RhymeRoyal
From Wyclif
(Burne-Jones wood engraving from the Kelmscott Press edition of The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer)
Please comment here on Chaucer's use of the rhyme royal stanza in Troilus and Criseyde.
So far, I have read about two hundred lines of "Troilus and Criseyde." Had we not already had the discussion about the type of stanza, it might have struck me as a little odd. Because of last week's class discussion, I paid attention to the detail of the stanza. Those last two lines in each stanza seem to have the intended impact so far. Chaucer also seems pretty regular with the beat count in this style; seems like this is where he found his niche. Tonya K.
I certainly agree that Chaucer discovered his own artistry in this poem, Tonya, and I'd like to see comments that are more specific on Chaucer's use of the stanza form in this work. There is also a great deal that can be said about Chaucer's use of expressive metrical variation in the poem (think spondees, trochaic substitutions, etc.), even though, as we discussed in class, it is not always possible to speak with great certainty about certain aspects of Middle English prosody. Poets and prosodists, please contribute.--CW, Feb. 11
Chaucer does keep a fairly regular beat count in this poem, although the silent end "e" sometimes clouds my scansion. He is masterful and attentive with substituion and I will quickly discuss line 743 from Book I. "Ne me to love, a wonder is it nought". The metrical contract created is iambic pentameter, but the first foot breaks the reader's expectation with a spondee. Here Criseyde stresses that she is not in love and the reader discovers in the stanza that she does not wish to be in love, so beginning the line with a spondee draws a great deal of attention to the negative emotion behind her words. The line returns to the contract in the second and third feet but then a pyrrhic in the fourth foot speeds the line into the last iammbic foot, where Cryseyde's attitude towards love, specifically against love, is once again felt. Chaucer is able to develop his character's psychology and personality through substitution by manipulating the emotional impact of his chosen words. It is challenging technique, but he makes it smooth. It is one of the greatest strengths of any poet. Blueridgeborn 2/16/06
I found that because it was written in rhyme royal, it was easier for me to actually understand what was going on when I read Troilus.I still had to use some translations but I wasn't as intimidated as before. (Andreea 4/27)
I agree with Andreea. Rhyme royal is so much easier to read than it was to read The Book of the Dutchess or Parliament of Fowls. I could feel the rhythm and flow of the lines. That made it extremely easy to follow the beat.Brandi
I agree with Brandi and Andreea rhyme royal is easier t read and understand when reading Troilus and Crisyede. (Jennifer 5/8).
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