{"id":"01KG8B0AN7P02X73GFPYT2F60E","cid":"bafkreibmnr5vtkuimigpjobt2iprj77khxg5iy3xb6f2zkld2hr43lweje","type":"file","properties":{"cid":"bafkreihph7kjomfnnzquhdw5iwvo6fitlwmgv3aduowwg5u62gtvrhtpvm","content_type":"image/jpeg","filename":"03_merry_wives_of_windsor_1905_page_0148.jpg","height":1778,"key":"pdf-page-1769806505246-o4wiiw344rc","label":"03_merry_wives_of_windsor_1905_page_0148.jpg","page_number":148,"pdf_type":"born_digital","size":384136,"text":"142 Notes\nThis fundamental law of Shakespeare's verse is subject to certain\nmodifications, the most important of which are as follows : —\n1. After the tenth syllable an unaccented syllable (or even two\nsuch syllables) may be added, forming what is sometimes called a\nfemale line; as in iii. 4. 15 : \"Yet, wooing thee, I found thee of\nmore value.\" The rhythm is complete with the first syllable of\nvalue, the second being an extra eleventh syllable.\n2. The accent in any part of the verse may be shifted from an\neven to an odd syllable; as in iii. 4. 21 : \"Cannot attain it, why\nthen, — hark you hither!\" and 79: \"Knowing my mind, you\nwrong me, Master Fenton.\" In both lines (female lines) the\naccent is shifted from the second to the first syllable. This\nchange occurs very rarely in the tenth syllable, and seldom in the\nfourth ; and it is not allowable in two successive accented syllables.\n3. An extra unaccented syllable may occur in any part of the\nline ; as in iii. 4. 5, 13, and 87. In 5 the second syllable of being\nis superfluous; in 13 the last syllable of albeit; and in 87 the\nword a.\n4. Any unaccented syllable, occurring in an even place immedi-\nately before or after an even syllable which is properly accented, is\nreckoned as accented for the purposes of the verse ; as, for instance,\nin iii. 4. 9 and 10. In 9 the last syllable of impossible, and in 10\nthat oi property, are metrically equivalent to accented syllables.\n5. In many instances in Shakespeare words must be lengthened\nin order to fill out the rhythm : —\n(a) In a large class of words in which e or i is followed by an-\nother vowel, the e or i is made a separate syllable ; as ocean, opin-\nion, soldier, patience, partial, marriage, etc. For instance, in this\nplay, iii. 4. 74 (\"Nay, Master Page, be not impatient\") appears to\nhave only nine syllables, but impatient is a quadrisyllable ; and\nthe same is true of submission in iv. 4. 1 1 : \"Be not as extreme in\nsubmission.\" This lengthening occurs most frequently at the end\nof the line.\n(^) Many monosyllables ending in r, re^ rs, res, preceded by a","text_extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:55:05.246Z","text_extracted_by":"pdf-processor","text_has_content":true,"text_source":"born_digital","uploaded":true,"width":1084},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG89K4N3KNPAGDJAVRPVWBA4","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KG89JREDR8WY5QQGYR5FZRDY","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:55:06.663Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:55:08.984Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFFH6ETXGRVD10WPNP3007D6"}}