of the Winter's Tale or the Tempest. 6. Metre as a Test of Date. Three of the variations mentioned above are occasionally of use in helping to determine the chronology of Shakespeare's writings:-(1) Rhyme, which he affected less and less; (2) double-endings, and (3) enjambement, which he affected more and more. Their value as chronological tests is not equal; it is lowest in the case of rhyme, which we have seen that Shakespeare uses consciously and for a special purpose; highest in the case of enjambement, where it denotes a gradual growth of the rhythmical sense. More valuable than any, perhaps, is (4) the speech-ending test, based on the coincidence of speechendings with verse-endings, a coincidence which Shakespeare came gradually to avoid. The versification of As You Like It has the general characteristics of the middle period-rhymes are scarce, double-endings common, &c., but the various tests yield no definite result. I give the percentages for As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost (a typical early play), and the Tempest (a typical late play) :— By the first test, As You Like It stands 14th in the list of plays; by the second, 24th; by the third, 12th; by the fourth, 21st. We can only say that, like Twelfth Night, it falls somewhere between Romeo and Juliet and Troilus and Cressida.1 1 The figures in this section are taken from König, Der Vers in Shaksperes Dramen, pp. 130-138. Under the third test König reckons only the more marked enjambements, i.e., those in which enjambement is heightened by close syntactical connexion or otherwise. |