Finding the relationship between the rhythm of characters' lines can help you sense the relationship between the characters.

Let’s look at the first lines Desdemona and Emilia have in this text.

Emilia

How goes it now? He looks gentler thane did.

Desdemona

He says he will return incontinent.

He hath commanded me to go to bed,

And bid me to dismiss you.

Emilia

Dismiss me?

If you mark the meters in these lines you find the following:

Emilia

- / - / - / - / - / - /

How goes it now? He looks gentler than he did. 6

Desdemona

- / - / - / - / - /

He says he will return incontinent. 5

- / - / - / - / - /

He hath commanded me to go to bed, 5

- / - / - / -

And bid me to dismiss you. 3.5

Emilia

- / -

Dismiss me? 1.5

That would be the notation if we consider Desdemona’s and Emilia’s lines as separate. However, because the conversation is in verse, we find that they are actually sharing one verse line, with Desdemona starting it and Emilia ending it.

Desdemona

- / - / - / -

And bid me to dismiss you. 3.5

Emilia

/     -     /

Dismiss me? 1.5

5

Why is the verse line shared? The rhythm creates a different energy in the line, which may tell us something about what is going on between these characters.

The rhythm creates a different energy in Emilia’s line, than if one said it as a separate line. It seems Desdemona going to start another thought, but Emilia cut her off.

Describe the relationship between Desdemona and Emilia (just as it is here; it might change).

 In the next guide, you'll with how characters share verse lines in a way that is not necessarily "linear", with one character speaking and then the next, their lines following one another, as above.

Instead, you'll be playing with the text more as if it were a musical score, where instruments might be played alone but also might be played at the same time.

This may seem strange until you remember, Shakespeare is writing primarily for our audio sense as a composer of a score is.  It's just that Shakespeare is writing conversations we listen to, instead of music.  In conversation, people often overlap one another, so that two voices speak at once, just as two (or three or more) instruments may overlap and play at the same time.

To get this guide and subsequent guides for this scene, contact us at chicspeare1996@gmail.com.