Playing verse not only requires skill, but also imagination.
As we dive back into examining and mining Shakespeare’s verse, we’re often surprised by his choices. Some verse lines are so expertly crafted to fit perfectly within Iambic Pentameter that it’s hard to imagine anyone speaking those lines differently than the way that particular verse structure would allow. However, there’s more than meets the eye here, and I think it’s worth exploring.
Previously, while discussing the feet of the verse, we talked about how the iamb simulates the beating of the human heart. deDUM. “I am.” And so on. That’s why it’s such a simple and effective tool in conveying the poetry to an audience.
But, if you’ll recall, I mentioned that there are other types of feet. Feet that break out of that common and comfortable rhythm. Feet that resemble, perhaps, a hiccup in the heartbeat of the verse. I’ll briefly touch on this concept here, because in reality, this is something Shakespearean scholars dedicate years to studying. So, pardon the condensed explanation here.
“But, what other feet are there?” I hear you asking. Well, have you ever heard of a trochee?
A trochee is a foot of verse that consists of one stressed syllable, followed by an unstressed syllable.
It’s a TROchee.
DEdum.
Now, you may be wondering where, or even how this kind of foot would be used in Shakespearean verse. And if you’ve been reading the other posts here, I’ve got an example you may be familiar with. How about that line we’ve been using from Hamlet?
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Now, in Iambic Pentameter:
To BE / or NOT / to BE, / that IS / the QUEST / ion.
Still looks like it fits into the verse pretty well. But, what if we change out one of these iambs for a trochee? Let’s figure out where that might be. Speak the line aloud to yourself, without focusing on the verse. Just say it like you would if this were a contemporary play. Go ahead. No one’s listening. I’ll wait.
…
Did you hear yourself just now? You should be ashamed. Just kidding. It was fine. In fact, it was closer to the appropriate rhythm we’re looking for. You know why? Because if you spoke it the way I think you did, it might’ve sounded something like this:
To BE / or NOT / to BE, / THAT is / the QUEST / ion.
What’s different here? Look at the fourth foot in this line. That’s not an iamb. It’s a trochee.
Stressed/unstressed.
DEdum.
Very different from an iamb. In fact, it’s an inversion of the stresses. Remember, if we’re relating the natural rhythm of the human heartbeat to perfect Iambic Pentameter, what does it mean if there’s a hiccup like a trochee thrown into the mix?
This is where things get a little more interesting.
I mentioned earlier that in order to play the verse, we need skill, but we also need imagination. We need to be able to think outside the box which the “rules” of scansion can sometimes create for us. Iambic Pentameter is the norm, but what happens when we drop out of that meter, even if it’s just for a single foot? The audience hears a slight hiccup in the rhythm. They know something’s up. But what? There’s no required reading for them. They won’t have done the homework. They don’t have to understand the scansion.
But the actor does. That’s why we have the option of playing this as straight Iambic Pentameter, or, as in the case of this line from Hamlet, of flipping the script on that fourth foot and throwing a trochee in there. We get to use our imagination and creativity to convey our particular interpretation of the character. All built upon our understanding of the fundamental techniques behind playing verse.
And why would we choose to do that? Moreover, why would Shakespeare have given us that option? Well, what do we know about Hamlet, and what he’s going through emotionally here? He’s contemplating suicide, people! Something is indeed rotten in the state of Denmark, and Hamlet is a roiling sea of emotion. That’s why, in this moment, we might choose to send the rhythm into a more uncomfortable, jarring cadence.
deDUM / deDUM / deDUM / DEdum / deDUM / de
The verse just had a mini heart attack. Shakespeare gives us that option because there’s a version here that has Hamlet at his wit’s end, struggling to get the words out, and not at all in a place of poetic tranquility. The verse is telling us he’s struggling to say these words out loud. The audience will not only hear it, they’ll feel it. And if the actor leans into that, he’ll deliver a more complex Hamlet. And the most fascinating thing about this is that Shakespeare has written that possibility in for us.
Playing verse presents us with many opportunities just like this one. Adhering to the rigid rules of Iambic Pentameter will often bring us close to the most appropriate reading of the verse. But we don’t have an obligation to make every line in Shakespeare’s text strictly iambic. He gives us the freedom to interpret, and to play, utilizing all the tools at our disposal, including our own intuitive placement of alternate poetic feet. But be judicious in your navigation of the scansion. If you’re going to deviate from the heartbeat of the verse, as it were, you’re going to need to be able to justify that choice.
Now, here’s some extra credit for the class:
What about this line of poetry we’ve been referencing still stands out to you? We’ve been looking at Iambic Pentameter, and how to best fit Shakespeare’s verse into that structure. But take a closer look at this particular line. If you can spot the irregularity I’m referring to, you get a gold star. But don’t spoil it for the rest of the class, because that’ll be the subject of the next post.
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