Darlene McCoy
Michael Ursell
LTEL 170C - Shakespeare
25 October 2011
Verse and Prose - the Effects that Affect
In the great tragedy Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio, a well-born man of Verona, alternates between speaking verse and prose. Shakespeare's choice to use verse or prose on Mercutio's behalf produces an effect. Yet, there is not one "catch all" effect associated with his use of verse, nor one with his use of prose. There are multiple effects that arise by his employment of one or the other. An analysis of a passage of verse and a passage of prose, both spoken by Mercutio, illustrate the number of effects verse and prose can create in the text.
Mercutio speaks the first passage in Act II, Scene 1, Lines 6-21. He calls after Romeo after he abandons the other Montagues in order to speak with Juliet again. He attempts to "conjure" him, as if Romeo were not himself, with images of a fair maid in which he was in love with just a few hours earlier. When Romeo does not answer to his name, the Montagues return home without him. This passage is written in verse.
Benvolio sparks the second passage. He urges Mercutio to retire in worry that they may come upon a conflict with the rival house of Capulet. Mercutio responds haughtily, telling Benvolio that he has no right to defer him from quarreling, because he has so often started pointless quarrels himself. Passage two is written in prose (3.1.15-29).
It is important to note that in each passage, Mercutio is in conversation with a different person. While Mercutio associates himself with both Romeo and Benvolio often, his relationship with either differs from the other, especially in the passages under observation. Mercutio finds Romeo in the world to be his dear friend, and while Benvolio is close with Mercutio as well, he is not as dear as Romeo. To look further into the difference of their relationships, the context in which Mercutio speaks to either needs to be assessed. Mercutio's call after Romeo is a formal plea for his friend to return to the identity that he knows him by. In the specific context of the passage, Romeo is not Romeo; Romeo is not Mercutio's dear friend. Mercutio calls after a man whom he does not know, so naturally, he does so in verse. Alternatively, Mercutio and Benvolio stroll about town while having their conversation. Benvolio never falls out of nor questions his identity in Romeo and Juliet. Therefore, Benvolio is Benvolio; and Mercutio addresses him in the language of chums: prose. This slight discrepancy caused by Shakespeare's use of either verse or prose further alludes to a questioning of identity theme of the play. It also builds upon the idea that because Romeo is be-smitten with love, Romeo is not Romeo.
The tone and subject of each of Mercutio's passages warrants a decision to use either verse or prose. The verse passage contains many words associated with love. Mercutio speaks of Venus and Cupid, and alludes to a tale in which a king decides to marry a beggar-maid just because he loves her. The diction of the passage contains words such as fair, love, dove, and sigh. The whole passage is in iambic pentameter, so the lines, when spoken, flow beautifully and take on a natural rhythm. It would be only natural for Mercutio to speak of the sweeter things in life using sweeter language. The prose passage conveys quite the different feeling. Mercutio gives Benvolio example after example of an instance where he started a quarrel for no reason. His subject is crass, rough, and far from the fairness that adorns the verse passage. He uses words such as "cracking," "meat," and "beaten." Those words are more vulgar and common; therefore Mercutio uses prose to speak of them. The use of verse and prose in these two instances pits the subject of love and the subject of quarreling against each other. Shakespeare's language implies that love is fair, while quarreling is vulgar and crass.
The punctuation or lack thereof in each passage creates an effect. In the verse passage, almost every single line is end-stopped, and there are end-stops mid-line as well. These stops slow the progression of the lines; they demand that the speaker take the time to pause at each stop. After Mercutio speaks in verse, Romeo and Juliet confess their undying love for each other. In contrast, substantially fewer punctuation marks dot the prose passage, causing them to become enjambed. The lack of punctuation accelerates the lines to the point where they seem rushed. After Mercutio speaks his prose passage, he and Benvolio find themselves presented with a conflict with the Capulets. Mercutio loses his life in the ensuing brawl. In Romeo and Juliet, the progression of time is an omnipresent theme. The use of verse or prose here foreshadows a later happening of the play, and further enhances the presence of the progression of time.
Verse is language written in a metric rhythm. Because it is written in a certain way, there are effects that can only take place when a passage is written in verse. Mercutio's verse passage is written in iambic pentameter, meaning that each line should contain ten syllables that alternate between stressed and unstressed sounds. In lines eight through fifteen, Mercuio's lines do not follow the usual order of iambic pentameter. There are indeed ten syllables in each line, but the stressed and unstressed sounds do not alternate as they would normally. Lines eight through fifteen are an example of irregular iambic pentameter. The context of lines eight through fifteen are now quite intriguing: Mercutio speaks of Romeo's irregular identity. The irregular iambic pentameter further emphasizes the point Mercutio makes, because the metric language used follows the same theme as the context of the words themselves. Prose simply cannot do the same as verse in this case; for prose does not follow any specific pattern, so it cannot be irregular.
On the other hand, there are effects of the use of prose that verse cannot accomplish. Verse is regulated speech, while prose allows for a more rapid and less stiff flow of thought. In Mercutio's prose passage, he uses a form of the word quarrel seven times. His passage is only fifteen an a half lines long. He uses the word "quarrel" in almost every other line that he speaks. The constant repetition of a word is not an uncommon occurrence in Romeo and Juliet, and the repetition of a word generally foreshadows its own meaning. This case follows the norm of the play, because just as soon as Mercutio finishes his reply to Benvolio, the Capulets appear and begin a quarrel. It is almost as if because he spoke so quickly and so unregulated that Mercutio invoked a quarrel by repeating the word constantly. While it is possible for verse to repeat a word, it is most uncommon, and generally remains a characteristic of prose. Prose takes the upper hand over verse in this case due to its ability to be more malleable than verse. An author can do whatever he pleases with prose, and it will forever be prose. Verse is only verse if it is written in a metric rhythm. Therefore, an author can repeat a word more naturally if he writes in prose, and the more natural feel of the words convey emotions that seem more genuine. The rigidity of verse makes verse passages seem too over-thought at times, which can take away from the emotion the passage may be attempting to conduct.
Shakespeare's use of verse and prose in Romeo and Juliet produces no single effect. On the other hand, his use of either works with the context of the passages to produce multiple meanings, and to promote themes or ideas of the text. There are some effects that prose can produce that verse cannot, and some effects that verse can produce that prose cannot, but Shakespeare's use of both in contrasting passages allows him to compare the ideas present in them without blatantly stating so. By examining these passages in this fashion, it only seems sensible to conclude that Shakespeare chose to use either verse or prose for a specific reason, and that the reason varies from passage to passage, from character to character, or from event to event.
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