The rhythm of Much
Ado about Nothing, which is continued in Act IV, scene i, is that of
iambs. Iambs describe a rhythm that is
duple, having two beats to each unit of rhythm. It is described as an
unstressed beat followed by a stressed beat and is thought to be the rhythm closest to
the spoken form of English. We'll use Hero's line in the middle of the scene to
illustrate iambs. An unstressed beat is shown by this sign ^ and a stressed beat is
shown by this ':
They^ know' that^ do' ac^ -cuse' me^; I'
know^ none'
You can see that
the duple rhythm of unstressed stressed repeats, in fact, it repeats five times yielding
the poetic meter called pentameter--or five measures of
repeated rhythm.
Shakespeare usually uses line-end
punctuation, seldom utilizing
enjambment. Enjambment is when
the thought of one poetic line continues in the following line and thus has no line-end
punctuation. This same speech of Hero's shows both enjambment and line-end punctuation.
There are three enjambed lines. They
are:
1) If I
know more of any man alive
2) Prove you that any man with me
conversed
3) At hours unmeet, or that I
yesternight
Each of these has
a thought that is carried on in the next line, for
instance:
If I
know more of any man alive
Than that which maiden modesty doth
warrant,
Line-end
punctuation ends the current thought and is such as you are familiar with
from your prose reading. A couple of examples of line-end punctuations that end thoughts
that do not carry on in the next line are:
1) They know that do accuse me; I know
none:
2) Than that which maiden modesty doth
warrant,
Shakespeare also
uses punctuation in a medial (middle) position. This can
either end a thought in mid-line or can designate parts of a thought, just as in prose.
An example of the first is: "Let all my sins lack mercy! O my father, ...." Examples of
the second are:
1) At hours unmeet, or that I
yesternight
2) Refuse me, hate me, torture me to
death!
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