In order to fully understand the meaning of the term caesura, it is necessary that we first discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can point out that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from “caesura”, which means “cut” and is used to refer to the pauses that take place within a verse.
Specifically, that word was formed with the sum of these two:
-The supine “caesum”, from the verb “caedere”, which is synonymous with “cut”.
-The suffix “-ura”, which is used to indicate “action” or “activity”.
The concept is used in the field of poetry to refer to a pause that is established in a verse to separate the metric accents that regulate its harmony.
This interruption separates the hemistichs , which are two parts of the verse . The meter considers these fragments as entire verses , each separated from the other by the caesura that represents a break in intonation.
In some verses, there is more than one caesura and therefore more than two hemistichs. Since the end of the hemistich is considered the end of a verse, a metric syllable is added when the last word is acute and a metric syllable is removed if said term is esdrújulo . When the final word is serious , it remains the same.
The caesura, in short, represents a fracture within a phrase. The divided parts can be distinguished from each other, regardless of whether they are intrinsically linked. The purpose of the caesura is to establish a dramatic pause that allows you to play with emotions .
It should be noted that the caesura is usually established with punctuation marks. They are generally used in verses that have nine or more syllables (called verses of major art). In any case, it is possible to find caesuras in verses with fewer syllables (verses of minor art).
In certain cases , the rhythmic interpretation of the caesura may vary. There are verses, in this framework, that can be read with or without caesura .
Within the musical field, the term in question also takes a lot of prominence. Specifically, it is used to refer to that pause that is made inside a verse to take a breath, highlight an accent or even soften the verse. What's more, it can also be used with the idea of adjusting the meter or achieving the perfect beat or melody.
It must be established that it basically consists of dividing the words, but since they have such an important connection, they do not suffer any type of separation.
Furthermore, it is established that in this field we speak of both the caesura and the half caesura.
Within the saga “Kingkiller Chronicle”, written by Patrick Rothfuss, the term in question is also used. In his case, Caesura is the name of a sword that is also known as “the murderer of poets.”