Christy0067
Feb 12, 2009
Grammar, Usage / Marking Stressed and Unstressed Syllables in Blank Verse Poetry [4]
I was assigned to mark the Stressed and Unstressed syllables in 30-40 lines of The Idylls of the King by Lord Tennyson. I have the general idea of how to do this, but as I have looked at examples I have noticed that they are sometimes marked differently than I would expect. I have marked the sylables in the way that seems correct to me, but I'm hesitant to turn it in because I don't think I completely understand how to determine which syllables should be stressed and unstressed. This is how I have marked it (the bold syllables being the stressed ones):
On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And through the field the road run by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island ofShalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady ofShalott.
By the margin, willow veil'd,
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhail'd
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady ofShalott?
Only reapers, reaping early,
In among the bearded barley
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly;
Down to tower'd Camelot;
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers, " 'Tis the fairy
The Lady ofShalott."
I'm esspecially unsure because I don't know if some things were pernounced differently when this was written. Is Shalot pronounced Shalot or Shalot?
Anyway, I would really apreciate it if someone could look over this and maybe try to explain to me how to do this, so I can understand it better.
Thanks in advance,
Christy
I was assigned to mark the Stressed and Unstressed syllables in 30-40 lines of The Idylls of the King by Lord Tennyson. I have the general idea of how to do this, but as I have looked at examples I have noticed that they are sometimes marked differently than I would expect. I have marked the sylables in the way that seems correct to me, but I'm hesitant to turn it in because I don't think I completely understand how to determine which syllables should be stressed and unstressed. This is how I have marked it (the bold syllables being the stressed ones):
On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And through the field the road run by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island ofShalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady ofShalott.
By the margin, willow veil'd,
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhail'd
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady ofShalott?
Only reapers, reaping early,
In among the bearded barley
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly;
Down to tower'd Camelot;
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers, " 'Tis the fairy
The Lady ofShalott."
I'm esspecially unsure because I don't know if some things were pernounced differently when this was written. Is Shalot pronounced Shalot or Shalot?
Anyway, I would really apreciate it if someone could look over this and maybe try to explain to me how to do this, so I can understand it better.
Thanks in advance,
Christy
