Language: Verse versus Prose

Throughout the Project, we’ve discussed the use of prose and how it differs from the use of verse.  We’ve discussed the use of verse for heightened language and prose for the more mundane (the more, well, prosaic), and of course there’s always that nobility = verse//commoners = prose thing.

But how does it work within The Two Gentlemen of Verona?

Scene	Prose/Verse	Notes
I.i	opens in verse	Valentine and Proteus upper/middle class
	shift to prose on Speed’s entrance	lower class/clowns
I.ii	all verse	Julia and Lucetta even though Lucetta is Julia’s waitingwoman, Lucetta is NOT a clown and so the verse seems logical
I.iii	all verse	Antonio, Panthino, and Proteus though Panthino is Antonio’s servant, Panthino is not a clown
II.i	opens in prose	Valentine and Speed Speed clowning in prose
	shift to verse on Silvia’s entrance	Silvia is the daughter of the Duke of Milan (thus aristocratic)
	shift to prose on Silvia’s exit	a return to Speed’s clowning Speed recites a poem in verse, but the words are Silvia’s (written in fourteeners, no less) /2010/02/09/poetry-reviewpreview-to-the-iamb-and-beyond.aspx
II.ii	all verse	Julia and Proteus upper/middle class
II.iii	all prose	Panthino and Launce two servants, one a clown (no prosaic surprise here)
II.iv	opens in prose	Silvia, Thurio, and Valentine (plus, for about seven lines, Speed) There’s really no reason this should be prose, given the social status… or is there a hierarchical thing working here, since…
	shift to verse on Duke’s entrance	verse = nobility
II.v	all prose	Speed and Launce both servants, both clowns, both clowning
II.vi	all verse	Proteus soliloquy upper/middle class
II.vii	all verse	Julia and Lucetta even though Lucetta is Julia’s waiting woman, Lucetta is NOT a clown and so the verse seems logical
III.i	opens in verse	Duke, Thurio, Proteus, and Valentine nobility and upper/middle class
	shift to prose on Proteus/Launce’s entrance	Prosaic interaction between servant and two “upper”-classmen
	return to verse on Proteus/Valentine focus	upper/middle class
shift to prose on Proteus/Valentine’s exit	Launce is joined by Speed both servants, both clowns
III.ii	all verse	Duke, Thurio, and Proteus nobility and upper/middle class
IV.i	all verse	Valentine, Speed and outlaws there are a few prosaic non-comic asides by Speed to Valentine
IV.ii	all verse	Proteus, Thurio, and Silvia: upper/middle class a few prose asides between Julia (disguised as Sebastian–now lower class) and the “Host” (non-noble) a few prose lines between Julia (disguised as Sebastian–now lower class) and Silvia
IV.iii	all verse	Eglamour and Silvia a few prosaic lines at the end of the scene
IV.iv	opens in prose	Launce soliloquy servant/clown (and dog… woof)
	shift to verse on Proteus’ entrance	upper/middle class some prose in the interaction between Proteus and Launce (master and lower class servant)
V.i	all verse	Eglamour and Silvia upper/middle class
V.ii	all verse	Duke, Proteus, Thurio upper/middle class with a few prosaic lines between Thurio and Proteus
V.iii	all verse	Outlaws and Silvia here, too, like in IV.i, the outlaws speak in verse… could this be proof of Valentine’s description of them as being “endued with worthy qualities” (V.iv.154)?
V.iv	all verse	all verse save for a few prosaic lines between Proteus and Julia/Sebastian BEFORE her revelation as Julia

It all seems fairly routine, with no interesting anomalies… and without the interesting anomalies, there’s little interest…

sorry for wasting a day