Literary and Linguistic Computing Advance Access originally published online on September 29, 2008
Literary and Linguistic Computing 2008 23(4):397-407; doi:10.1093/llc/fqn011
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More statistical observations on speech lengths in Shakespeare's plays
English Department, Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany
Correspondence: Hartmut Ilsemann, English Department, Leibniz University of Hannover, Königsworther Platz 1, 30167 Hannover, Germany. E-mail: Hartmut.ilsemann{at}engsem.uni-hannover.de
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Abstract |
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The new drama analysis program IDAP provided charts containing frequency distributions of speech lengths in Shakespeare's plays. Following previous investigations that showed maximum values at the length of four words for plays produced after the opening of the Globe in 1599, and nine words for plays produced before 1599, the present analysis turned to the four plays The Merry Wives of Windsor, King Henry IV, 2, Much Ado About Nothing and King Henry V which already indicate changes in style. Composite curves not only characterize the four texts as transitional plays that embody the old style expressed by a maximum of nine words, but also impending changes expressed by a maximum of four words while the transition was indicated by the maximum of six words. Statistical results thus confirm the theories of stylistic and biographical changes before 1599 that James Shapiro had put down in his work 1599: A Year in the Life Of William Shakespeare. London: Faber & Faber, 2005.