Shakespeare and the Versification of English Drama, 1561-1642

424 Pages·2014·3.22 MB·English

by  Marina Tarlinskaja

ShakeSpeare and the VerSification
of engliSh drama, 1561–1642
In memory of M. L. Gasparov
Shakespeare and the Versification
of English Drama, 1561–1642
marina tarlinSkaja
University of Washington, USA
© Marina Tarlinskaja 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Marina Tarlinskaja has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company
Wey Court East 110 Cherry Street
Union Road Suite 3-1
Farnham Burlington, VT 05401-3818
Surrey, GU9 7PT USA
England
www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Tarlinskaja, Marina.
Shakespeare and the versification of English drama, 1561–1642 / by Marina Tarlinskaja.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4724-3028-1 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4724-3029-8 (ebook)
1. Shakespeare, William, 1564–1616—Versification. 2. Verse drama, English—History
and criticism. 3. English drama—Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500–1600—History and
criticism. I. Title.
PR3085.T35 2014
822.3’3—dc23
2014008234
ISBN: 9781472430281 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781472430298 (ebk – PDF)
V
contents
List of Tables vii
List of Figures ix
Acknowledgements xi
1 Why Study Versification? Versification Analysis; Tests 1
2 How It All Began: from Surrey’s Aeneid to Marlowe’s Tamburlaine 33
3 Early Elizabethan Playwrights: Kyd, Marlowe, Greene, Peele,
Early Shakespeare. 2, 3 Henry VI and Arden of Faversham. 69
4 Shakespeare’s Versification: Evolution. Co-authored Plays.
The Poem A Lover’s Complaint 123
5 Jacobean and Caroline Playwrights: From Shakespeare to Shirley 193
6 Conclusions: Shakespeare and Versification, 1540s–1640s 257
Appendix A: Verse Form and Meaning: Rhythmical Italics 267
Appendix B: General Tables B.1–B.16 287
Glossary 377
References 383
Index 401
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list of tables
B.1 general table: frequency of Stresses 288
B.2 general table: frequency of Word Boundaries 306
B.3 general table: frequency of Strong Syntactic Breaks 315
B.4 general table: additional points that help attribution 324
B.5 general table: lines Split Between personages 347
B.6 A Lover’s Complaint compared to other Works: frequency
of Stresses 349
B.7 A Lover’s Complaint compared to other Works: frequency
of Word Boundaries 351
B.8 A Lover’s Complaint compared to other Works: frequency
of Strong Syntactic Breaks 354
B.9 A Lover’s Complaint compared to other Works: additional
points that help attribution 356
B.10 Sir Thomas More compared to other Works: frequency
of Stresses 359
B.11 Sir Thomas More compared to other Works: frequency of
Word Boundaries 363
B.12 Sir Thomas More compared to other Works: frequency of
Strong Syntactic Breaks 367
B.13 Double Falsehood compared to other Works: frequency
of Stresses 371
B.14 Double Falsehood compared to other Works: frequency of
Word Boundaries 372
B.15 Double Falsehood compared to other Works: frequency of
Strong Syntactic Breaks 373
B.16 Double Falsehood compared to other Works: additional
points that help attribution 374
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list of figures
1.1 constrained and loose iambic pentameter: Stressing on
Strong (even) Syllabic positions 19
1.2 constrained and loose iambic pentameter: Strong Syntactic
Breaks after Syllables 2–11 25
3.1 kyd compared to contemporaries: Stressing on Strong
(even) Syllabic positions 95
3.2 kyd and marlowe compared to Hieronimo: Strong Syntactic
Breaks after Syllables 2–11 98
4.1 Shakespeare’s periods: Stressing on Strong (even) Syllabic
positions 127
4.2 Shakespeare’s periods: Strong Syntactic Breaks after
Syllables 2–11 131
4.3 Shakespeare compared to fletcher in Henry VIII: Strong
Syntactic Breaks after Syllables 2–11 144
4.4 Shakespeare compared to fletcher in Henry VIII: masculine
line endings: losses of Stress on position 10 caused by
monosyllables and polysyllables 146
4.5 Shakespeare compared to fletcher in Henry VIII: feminine
line endings created by polysyllables (Simple endings) and
by monosyllables (compound endings), compound light
(monosyllables on 11 are Unstressed), or compound heavy
(monosyllables on 11 are Stressed 147
4.6 Shakespeare compared to fletcher in Henry VIII: run-on
lines 148
4.7 Shakespeare compared to fletcher in The Two Noble Kinsmen:
feminine line endings 150
4.8 Shakespeare compared to fletcher in The Two Noble
Kinsmen: masculine line endings: loss of Stress on Syllabic
position 10 151
4.9 Shakespeare compared to fletcher in The Two Noble Kinsmen:
run-on lines 152