Iambic Pentameter and Sonnets Wrote 154 sonnets, in addition to his plays. Sonnets were even incorporated into his plays!

Iambic Pentameter: What? and Why? A sound pattern Kept things moving in the play (like a drum beat) Made the words & the play more interesting Helped the actors remember their lines (like a song)

Iambic An IAMB is a sound with two syllables has one unaccented (or unstressed) syllable followed by one accented (or stressed) syllable Each IAMB (two syllables) is a foot (or a meter) It’s like a heartbeat: ba-bum | ba-bum | ba-bum | ba-bum | ba-bum I AM | I AM | I AM | I AM | I AM

Pentameter Penta = 5, Meter (foot) = measure of sound Iambic Pentameter: Five meters (feet) of IAMB’s per line Equals ten syllables total per line he WENT to TOWN toDAY to BUY a CAR In SOOTH / I KNOW / not WHY / I AM / so SAD

Iambic Pentameter I SAW/ the GOAT/ beHIND/ the O/pen FENCE. I SAW/ the BE/hind OF/ the HUN/gry GOAT! Love LOOKS not WITH the EYES, but WITH the MIND.

~ The Basics of a Sonnet ~ -usually about love or something that evokes passion -contains 14 lines -written in Iambic Pentameter -has this rhyme scheme: abab/cdcd/efef/gg

The Quatrains (four-line poem) of a Sonnet: A B A B C D C D E F E F G G > 1st Quatrain: Establishes the subject, main theme, or main metaphor of the sonnet. > 2nd Quatrain: Develops the sonnet’s theme. Extends the metaphor. > 3rd Quatrain: Often contains a turn or twist called a volta, sometimes introduced with the word “but.” > 4th couplet (two-line poem): Conclusion to the sonnet.

Characteristics of a Shakespearean (English) sonnet 14 lines: 3 quatrains (4 lines each) 1 couplet (2 lines) Follows the same rhyme scheme: ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG Each line is written in iambic pentameter: Each line consists of 10 syllables. The syllables are divided into five pairs of iambs. An iamb= unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

Examples of Iambic Pentameter When I / do COUNT/ the CLOCK/ that TELLS/ the TIME When IN/ dis GRACE/ with FOR/ tune AND / men’s EYES How many syllables per line? Accent (stress) pattern?

Romeo and Juliet Prologue Two house/holds, both/ alike/ in dig/nity, A In fair/ Veron/a, where/ we lay/ our scene, B From an/cient grudge/ break to/ new mu/tiny, A Where civ/il blood/ makes civ/il hands/ unclean. B From forth the fatal loins of these two foes C A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; D Whose misadventured piteous overthrows C Do with their death bury their parents' strife. D The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, E And the continuance of their parents' rage, F Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, E Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; F The which if you with patient ears attend, G What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. G

Now you try it!! Using the form and the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet, write your own QUATRAIN about new love, lost love, a beautiful day, a terrible day, or anything you wish (as long as it is appropriate). Use a pencil. If you cannot come up with a topic, I will assign one.

Example Topic= Friends On a bright sun ny day I met friend re call the like it was to knew we would be friends un til end miss you lot since went way