A technical question regarding Shakespeare's Stratford epitaph

[mike thomas]

Hi forum

I have been banging my head against a brick wall over this:

The first two lines of verse in the Shaksepeare epitaph are these:

STAY PASSENGER, WHY GOEST THOU BY SO FAST?
READ IF THOU CANST, WHOM ENVIOUS DEATH HATH PLAST (note: 'placed')

What I cannot figure out is how many syllables are there in each line: 10 or 11?

I can get 10 in the first line if GOEST is counted as a one syllable word, rather than go-est, but the next line?

I see it as: READ IF THOU CANST WHOM EN-VI-OUS DEATH HATH PLAST


The remaining eight lines of the epitaph verse have ten syllables each.


Hoping this makes sense and that some kind person can help me.

Regards

[Sospira]

I read it as 11 syllables in both. With 2 syllables in 'goest' but merged together, so it almost sounds like 1. The same with 'envious' in the second line; the 'vi' and 'ous' could also be merged so although it's 3 syllables ( en-vi-ous) could sound almost like 2 syllables.

What is it for?

[mike thomas]

I read it as 11 syllables in both. With 2 syllables in 'goest' but merged together, so it almost sounds like 1. The same with 'envious' in the second line; the 'vi' and 'ous' could also be merged so although it's 3 syllables ( en-vi-ous) could sound almost like 2 syllables.

What is it for?

Its the first two lines of verse, from the epitaph on the Stratford 'Shakespeare monument. I was stumped at making it scan, after I was informed that it is a 10 syllable per line verse. I forget the technical term but its common in the Sonnets. It does seem like the first two lines could be read as either 10 or 11 syllables.

Thanks for your help in the matter Sospira, it is very much appreciated.

Best wishes

Note: sorry for not providing a link to the Stratford monument site.

[Sospira]

Isn't that just normal iambic pentameter?

[mike thomas]

Isn't that just normal iambic pentameter?

yes, that's the word: iambic pentameter. Is that what those two lines are?

[Sospira]

The epitaph reads:

'Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.'

The epitaph is written in iambic tetrameter, the same meter he uses for the epilogue in 'The Tempest.'




And this is the inscription:

'Judicio Pylium, genio Socratem, arte Maronem
Terra tegit, populus moeret, Olympus habet.
Stay, passenger, why goest thou by so fast?
Read, if thou canst, whom envious death hath placed
Within this monument: Shakespeare, with whom
Quick nature doed; whose name doth deck his tomb
Far more than cost; sith all that he had writ
Leaves living art but page to serve his wit.'

The English part of the inscription (the bit you quoted) is written in iambic pentameter, and I would say due to his modulation of the the first two lines those lines are of 11 syllables rather than the usual 10.

More information here:

http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/shakespeareburial.html


You still didn't say what you needed it for?