Midsummer Nuts & Bolts Review

Iambic Pentameter Each line of iambic pentameter is composed of: 10 syllables containing 5 metric feet 1 unstressed and 1 stressed syllable per metric foot Example: “Cupid all armed; a certain aim he took…” (Oberon, Act II, Scene I)

Blank Verse v. Free Verse Blank Verse is unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter. Free Verse contains no regular rhythm or rhyme, but flows naturally like that of everyday speech.

Blank Verse V. Free Verse Example “Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace; four happy days bring in…” (Theseus, Act I, Scene I) Free Verse: “…and here’s a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage,…” (Quince, Act III, Scene I)

Monologue v. Soliloquy A dramatic monologue is spoken by single character who addresses a silent or absent listener in a moment of high intensity or deep emotion. A soliloquy is a speech in a dramatic work in which a character speaks his or her thoughts aloud.

Dramatis personae & glosses The dramatis personae is the cast of characters in a play. 1. Where would one find this list? The glosses are the notes provided to help readers understand Shakespearean English.

Poetic / Literary Devices Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Example: Oxymoron is the marriage of two contradictory terms. (i.e. cruel kindness & brave fear).

Poetic / Literary Devices Imagery refers to words and phrases that create a vivid sensory experience through any of the 5 senses. Allusion is a reference to a historical or fictional person, place or event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar. Personification is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to an object, animal, or idea.

Other Play Devices An aside is a remark spoken in an undertone by a character, either to the audience or to another character. A foil is a character who provides a striking contrast to another character.

Other Play Devices Rhymed couplets are a rhyming pair of lines and may be written in any rhythmic pattern. The crisis in a Shakespearean play happens in ACT III when tragic or unforeseen events occur. (Generally we discuss the crisis in tragedies, but you can apply this light-heartedly to comedies.)