The forty lines of Shakespeare work

The forty lines of Shakespeare work

Fabian: Ay, an you had any eye behind you, you might see (11)more detraction at your heels than fortunes before (8)you. (1)
Mavolio: M, O, A, I; this simulation is not as the former: and (11)yet, to crush this a little, it would bow to me, for (11)every one of these letters are in my name. Soft! (11)here follows prose. (3)[Reads] ‘If this fall into thy hand, revolve. In my stars I (10)am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some (11)are born great, some achieve greatness, and some (8)have greatness thrust upon ’em. Thy Fates open (8)their hands; let thy blood and spirit embrace them; (8)and, to inure thyself to what thou art like to be, (11)cast thy humble slough and appear fresh. Be (8)opposite with a kinsman, surly with servants; let (8)thy tongue tang arguments of state; put thyself into (9)the trick of singularity: she thus advises thee (8)that sighs for thee. Remember who commended thy (10)yellow stockings, and wished to see thee ever (8)cross-gartered: I say, remember. Go to, thou art (9)made, if thou desirest to be so; if not, let me see (11)thee a steward still, the fellow of servants, and (11)not worthy to touch Fortune’s fingers. Farewell. (8)THE FORTUNATE-UNHAPPY.’ (3)Daylight and champaign discovers not more: this is (10)open. I will be proud, I will read politic authors, (10)I will baffle Sir Toby, I will wash off gross 1185(11)acquaintance, I will be point-devise the very man. (9)I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade (10)me; for every reason excites to this, that my lady (10)loves me.

She did commend my yellow stockings of (10)late, she did praise my leg being cross-gartered; (9)and in this she manifests herself to my love, and (10)with a kind of injunction drives me to these habits (9)of her liking. I thank my stars I am happy. I will (7)be strange, stout, in yellow stockings, and (7)cross-gartered, even with the swiftness of putting (8)on. Jove and my stars be praised! Here is yet a (7)postscript. (1)[Reads] ‘Thou canst not choose but know who I am. If thou (11)entertainest my love, let it appear in thy smiling; (10)thy smiles become thee well; therefore in my (9)presence still smile, dear my sweet, I prithee.’ (8)Jove, I thank thee: I will smile; I will do (9)everything that thou wilt have me.(6)

The given circumstances

This part happens immediately after Sir Tobby, Mavolio and Fabian got in a furious argument that could lead to fight. Mavolio then reads a letter in prose after everyone has cooled down after duration of tense fight and threats.

Why the extract is important in the context of the whole play
This extract come in to show how tensed it has been a processing of trying to woo Olivia. It comes to show how the process of the theme of love in the play has in it engraved in it conflicts. This extract is of open conflict because that is proving hard to woo Olivia to Duke Orsino. The prose Mavolio reads out show more struggles and willingness to delve deep in love.

Scanning for rhyme and rhythm

Fabian: Ay, an you had any eye behind you, you might see (11)more detraction at your heels than fortunes before (8)you. (1)
Mavolio: M, O, A, I; this simulation is not as the former: and (11)yet, to crush this a little, it would bow to me, for (11)every one of these letters are in my name. Soft! (11)here follows prose. (3)[Reads] ‘If this fall into thy hand, revolve. In my stars I (10)am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some (11)are born great, some achieve greatness, and some (8)have greatness thrust upon ’em. Thy Fates open (8)their hands; let thy blood and spirit embrace them; (8)and, to inure thyself to what thou art like to be, (11)cast thy humble slough and appear fresh. Be (8)opposite with a kinsman, surly with servants; let (8)thy tongue tang arguments of state; put thyself into (9)the trick of singularity: she thus advises thee (8)that sighs for thee. Remember who commended thy (10)yellow stockings, and wished to see thee ever (8)cross-gartered: I say, remember. Go to, thou art (9)made, if thou desirest to be so; if not, let me see (11)thee a steward still, the fellow of servants, and (11)not worthy to touch Fortune’s fingers. Farewell. (8)THE FORTUNATE-UNHAPPY.’ (3)Daylight and champaign discovers not more: this is (10)open. I will be proud, I will read politic authors, (10)I will baffle Sir Toby, I will wash off gross(11)acquaintance, I will be point-devise the very man. (9)I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade (10)me; for every reason excites to this, that my lady (10)loves me. She did commend my yellow stockings of (10)late, she did praise my leg being cross-gartered; (9)and in this she manifests herself to my love, and (10)with a kind of injunction drives me to these habits (9)of her liking. I thank my stars I am happy. I will (7)be strange, stout, in yellow stockings, and (7)cross-gartered, even with the swiftness of putting (8)on. Jove and my stars be praised! Here is yet a (7)postscript. (1)[Reads] ‘Thou canst not choose but know who I am. If thou (11)entertainest my love, let it appear in thy smiling; (10)thy smiles become thee well; therefore in my (9)presence still smile, dear my sweet, I prithee.’ (8)Jove, I thank thee: I will smile; I will do (9)everything that thou wilt have me.(6)

What the structure of the extract means

There Is No Rhyme,
The extracts a regular rhyme, this is because it is a letter focuses more on the message more than the language style. The emphatic part of the letter comes through a heavy diction and repetitive nature of the letter.

The rhythm

The prose begins with an irregular iamb enchantment of ten, eleven, eight and nine words. Mavolio is just after solving a dispute and he feel confident and in jubilant mode. This fact is in his vehemence and fluency. The prose letter also lacks the regular rhythm and the words in the lines begin with higher word count. Towards the end of the letter the word counts reduces to alternate of seven eight and ten. The opening of the letter has more word count because introduction of letter is thereof more heavy what would be considered the body and the conclusion.

The diction

Mavolio is entitled to a moderate to heavy diction in the play and it matches his bit in reading the letter. The letter is of a sophisticated diction and is more emphatic on the thematic expressions of the play.
Enjambment versus Caesuras /end stopped lines
The play opens with a talk by Fabian, it has three lines all interconnected with the third made of one line. The letter or a prose made of interconnected lines in various lines follow. The first four lines in the letter are one sentence subdivided into four lines. There develop a break of the line at the fourth line to open another sentence that falls to line eight. There develops another break of line in eight nine to open another sentence that goes to open the third sentence falling onto next four lines. These long sentences suggest a written speech within the play and a prose from a letter. In the twelfth line opens the fourth sentence of the letter breaking it down into the next four lines. The whole prose is of long sentences without breaks, all interconnected. The end-stopped line occurs in the twenty-seventh line in capital letters for emphatic purposes “THE FORTUNATE-UNHAPPY.’
Yellow for Imagery, There is use of imagery in the play to create a figurative image of the points b elaborated.

A prose, the play makes use of a letter, which comes in as a prose within the play. This feature comes to create an out or a distraction from the flow of the play. Shakespeare does make use of the letters in his works when he wants to cause a break or a change of events.