Shakespeare the Poet

Exploring the poetic style of William Shakespeare Iambic Pentameter

● Like many of Shakespeare’s plays, Romeo and Juliet is written in a poetic structure known as iambic pentameter. ● This is a rhythmical pattern of syllables. ● “iambic’ means that the rhythm goes from an unstressed syllable to a stressed one. ● Examples: divine, caress, bizarre, delight ● Sounds like a heartbeat: daDUM, daDUM, daDUM Iambic Pentameter (cont.)

● Each iambic part (unstressed and stressed syllable used together) is called a “foot” ● “pentameter” means that the line has 5 of these “feet” ● The word “divine” is a foot, the phrase “hate thee” is also a foot. ● Remember, we are talking about syllables here, not words. ● If there is an extra syllable in the line, this is called catalexis. Just make the next syllable unstressed. Examples of Iambic Pentameter

● I walked, she fled, and day brought

back my night -John Milton

● I walked/she fled/and day/brought back/my night More Examples

● We hold these truths to be self-evident -Thomas Jefferson

● We hold/ these truths/ to be/ self e/

vi dent Romeo and Juliet Example

● As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee

● As I/ hate hell/ all Mon/ ta gues/

and thee Now you try it on your own!

● What art thou drawn among these heartless hinds.

● But soft! What light through wonder

window breaks? Sonnet

● A sonnet is a poem that consists of 14 lines of iambic pentameter. ● How many feet would that be? ● You got it…70 feet ● There are a few different types of rhyming schemes, but the English or Shakespearean Sonnet follows this format: ● abab cdcd efef gg Shakespearean Sonnets

● The Prologues to Act I and Act II are sonnets. ● Let’s look at the first prologue together on page 731. The rhyming format will make more sense to you as we read the prologue. ● You will mark unstressed and stressed syllables (alternating), and then break each line in to 5 feet (iambs).