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