The change from prose to verse is well illustrated in the third scene of the _M. of V._ It begins with plain prosaic talk about a business matter; but when Antonio enters, it rises at once to the higher level of poetry. The sight of Antonio reminds Shylock of his hatred of the Merchant, and the passion expresses itself in verse, the vernacular tongue of poetry. We have a similar change in the first scene of _J.C._, where, after the quibbling "chaff" of the mechanics about their trades, the mention of Pompey reminds the Tribune of their plebeian fickleness, and his scorn and indignation flame out in most eloquent verse.
The reasons for the choice of prose or verse are not always so clear as in these instances. We are seldom puzzled to explain the prose, but not unfrequently we meet with verse where we might expect prose. As Professor Corson remarks (_Introduction to Shakespeare_, 1889), "Shakespeare adopted verse as the general tenor of his language, and therefore expressed much in verse that is within the capabilities of prose; in other words, his verse constantly encroaches upon the domain of prose, but his prose can never be said to encroach upon the domain of verse." If in rare instances we think we find exceptions to this latter statement, and prose actually seems to usurp the place of verse, I believe that careful study of the passage will prove the supposed exception to be apparent rather than real.
SOME BOOKS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.--A few out of the many books that might be commended to the teacher and the critical student are the following: Halliwell-Phillipps's _Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare_ (7th ed. 1887); Sidney Lee's _Life of Shakespeare_ (1898; for ordinary students the abridged ed. of 1899 is preferable); Schmidt's _Shakespeare Lexicon_ (3d ed. 1902); Littledale's ed. of Dyce's _Glossary_ (1902); Bartlett's _Concordance to Shakespeare_ (1895); Abbott's _Shakespearian Grammar_ (1873); Furness's "New Variorum" ed. of _Romeo and Juliet_ (1871; encyclopædic and exhaustive); Dowden's _Shakspere: His Mind and Art_ (American ed. 1881); Hudson's _Life, Art, and Characters of Shakespeare_ (revised ed. 1882); Mrs. Jameson's _Characteristics of Women_ (several eds., some with the title, _Shakespeare Heroines_); Ten Brink's _Five Lectures on Shakespeare_ (1895); Boas's _Shakespeare and His Predecessors_ (1895); Dyer's _Folk-lore of Shakespeare_ (American ed. 1884); Gervinus's _Shakespeare Commentaries_ (Bunnett's translation, 1875); Wordsworth's Shakespeare's _Knowledge of the Bible_ (3d ed. 1880); Elson's _Shakespeare in Music_ (1901).