Metre, Rhythm, and Sounds of Silence in Shakespeare

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article draws a sharp distinction between the terms ‘metre’ and ‘rhythm’. It explores the meaningful non-semantic values in Shakespeare’s verbal patterns, and the super-metrical rhythms they create. It considers the religious and educational contexts in which ordinary people in the sixteenth century experienced metre – experiences which often included the use of paraphrase or hearing something against a memory of another version of the same thing. And it argues that in English, where poets are compelled to grapple with the competing forces of accent and syllable length, the interplay between metre and rhythm can be exploited in fluid, even seemingly improvisational ways. In the spoken language of plays, this feature can be used to aid characterisation by creating specific dramaturgical effects, including different kinds of noise and, crucially, significant silences, which can be missed when metre and rhythm are used as interchangeable terms.