Stichomythie
The term "Stichomythie" (Greek: stichomythía) refers to a dialogical change of speech from verse to verse in theater plays, where particularly short sentences follow one another quickly. With the help of this stylistic device the spectators are signaled the severity or urgency of the conversation. An increase of this effect, in which the individual verse line is spread over several persons, is the antilab. A dialogue in double verses is called distichomythia, in hemis (hemistichias) hemistichomythia.
The stitchomythia is also called linereface. It is used mainly in the Greek tragedy, For instance, in King Oedipus of Sophocles.
It often serves the process of anagnorisis, the truth-finding, and is used in interrogation-like situations or in disputes.
Also in Goethe's Faust tragedy first part there are examples of Stichomythie as in the following excerpt from the scene Garten: Faust: What shoud that? An ostrich? Margarete: No, it's just a game. Faust: As? Margarete: Go! You laugh at me.
(She pluck and mumble) Faust: What are you muttering? Margarete: He loves me-loves me not. Faust: You are kept Himmelsangesicht! Margarete: (continues) Loves Me - Not - Loves Me - Not
(The last sheet, with great joy:) He loves me!
This example shows that the stymomythic structure of this section should effect the lively development of the conversation. The flower oracle, which still lavishes between "He loves me" and "He loves me not", then ends with the climax of Stichomythic construction: "He loves me!" Distichomythie Edit the source text
Distichomythia (Greek: distichomythía), on the other hand, is an interchange consisting of two lines of verse, that is, from double verses. In this exemplary excerpt from the drama Faust-tragedy first part of J.W. Goethe is responsible for the interchange of two lines of verse, an increase in the comedy of the dialogue between Mephisto and Marthe. Mephisto's strategy of evasiveness through irrefutable answers to Marthe's questions is enhanced by the distichomythia to the point when Marthe must confess to himself that Mephisto does not understand it.
Example (Goethe, Faust I): Marthe: The poor women are evil. A Hagestolz is hard to convert. Mephistopheles: It would depend on your kind, To teach me one thing better. Marthe: Says grad, sir, did not you find anything? Has not the heart tied anywhere? Mephistopheles: The proverb says, "My own hearth, A good woman is worth gold and pearls.
wiki