eighth, and tenth are accented. ne line consists, there. fore, of five parts, each of which contains an unaccented followed by an accented syllable, as in the word attend. Each of these five parts forms what is called a foot or measure; and the five together form a pentameter. "Pentameter" is a Greek word signifying "five measures." This is the usual form of a line of blank verse. But a long poem composed entirely of such lines would be monotonous, and for the sake of variety several important modifications have been introduced. (a) After the tenth syllable, one or two unaccented syllables are sometimes added; as "Me-thought | you said | you nei | ther lend | nor bor | row." (b) In any foot the accent may be shifted from the second to the first syllable, provided two accented syllables do not come together. "Pluck' the young suck' | ing cubs' | from the' | she bear'."| (c) In such words as "yesterday." " "voluntary," "honesty," the syllables -day, -ta-, and -ty falling in the place of the accent, are, for the purposes of the verse, regarded as truly accented. "Bars' me the right' | of vol'- | un-ta' | ry choos' | ing." (d) Sometimes we have a succession of accented syllables; this occurs with monosyllabic feet only. "Why, now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark." (e) Sometimes, but more rarely, two or even three unaccented syllables occupy the place of one; as "He says he does, | being then | most flat | ter-ed." (ƒ) Lines may have any number of feet from one to six. Finally, Shakespeare adds much to the pleasing variety of his blank verse by placing the pauses in different parts of the line (especially after the second or third foot), instead of placing them all at the ends of lines, as was the earlier custom. N. B.-In some cases the rhythm requires that what we usually pronounce as one syllable shall be divided into two, as fi-er (fire), su-er (sure), mi-el (mile), &c.; too-elve (twelve), jaw-ee (joy), &c. Similarly, she-on (-tion or -sion). It is very important to give the pupil plenty of ear-training by means of formal scansion. This will greatly assist him in his reading. PLAN OF STUDY FOR 'PERFECT POSSESSION.' To attain to the standard of 'Perfect Possession,' the reader ought to have an intimate and ready knowledge of the subject. (See opposite page.) The student ought, first of all, to read the play as a pleasure; then to read it over again, with his mind upon the characters and the plot; and lastly, to read it for the meanings, grammar, &c. With the help of the scheme, he can easily draw up for himself short examination papers (1) on each scene, (2) on each act, (3) on the whole play. (See page 230.) 8 1. The Plot and Story of the Play. (a) The general plot ; (b) The special incidents. 2. The Characters: Ability to give a connected account of all that is done and most of what is said by each character in the play. 3. The Influence and Interplay of the Characters upon each other. (a) Relation of A to B and of B to A ; (b) Relation of A to C and D. 4. Complete Possession of the Language. (a) Meanings of words; (b) Use of old words, or of words in an old meaning; (c) Grammar; (a) Ability to quote lines to illustrate a grammatical point. 5. Power to Reproduce, or Quote. (a) What was said by A or B on a particular occasion; (b) What was said by A in reply to B; (c) What argument was used by C at a particular juncture; (d) To quote a line in instance of an idiom or of a peculiar meaning. 6. Power to Locate. (a) To attribute a line or statement to a certain person on a certain occasion; (b) To cap a line; (c) To fill in the right word or epithet. 1. The first known edition of Hamlet appeared in 1603. It bore the following title-page :— THE Tragicall Historie of HAMLET By William Shake-speare. As it hath beene diuerse times acted by his Highnesse seruants in the Cittie of London : as also in the two Vniuersities of Cambridge and Oxford, and elsewhere At London printed for N. L. and John Trundell. 1603. The second quarto appeared in the following year, with a title-page much altered : THE Tragicall Historie of Prince of Denmarke. By William Shakespeare. Newly imprinted and enlarged to almost as much Coppie. AT LONDON, Printed by I. R. for N. L., and are to be sold at his shoppe vnder St. Dunston's Church in Fleetstreet 1604. ΤΟ It was upon this second quarto that all future editions of the play were based. It is conjectured that Shakespeare worked upon the basis of an old play, an edition of which is known to have appeared in 1602; that the quarto of 1603 represents his remodelling of this old play; and that the edition of 1604 was a complete and final recast. 2. The story seems to have been drawn from the Historia Danica of Saxo Grammaticus, a native of Elsinore, who wrote about the end of the twelfth century; though the earliest existing edition of his history has the date of 1514. A French writer, Francis de Belleforest, embodied the story of Amleth, Hamlet, or Hamblet in his Histoires Tragiques; and an unknown English writer translated this story and published it separately under the title of The Hystorie of Hamblet—a black-letter quartc copy of which, bearing the date of 1608, exists in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. 3. The play of Hamlet is the longest of Shakespeare's plays; and it is one of the greatest. It is also the most varied in incident; and the argument of the play would make a very long story. Though full of incident, the main interest of the play is centred in thought and character-in the moods of mind through which Hamlet passes, until he meets death in the fulfilment of the purpose towards which he has not marched or hastened, but simply drifted. There has also been more written about Hamlet than about any other play in the world. The books, pamphlets, and papers that have appeared on this play would constitute a respectable library. The play belongs to what has been called Shakespeare's period of Middle Tragedy'; and its companion in this category is Julius |