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Iambic Pentameter An iamb is made up of 2 syllables The first is unstressed and is followed by the other which is stressed Together they make up a foot Pentameter: Penta means 5 It takes five feet to make up one line of Iambic Pentameter “But, soft!/ What light/ through yon/der win/dow breaks? Iambic Pentameter •It is important to remember that iambic pentameter stresses individual syllables not words •Depending on how a word falls in the line it might be broken up by the stresses. “But, soft!/ What light/ through yon/der win/dow breaks? Iambic Pentameter •When read aloud, iambic pentameter can sound like a horse trotting clop CLOP, clop CLOP •It also mirrors your heartbeat da DUM, da DUM •But you don’t want to read it this way!!!!!!!! •You want to allow the words to come out naturally. •Follow the punctuation like you would reading any other type of poetry •Or think of it as a song. “But, soft!What light through yonder window breaks? Iambic Pentameter To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep, No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub: (Hamlet, Act III, Scene I) Iambic Pentameter Your turn 1-Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; (Richard III) 2-Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. (Sonnet 18) 3- O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. (Romeo and Juliet) Rhyming Couplet •Rhyming couplets are two lines of poetry that rhyme and have the same meter. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. (Sonnet 18) If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved. (Sonnet 116) And yet by heaven I think my love as rare, As any she belied with false compare. (Sonnet 130) Blank Verse •Blank verse is a literary device defined as un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter. Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine ownself be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell: my blessing season this in thee! (Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3) Aside An aside is a short comment or speech that a character delivers directly to the audience or to himself, while other actors on the stage cannot or do not listen. Only the audience can realize that an actor has expressed the aside for them. In essence, through aside, a character comments on what happens in the play. Aside TREBONIUS Caesar, I will: (Aside) and so near will I be, That your best friends shall wish I had been further. (Act 2, Scene 2) CAESAR Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me. And we, like friends, will straightway go together. BRUTUS (aside) That every “like” is not the same, O Caesar, The heart of Brutus earns to think upon. (Act 2, Scene 2) Tragic Flaw Tragic flaw is a literary device that can be defined as a trait in a character leading to his downfall. The character is often the hero of the piece. This trait could be due to the lack of self-knowledge, lack of judgment and most often it is pride that bings about the downfall. Dramatic Irony Irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience, but not grasped by the characters in the play. In Julius Caesar, dramatic irony is used to increase the audience's feelings of suspense and interest. We are already aware of the outcome for Caesar. Soliloquy vs Monologue Soliloquy: In a soliloquy, the character or speaker speaks to himself. By doing so, the character keeps these thoughts secret from the other characters of the play. The speaker is a usually alone on stage or is disregarding or oblivious to any other characters on stage with them. It is often used to disclose a character's innermost thoughts. One famous example is Hamlet’s “To be. Or not to be.” Soliloquy vs Monologue A monologue is similar to a soliloquy, but monologues are a character’s lines delivered so that other characters are listening. Usually monologues are longer speeches delivered during a conversation between the characters Stand-up comedians deliver monologues Late night talk show hosts also deliver monologues Antony “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” (Act 3, Scene 2) .
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