Scansion rules of dactylic hexameter, elision, caesura, and the rhetorical figures (anaphora, chiasmus, hyperbaton, alliteration, polysyndeton) with Latin examples in your own words.
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- In dactylic hexameter, a dactyl consists of what metrical pattern?
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One long syllable followed by two short syllables- What metrical unit may substitute for a dactyl in the first four feet of hexameter?
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A spondee, which is two long syllables- How many metrical feet does a complete line of dactylic hexameter contain?
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Six feet- In dactylic hexameter, the fifth foot is almost always what metrical pattern?
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A dactyl- In dactylic hexameter, the sixth foot is typically what metrical pattern?
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A spondee or trochee, allowing final anceps- What is arsis in scansion?
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The stressed or long syllable in a metrical foot- What is thesis in scansion?
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The unstressed or short syllable in a metrical foot- What is a caesura in hexameter verse?
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A pause or break in the middle of a line that divides a foot- Where does a penthemimeral caesura typically occur in a hexameter line?
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After the fifth half-foot, in the middle of the third foot- Where does a hephthemimeral caesura typically occur in a hexameter line?
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After the seventh half-foot, in the middle of the fourth foot- What is elision in Latin poetry?
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The omission or slurring of a final vowel (or vowel plus m) when the next word begins with a vowel or h- What is aphidrysis or hiatal elision?
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An elision phenomenon where two vowels are pronounced as one sound without the first vowel being dropped entirely- In what circumstance does elision NOT occur in Latin verse?
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Before words beginning with a vowel in archaic or special poetic contexts, or with certain particles- If a final m appears on a word in Latin verse, what role does it play in elision?
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A final m counts as part of the vowel sound subject to elision when the next word begins with a vowel or h- What is the masculine caesura in hexameter?
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A caesura occurring after a long syllable, creating a strong metrical break
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