This scansion suggests that Lysander believes that it is specifically 'true' love, not all kinds of love, that endure difficulties. The first scansion of this line is, once again, the classic: iambs all the way through. 'The course of true love never did run smooth ' ( A Midsummer Night's Dream, I.1.138) 'The course of true love never did run smooth ' (A Midsummer Night's Dream, I.1.138) Scansion #1: Straight Iambs She wishes Romeo to be anything but a Montague––so, longing for what Romeo is not, she puts the emphasis on what he is. The second scansion of this line stresses 'art' instead of 'thou.' Stressing 'art' suggests that Juliet is now lamenting Romeo's family, rather than his role as her lover. Scansion #2: O + Romeo + Romeo + 2 Trochees + Romeo This scansion stresses 'thou' but not 'art' in addition to the fixed stresses of the words 'wherefore' and 'Romeo.' That stress on 'thou' suggests that Juliet laments that she chose a Montague, rather than anyone else, to be her lover. 'O* Rome o, Rome o, wherefore art thou Rom eo?' ( Romeo and Juliet, II.2.33) Scansion #1: O + Romeo + Romeo + Trochee + Iamb + Romeo *The 'O' in these lines is sometimes stressed as a moment of emotional release, and sometimes unstressed as a metrical device. '.wherefore art thou Romeo? (Romeo and Juliet, II.2.33) Yet another possible scansion of this line adds another spondee: this scansion stresses 'not' and 'why.' Rather than questioning the reason behind his emotion and its intensity (as in the first two examples), in this reading, Antonio dwells on his inability to understand his own emotions: he does 'not know' why he feels this way, and that is what disturbs him most.ģ. Here, Antonio is focused on the question of 'why' his emotions are 'so' extreme. Reading the line this way suggests that Antonio is wondering about the reason for his current state: 'why' is he feeling 'sad'? Scansion #2: Iambs with 1 SpondeeĪ second possible scansion of this line introduces the spondee (two stressed syllables next to one another) 'so sad' into the line. Strict iambs, like in this scansion, are the scansion most readers or actors begin with because Shakespeare mainly wrote in iambic pentameter. 'In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.' ( The Merchant of Venice, I.1.1) 'In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.' (The Merchant of Venice, I.1.1) Scansion #1: Straight Iambs In this reading, Hamlet precisely identifies the 'question' he was looking for, as that of 'To be or not to be'––rather than any other question he could have posed. In this second scansion, the line contains the trochee of 'that is': a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.

Reading the line this way suggests that Hamlet was wondering whether or not 'To be or not to be' was, in fact, an important 'question.' Scansion #2: Iambs with Trochaic Inversion This uses only iambs, in Shakespeare's most signature style of verse.

'To be or not to be, that is the question:' ( Hamlet, III.1.55) 'To be or not to be, that is the question:' (Hamlet, III.1.55) Scansion #1: Straight Iambs Along with each scansion is an explanation of how that scansion could affect a listener or audience member's understanding of the line.ġ. The highlighted syllables represent changes to the previous scansion. The stressed syllables are marked in bold, the unstressed syllables in plain font. So scansion is subjective, not authoritative.īelow are five Shakespeare's famous lines, and some possible ways to scan them.

So which way is correct? In short, it could be both or either: it is up to the reader or the actor to decide. Sometimes in Shakespeare, however, lines can be scanned in multiple, natural-sounding ways. Over the summer, we published a brief guide to scanning Shakespeare's verse.

Scansion example