Analysis of Dialogue In Verse
Christopher Marlowe 1564 (Canterbury, Kent) – 1593 (Deptford, Kent)
_Jack._ Seest thou not yon farmer's son?
He hath stoln my love from me, alas!
What shall I do? I am undone;
My heart will ne'er be as it was.
O, but he gives her gay gold rings,
And tufted gloves [for] holiday,
And many other goodly things,
That hath stoln my love away.
_Friend._ Let him give her gay gold rings
Or tufted gloves, were they ne'er so [gay];
[F]or were her lovers lords or kings,
They should not carry the wench away.
_Jack._ But 'a dances wonders well,
And with his dances stole her love from me:
Yet she wont to say, I bore the bell
For dancing and for courtesy.
_Dick._ Fie, lusty younker, what do you here,
Not dancing on the green to-day?
For Pierce, the farmer's son, I fear,
Is like to carry your wench away.
_Jack._ Good Dick, bid them all come hither,
And tell Pierce from me beside,
That, if he thinks to have the wench,
Here he stands shall lie with the bride.
_Dick._ Fie, Nan, why use thy old lover so,
For any other new-come guest?
Thou long time his love did know;
Why shouldst thou not use him best?
_Nan._ Bonny Dick, I will not forsake
My bonny Rowland for any gold:
If he can dance as well as Pierce,
He shall have my heart in hold.
_Pierce._ Why, then, my hearts, let's to this gear;
And by dancing I may won
My Nan, whose love I hold so dear
As any realm under the sun.
_Gentleman._ Then, gentles, ere I speed from hence,
I will be so bold to dance
A turn or two without offence;
For, as I was walking along by chance,
I was told you did agree.
_Friend._ 'Tis true, good sir; and this is she
Hopes your worship comes not to crave her;
For she hath lovers two or three,
And he that dances best must have her.
_Gentleman._ How say you, sweet, will you dance with me?
And you [shall] have both land and [hill];
My love shall want nor gold nor fee.
_Nan._ I thank you, sir, for your good will;
But one of these my love must be:
I'm but a homely country maid,
And far unfit for your degree;
[To dance with you I am afraid.]
_Friend._ Take her, good sir, by the hand,
As she is fairest: were she fairer,
By this dance, you shall understand,
He that can win her is like to wear her.
_Fool._ And saw you not [my] Nan to-day,
My mother's maid have you not seen?
My pretty Nan is gone away
To seek her love upon the green.
[I cannot see her 'mong so many:]
She shall have me, if she have any.
_Nan._ Welcome, sweetheart, and welcome here,
Welcome, my [true] love, now to me.
This is my love [and my darling dear],
And that my husband [soon] must be.
And, boy, when thou com'st home, thou'lt see
Thou art as welcome home as he.
_Gentleman._ Why, how now, sweet Nan! I hope you jest.
_Nan._ No, by my troth, I love the fool the best:
And, if you be jealous, God give you good-night!
I fear you're a gelding, you caper so light.
_Gentleman._ I thought she had jested and meant but a fable,
But now do I see she hath play['d] with his bable.
I wish all my friends by me to take heed,
That a fool come not near you when you mean to speed.
Scheme | ABAXCDCD CECD FGFG HDID JKXK LMLM ENXN IAIA XOBOG GJGJ GFG XGPGP QJQJ DRDRGG HGIGGG M MSS XFTT |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111101 111111101 11111101 11111111 11110111 0101110 01010101 1111101 11110111 110101111 10010111 111100101 11010101 0111010111 111111101 11001100 1110101111 11010111 11010111 111101101 111111110 0111101 11111101 11111101 1111111101 11010111 1111111 1111111 110111101 110101101 11111111 1111101 111111111 0110111 11111111 11011001 111011111 1111111 0111011 1111100111 1111101 111110111 111011110 11110111 011101110 1111111111 01111101 11111111 111111111 11111111 11010101 01011101 11111101 11011101 111100110 1111101 1111011110 101111111 11011111 11011101 11010101 110101110 111111110 11010101 10111111 111111101 01110111 011111111 11110111 1111111111 11111110101 01111011111 1110111011 111111011010 11111111111 1111111111 101111111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,891 |
Words | 607 |
Sentences | 51 |
Stanzas | 18 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 4, 3, 5, 4, 6, 6, 1, 3, 4 |
Lines Amount | 77 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 124 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 33 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 29, 2023
- 3:05 min read
- 126 Views
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"Dialogue In Verse" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/6049/dialogue-in-verse>.
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