Alliteration: 700-1400

accentual meter (a.k.a. strong-stress meter) dominates English literature from Beowulf to Chaucer. - based on alliteration - rhyme is not important - the number of syllables is not important If a stressed syllable can be conceived as C1VC (initial consonant ! vo"el ! final consonant)# alliteration refers to the repetition of C1. Classic Anglo-Saxon Alliteration $ Beowulf# The Wifes Lament# most of The Wanderer. %he line is divided in half by a caesura (&''(). %he first stressed syllable after the caesura determines the alliteration. Either of the t"o stressed syllables in the first half-line (or both) can alliterate "ith the determining syllable. %he second stressed syllable in the second half-line cannot. )o our options are* +,'',+# ,+'',+ or ,,'',+. The Three-Stress Hemistich $ the last five lines of The Wanderer. )"a c"-. snottor on mode# '' ges-t him sundor -t rune. %il bi/ se /e his treo"e gehealde/# '' ne sceal n-fre his torn to rycene beorn of his breostum acy/an# '' nem/e he -r /a bote cunne# eorl mid elne gefremman. '' 0el bi. /am /e him are sece.# frofre to F-der on heofonum# '' /-r us eal seo f-stnung stonde.. The Ga ain !oet"s Alliteration $ in the &stock( of Sir Gawain & the Green Knight ,,(,) ,,+ ,+, +,, ,+ ,, +,+'',,+ +,+''+,+ ,,+''+,+ ,,+''+,+ ,,,''+,+

#anglan$"s Alliteration $ in The Visions of Piers Plowman 1ften ,-) lines* ,+'',+ +,'',+ ,,'',+ 2o"ever# he also has* ,,''33 ,,'',, and sometimes there is no caesura4