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Questions about End-stopping

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What is end-stopping in poetry?

End-stopping is a feature in poetry in which a syntactic unit, such as a phrase, clause, or sentence, corresponds exactly in length to the line. According to A. C. Bradley, an end-stopped line is one where the sense, as well as the metre, would naturally make a reader pause at its close.

What is the difference between end-stopping and enjambment?

End-stopping occurs when a line of poetry closes on a complete syntactic unit, prompting a natural pause. Enjambment is the opposite: the sentence runs on past the line break into the next line without a pause, according to A. C. Bradley's definition.

What poem is used as an example of end-stopping?

The Burning Babe by Robert Southwell is the primary example of end-stopping. In the cited extract, the end of each line corresponds to the end of a clause, giving the verse a deliberate, resolved quality.

How did scholars use end-stopping to date Shakespeare's plays?

Scholars A. C. Bradley and Goswin König studied the proportion of end-stopped lines to enjambed lines across Shakespeare's work. End-stopping is more typical of his early plays, while enjambment is a feature of his later plays, allowing undated works to be placed within his career.

What Shakespeare play is used as an example of enjambment?

An extract from The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare is described as heavily enjambed. In the cited passage, sentences run past multiple line breaks, with the syntax pulling against the metre's natural pauses.

Can end-stopping and enjambment appear in the same poem?

Yes. In The Gap by Sheldon Vanauken, the first and third lines are enjambed while the second and fourth are end-stopped, demonstrating that both techniques can alternate within a single short passage.