A question about meter and scansion
I understand meter pretty well, but there is still one situation which I am unclear on.
This line ...
and a German soldier directing him
... has ten syllables, but there is no way to make it iambic pentameter, is there? In my opinion, it is wrong to do this:
and a / GER man / SOL dier/ di RECT / ing HIM
That first foot (a pyrrhic) is "illegal" because neither syllable can take a theoretical stress. Indeed, the line has only four syllables that can take a stress, so the line has to be counted as tetrameter, doesn't it?
In my view, the only way to scan that line is like this:
and a GER / man SOL / dier di RECT / ing HIM
... with two anapests as substutions for iambs.
(If anyone answers this, I'll respond this evening. Did I post it in the right forum?)
Last edited by Perry James; 06-29-2018 at 08:33 AM.
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