Romeo & Juliet William Shakespeare

Comp. Book #25: Shakespeare Taxonomy A I q Y B J R Z C K S D L T E M U F N V G o W H p X

Comp. Book #25: Shakespeare uncovered: romeo & Juliet with joseph fiennes Watch Video Write down 5 things you learned About romeo & Juliet http://www.pbs.org/video/2365419342/

#29 Comp. Book: What is Iambic Pentameter? commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet".

What is Iambic Pentameter? The word "iambic" describes the type of foot that is used (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable). (U /) The word "pentameter" indicates that a line has five of these "feet.“ (U /) (U /) (U /) (U /) (U /)

Simple Example An iambic foot (iamb) is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The rhythm can be written as: da DUM The da-DUM of a human heartbeat is the most common example of this rhythm.

When I do count the clock that tells the time Simple Example A line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row: (da DUM) (da DUM) (da DUM) (da DUM) (da DUM) The tick-TOCK rhythm of iambic pentameter can be heard in the opening line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 12: When I do count the clock that tells the time

When I do count the clock that tells the time Simple Example It is possible to notate this with a ‘U’ (breve) mark representing an unstressed syllable and a '/' mark representing a stressed syllable. In this notation a line of iambic pentameter would look like this: U / U / U / U / U / When I do count the clock that tells the time

Simple Examples The divisions between iambs are marked with a ( ). (To swell) (the gourd, ) (and plump) (the ha-) (zel shells)

YOuTube examples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NEo2wdRtjw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArrR66OSa0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rxU-zhwM0k

Sonnet 12 When I do count the clock that tells the time, And see the brave day sunk in hideous night; When I behold the violet past prime, And sable curls, all silvered o'er with white;  When lofty trees I see barren of leaves, Which erst from heat did canopy the herd, And summer's green all girded up in sheaves, Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard, Then of thy beauty do I question make, That thou among the wastes of time must go, Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake And die as fast as they see others grow;      And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence      Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence. 

Your Turn Mark the following line for feet (iambs) & divisions: But soft what light through yonder window breaks.

A Choral Reading of Act 1 Prologue Everyone reads together. Discuss and define. Students each read one word at a time. Repeat step 2 but read as one voice Each student takes a half-line, reading to pause or line end (goal is to create a single voice). Read to punctuation stops (semicolons & periods)—this helps to clarify the meaning and allows for more natural stress). Repeat step 5, but vocally stress word before the stop* Walk and read stamping foot and changing direction on the final word before each full stop.* *these steps show rhythm and propels speech.

Discussion What was the difference between the different approaches? --Power of a single word --Value of the meter --Correct way to read iambic pentameter

Discuss the story Which words, ideas, and images seem the most important and why?

Focus on “Two” circle the word each time it occurs Identify ways “two” is reinforced: what twosomes doe we have in the passage? “two household”, “two foes.” repeated words, “civil”, echoing concepts like grudge and mutiny, sounds like “doth with their death” or “forth the fatal” What are the effects of repetition? One person reads for a final time.

Comp. book #29 Family Feud What is a feud? Are there any feuds going on with the people you know? Do you know any other stories that might be based on feuds? What do these feuds seem to have in common? What does it usually take to resolve a feud? What’s the difference between an argument and a feud?

Hurling Insults: Shakespeare designed insults that really sizzled. Using the handout, create and hurl Shakespearean insults. Each student is expected to create and memorize an insult by combining one word for each column. Use the dictionaries provided. If the words are not in the dictionaries, you may use my computer and the website provided to define each part of the insult. Get into pairs or triads to practice delivering insults to each other.

Montagues vs. Capulets Regroup into two families, the Montagues and the Capulets, for a verbal duel. Warm up: Montagues boo the Capulets and the Capulets hiss the Montagues. Opposing families hurl insults from across the room. Everyone gets to participate!

Comp. book #30 Which age has the most deliciously vile words for insults—Shakespeare’s or ours? Explain your answer. Which insult was best? Who was the most effective insult-hurler? There is the potential for both fun and danger in an insult. How can play quickly lead to injury?

Relation to the play… Feuding is a focal point of Romeo & Juliet. I encourage you to listen to the way Shakespeare develops the feud through verbal dueling.

Read 1.1 Silently read 1.1; stop at line 33. What’s going on? Who are these people? Read lines 34-82