Hamlet - Scansion


HAMLET

       x   /      x     /        x    /       x    /     x    /

54  Horat / io, thou / art e'en / as just / a man

 

        x    /      x      /       x   /      x      /           x   /

55  As e'er / my con / versat / ion coped / withal.

 

HORATIO

       /    x        x      /

56  O, my / dear lord,-- /

 

HAMLET                        x      /      x     /       x    /      x                                                       

                                      Nay, do / not think / I flatt / er;[1]

 

        x       /       x    /           x      /      x    /         x       /

57  For what / advance / ment may / I hope / from thee

 

x     /      x   /     x     /       x     /         /      /         x

58  That no / reven / ue hast / but thy / good spir[2] / its[3],

 

        x     /       x       /           x                /          /       x        x     /       /    x

59  To feed / and clothe / thee?[4] [5] Why / should the / poor be / flatter'd?[6]

 

        x     /     x      /       x         /          /    x           /       /

60  No, let / the can / died tongue / lick ab[7] / surd pomp,[8]

 

        x        /        x      /        x      /       x  x         x     /

61  And crook / the preg / nant hing / es of[9] / the knee

 

x          /        x      /      x      /        x           /         x     /

62  Where thrift / may fol / ow fawn / ing.[10] Dost / thou hear?

 

x      /        x      /        x     /         x    /      x      /

63  Since my / dear soul / was mis / tress of / her choice[11]

 

x       /       x    /        x   /        x       /     x /       x

64  And could / of men / disting / uish, her / elec / tion[12]

 

x       /          x     /       x   /         x     /        x       /

65  Hath seal'd / thee for / herself; / for thou / hast been[13]

 

        x    /       x    /         x          /        x     /       x          /       x

66  As one, / in suff / ering[14] all, / that suff / ers[15] noth / ing,[16]

 

       x    /        x     /       x         /       x     /      x    /

67  A man / that for / tune's buff / ets and / rewards

 

         x       /         x    /      x       /           x       /       x      /

68  Hast ta'en / with e / qual thanks: / and blest / are those

 

x          /         x      /          x      /      x     /       x       /

69  Whose blood / and judg / ment are / so well / commingled,

 

x       /       x     /    x    /       x      /       x        /

70  That they / are not / a pipe / for fort / une's finger

 

        x      /           x      /        x       /               x      /       x     /

71  To sound / what stop / she please.[17] / Give me / that man

 

          x    /     x      /       x        /          x   /     x      /         x

72  That is / not pass / ion's slave, / and I / will wear / him[18]

 

       x   /         /          /            x   x          x      /       x      /

73  In my / heart's core[19], / ay, in[20] / my heart / of heart,[21]

 

        x  /    x     /                  /       x            x      /         x    /

74  As I / do thee.[22] / --Something[23] / too much / of this.--

 

          x     /    x    /      x      /        x   /       x     /

75  There is / a play / to-night / before / the king;

 

        x        /       x   /       x         /       x    /       x      /

76  One scene / of it / comes near / the cir / cumstance

 

           x     /      x      /         x    /      x    /        x      /

77  Which I / have told / thee of / my fath / er's death:

 

      x    /       x       /         x       /        x     /     x   /

78  I prith / ee, when / thou seest / that act / afoot,

 

          /           x           x      /     x    /        x      /     x     /

79  Even[24] with[25] / the ver / y com / ment of / thy soul

 

       x     /          x        /         x   /     x   /       x     /

80  Observe / mine uncle: / if his / occult / ed guilt

 

        x    /     x   /      x    /      x    /      x       /

81  Do not / itself / unken / nel in / one speech

 

      x   /   x     /        x           /        x     /       x       /

82  It is / a damn / ed[26] ghost / that we / have seen,

 

         x     /     x   /     x  /      x      /     x     /

83  And my / imag / inat / ions are / as foul

 

        x    /        x        /     x          /         x      /        x     /

84  As Vul / can's stith / y.[27] Give / him heed / ful note;

 

        x   /      x       /         x    /     x   /      x    /

85  For I / mine eyes / will riv / et to / his face,

 

         x   /      x    /        x     /        x      /         x        /

86  And a / fter we / will both / our judg / ments join

 

       x    /        x    /      x      /        x

87  In cens / ure of / his seem / ing.

                                                                           (shared)


[1] Line 56: Feminine Ending

[2] Line 58: Spondee

[3] Line 58 Feminine Ending

[4] Line 56: Midline & Midfoot stop

[5] Line 59: Assonance: feed, thee, be

[6] Line 59: Alexandrine

[7] Line 60: Trochee

[8] Line 60: Spondee

[9] Line 61: Pyrrhic

[10] Line 62: Midline & Midfoot stop

[11] Line 63: Alliteration: since, soul, mistress, choice

[12] Line 64: Feminine Ending

[13] Line 65: Assonance: seal’d, thee, been

[14] Line 66: Elision (Suff’ring)

[15] Line 66: Repetition (Suffers)

[16] Line 66: Feminine Ending

[17] Line 71: Midline Stop

[18] Line 72: Feminine Ending

[19] Line 73: Spondee

[20] Line 73: Pyrrhic

[21] Line 73: Repetition (Heart)

[22] Line 74: Midline Stop

[23] Line 74: Trochee

[24] Line 79: Elision (E’en)

[25] Line 79: Trochee

[26] Line 82: Extra syllable to word: Dam ned

[27] Line 84: Midline Stop

 

 

Hamlet:   Act 3, Scene 2

John Douglas Thompson