Prosody is the music of speech, a set of signifying systems that causes syllables to differ in pitch, duration and perceived prominence. Prosodic variation, particularly in tempo, is an important device in poetry and prose: consider, for example, the way the following persuasion to suicide from Spenser’s

achieves its hypnotic lulling rhythms partly through the insistent repetition of a small set of long vowels (particularly ee, o(r) and ay:

Is not short pain well borne, that brings long ease, And lays the soul to sleep in quiet grave,Sleep after toil, port after stormy seas, Ease after war , death after life does greatly please. (1.9.40.5-9)

Is not short pain well borne, that brings long ease, And lays the soul to sleep in quiet grave,Sleep after toil, port…

1152 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Prosody". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 January 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=905, accessed 23 November 2024.]