HAMLET TO LAERTES. 2. Zounds! show me what thoul't do : woul't weep? woul't fight? woul't fast? woul't tear thyself? I'll do it. Dost thou come here to whine? to outface mě, with leaping in her grăve? be buried quick with her, and so will I; and if thou prate of mountains, let them throw MILLIONS of acres on us, till our ground, singeing her pate against the burning zone, make Ossa like a wart. Nay, and thoul't mouthe, I'll rant as well as thôn THE MONOTONE. The Monotone is sameness of sound, arising from repeating the several words or syllables of a passage in one and the same general tone. The Monotone is employed in the delivery of a passage that is solemn or sublime. EXAMPLES. 1. Man that is bōrn of wōmān, is of few days and full of trouble. He cometh fōrth like a flower, and is cût down; hỗ flēēth alsō as a shadow, and continuēth nōt. 2. Man diēth, and wāstēth away: yêā, man gīvēth up the ghōst, and whērē is he? As the wātērs fail frōm thể sẽã, and the flood decāyêth and driēth up, so mãn liēth down, and riseth nōt; till the hēāvēns bē nō mōrẻ, they shall nōt āwāke, nōr bē raised out of their sleep. 3. For thus saith the high and lofty one that Inhābītēth eternity, whose name is Hōly, I dwell in the high and hōly place. 4. Lōrd, thōu häst been ōûr dwelling-plāce în all gēnērātiōns. Before the mountāīns wērē brought fōrth, ōr ēvēr thōu hādst fōrmed the earth and the world, even from ēverlasting tỏ ēvēr lasting, Thou art Göd. 5. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep fāllēth on man, fear came upon me and trembling, which made all my bōnēs to shake. Then a spirit passed befōre my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still; but I could not discern the form thereof. An image was before my eyes; there was SILENCE; and I heard a voice saying, "Shall mortal mãn bẻ more just than God? Shāll a mãn bẻ more pûre than his Maker'?" 6. Holy! HOLY! HOLY Lord God of Sābāōth! 7. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name ! PAUSES. E have seen that the art of Elocution is the application WE of that system of rules which teaches us to pronounce written composition with justness, energy, variety, and ease. Agreeably to this definition, reading may be considered as that species of delivery which not only expresses the sense of an author, so as barely to be understood, but which, at the same time, gives it all that force, beauty, delicacy, and variety of which it is susceptible; the first consideration depends upon grammatical pauses which separate clauses, sentences, and paragraphs, according to their sensethe last depends much upon rhetorical pauses which are introduced to give expression to the words of an author. The length of pauses are not fixed and invariable, and so cannot be brought under precise rules. There are, however, a few general principles which may be safely observed as far as they have application. One is, that the pause should be proportioned to the rate of utterance-the intervals of rest being comparatively long when the rate is slow, and short when it is quick. RULES FOR RHETCRICAL PAUSES. RULE I. A long pause may be made before or after a word expressive of intense feeling. Examples. 1. Banished from Rome! What's banished, but set free? 2. And their young voices rose | A VENGEANCE CRY TO GOD! 3. And made me | a poor orphan boy. 4. Stand-the ground's your own, my braves. 5. Ho! man the pumps. 6. Beware-beware-the rapids are below you. RULE II. A slight pause should mark an ellipsis or omission of a word. Examples. 1. Their palaces were houses not made with hands; their diadems | crowns of glory. 2. To our faith we should add virtue; and to virtue | knowledge; and to knowledge | temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience | godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness | charity. RULE III. After words, placed in opposition to each other, there should be a pause. Examples. 1. The morn | was bright, but the eve I was clouded and dark. 2 Some place the bliss in action, | some in ease; 3. Those call it pleasure, and contentment | these. RULE IV. A pause is required between the parts of a sen tence which may be transposed. Examples. 1. With famine and death | the destroying angel came. 2. To whom the Goblin, full of wrath, replied. 3. The pangs of memory are to madness | wrought. RULE V. Before and after an intervening phrase, there should be a short pause. Examples. 1. A company of waggish boys were watching of frogs at the side of the pond, and still as any of them put up their heads, they would be pelting them down again with stones • "Children," (says one of the frogs,) "you never consider, that though this may be play to you, it is death to us." 2. I had letters from him (here I felt in my pockets) that exactly spoke the Czar's character, which I knew perfectly well. RULE VI. Before conjunctions, or prepositions and similes, a pause is usually required. Examples. 1. I have watched their pastimes | and their labors. 2. We must not yield to their foolish entreaties. 3. He continued steadfast | like the spring-time. RULE VII. There should be a pause before a verb in the infinitive mood, depending upon another verb. Examples. 1. He daily strove | to elevate their condition. 2. Do not dare | to lay your hands on the Constitution. 3. I had hoped to have had an opportunity to oblige so good a friend. RULE VIII. Before the relative pronouns, who, which, that, and what, a pause is generally necessary. Examples. 1. Let us look forward to the end of that century | which has commenced. 2. Spirit that breathest through my lattice, thou | 3. His natural instinct discovers | what knowledge can per form. 4. There is not a great author here | who did not write for us; not a man of science | who did not investigate for us. We have received advantages from every hour of toil | that ever made these great and good men weary. RULE IX. An adjective placed after its noun, should be separated from it by a short pause. Examples. 1. He was a man-contented, virtuous, and happy. 2. I behold its summit | noble and sublime. RULE X. A pause is required after the nominative case, when it is emphatic or consists of more than one word. Examples. 1. A remarkable affair | happened yesterday. 2. To be devoid of sense | is a terrible misfortune. 3. Industry is the guardian of innocence.' WE PERSONATION. E mean, by Personation in Elocution, the change in the pitch-force movement and tone or quality of voice, from narrative or unimpassioned style to introduce a new character, or several characters. Several voices or speakers may be presented by observing certain peculiarities or changes in expression of countenance and voice. EXAMPLES. Narrative. And when Peter saw it he answered unto the people: "Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at Personation. this? or, why look ye so earnestly on us, as 1 The student should be required to find examples of these pauses in the reading and speaking exercises, and recite the rules. |