Antilabe (from the Greek: ἀντι "mutually" or "corresponding", λαβή, "grip" or "handle") is a rhetorical technique in verse drama or closet drama, in which a single verse line of dialogue is distributed on two or more characters, voices, or entities.
The verse usually maintains its metric integrity, while the line fragments spoken by the characters may or may not be complete sentences.
But it is only one single line in blank verse: "The device originated in classical tragedy as a means of heightening dramatic tension.
It renders dialogue less stately and more agitated: the technique is well suited to scenes of excitement, in which one speaker is repeatedly capping, countering or following up the ideas of another.
"[5] "In the plays of Aeschylus, with the possible exception of Prometheus Bound (line 980), this phenomenon does not occur.