Cymbeline: Act II Scene 2

Iachimo - Scansion

x / x / x / x / x /

1. The cri / ckets sing, / and man's / o'er-la / bour'd sense

x / x / x / x / x /

2. Re pairs / it self / by rest.[1] / Our Tar / quin thus

x / x / x / x / x / x

3. Did soft / ly press / the rush / es, ere / he wak en'd[2]

x / x / x / x / x / x

4. The chas/ ti ty / he wound / ed.[3] Cy / the re a,

x / x / x / x / / / x

5. How brave / ly thou / be comest / thy bed, / fresh lil y,[4]

x / x / x / x / x /

6. And whit / er than / the sheets![5] / That I / might touch!

x / x / / x x / x /

7. But kiss; / one kiss![6] / Ru bies[7] / un par / a gon'd,

x / x / / / x / x /

8. How dear / ly they / do't! 'Tis[8] / her breath / ing that

x / x / x / x / x / x

9. Per fumes / the cham / ber thus: / the flame / o' the[9] ta per[10]

/ / x x x / x / x /

10. Bows toward[11] / her, and[12] / would un / der-peep / her lids,

x / x / x / x / x /

11. To see / the’en[13] clos / ed lights, / now can / o pied

/ x x / x / x / x /

12. Un der[14] / these win / dows, white / and a / zure laced

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13. With blue / of heav’n's[15] / own tinct.[16] / But my / de sign,

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14. To note / the cham / ber: I / will write / all down:

/ x / / x / x / x /

15. Such and / such pic[17] / tures; there / the win / dow; such

x / x / x / x / x / x

16. Th’a dorn[18] / ment of / her bed; / the ar / ras; fig ures,[19]

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

17. Why, such / and such; / and the / con tents / o' the / sto ry.[20]

/ x x / x / x / x / x

18. Ah, but[21] / some na / tural[22] notes / a bout / her bo dy,[23]

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19. A bove / ten thou / sand mean / er move / a bles

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20. Would tes / ti fy, / to en[24] rich / mine in / ven to ry.

/ / x / x / x / x / x

21. O sleep[25], / thou ape / of death, / lie dull / u pon her![26]

x / x / x x x / x /

22. And be / her sense / but as[27] / a mon / u ment,

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23. Thus in[28] / a cha / pel ly ing![29] / Come off, / come off:

Taking off her bracelet

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24. As slip / pery[30] as[31] / the Gor / dian knot / was hard!

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25. 'Tis mine; / and this / will wit / ness out / ward ly,

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26. As strong / ly as[32] / the con / science does / with in,

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27. To the[33] mad / ding of / her lord.[34] / On her / left breast

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28. A mole / cinque-spot / ted, like / the crim / son drops

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29. I'the[35] bot / tom of[36] / a cow / slip: here's / a vouch er[37],

/ x x / x / x / x / x

30. Strong er[38] / than ev / er law / could make: / this se cret[39]

x / x / x / x / x /

31. Will force / him think / I have[40] pick'd / the lock / and ta'en[41]

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32. The trea / sure of / her hon / our.[42] No / more.[43] To / what end?[44]

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33. Why should / I write / this down, / that's riv / e ted,

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

34. Screw'd to[45] / my mem / o ry?[46] / She hath / been read / ing late[47]

x / x / x / x / x /

35. The tale / of Ter/ eus; here / the leaf's / turn'd down

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36. Where Phi/ lo mel / gave up. / I have / e nough:

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37. To the[48] trunk / a gain, / and shut / the spring / of it.

/ / x / x / x / x / x

38. Swift, swift[49], / you drag / ons of[50] / the night, / that dawn ing[51]

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39. May bare / the ra / ven's eye![52] / I lodge / in fear;

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40. Though this / a heaven[53] / ly an / gel, hell / is here.

Clock strikes

41. One, / two, / three: / time, / time![54]

[1] Line 2: Midline Stop

[2] Line 3: Feminine Ending

[3] Line 4: Midline Stop

[4] Line 5: Feminine Ending

[5] Line 6: Midline Stop

[6] Line 7: Midline Stop

[7] Line 7: Trochee

[8] Line 8: Midline & Midfoot stop, Spondee?

[9] Line 9: Elision (o’the)

[10] Line 9: Feminine Ending

[11] Line 10: Monosyllable “toward” & Spondee?

[12] Line 10: Pyrrhic

[13] Line 11: Elision (th’enclosed)

[14] Line 12: Trochee

[15] Line 13: Elision (heav’ns)

[16] Line 13: Midline Stop

[17] Line 15: Counterintuitive stresses. Trochee & Spondee?

[18] Line 16: Elision (th’adornment)

[19] Line 16: Feminine Ending

[20] Line 17: possible Alexandrine with double pyrric/trochee would read “and the /CON tents / of the / STO ry” rendering the elision moot

[21] Line 18: Trochee

[22] Line 18: Elision (nat’ral)

[23] Line 18: Feminine Ending

[24] Line 20: Elision (t’enrich)

[25] Line 21: Spondee

[26] Line 21: Feminine Ending

[27] Line 22: Pyrrhic

[28] Line 23: Pyrrhic

[29] Line 23: Midline Stop, Epic Ceasura (extra unstressed syllable before midline break)

[30] Line 24: Elision (slip’ry)

[31] Line 24: Pyrrhic

[32] Line 26: Pyrrhic

[33] Line 27: Elision (T’the)

[34] Line 27: Midline Stop

[35] Line 29: Elision

[36] Line 29: Pyrrhic

[37] Line 29: Feminine Ending

[38] Line 30: Trochee

[39] Line 30: Feminine Ending

[40] Line 31: Elision

[41] Line 31: Elision

[42] Line 32: Midline Stop

[43] Line 32: Midline Stop

[44] Line 32: A bit of prose? Or a breezy elision? “n’MORE! T’what END?” No justification for making it an Alexandrine with oddly broken meter.

[45] Line 34: Trochee

[46] Line 34: Midline Stop

[47] Line 34: Alexandrine

[48] Line 37: Elision (T’the)

[49] Line 38: Spondee

[50] Line 38: Pyrrhic

[51] Line 38: Fem Ending

[52] Line 39: Midline stop

[53] Line 40: Elision “Heav’n(ly)” becomes disyllable

[54] Line 41: a sound effect replaces the missing syllable in each foot?

Ben Steinfeld