The Rhyming & the Styling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The 3 Writing Styles of MSND -Iambic Pentameter, -Rhymed Verse, -Catalectic Trochaic Tetrameter

Iambic Pentameter is a kind of rhythmic pattern that consist of: -five “iambs” per line (iamb-unaccented syllable followed by an accented one). -It's the most common rhythm in English poetry and sounds like five heartbeats: -“Penta" means "five," -“meter" refers to a regular rhythmic pattern.

Iambic Pentameter It's the most common rhythm in English poetry and sounds like five heartbeats: da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM. Here's an example from Theseus's speech to Hippolyta: hippOLyTA, i WOO'D thee WITH my SWORD, and WON thy LOVE, doING thee INjurIES;

Rhymed Verse Passionate youth of MSND rhyme their words (Hermia’s) Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; (A rhyme) And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind: (A rhyme) Nor hath Love's mind of any judgment taste; (B rhyme) Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste: (B rhyme) And therefore is Love said to be a child, (C rhyme) Because in choice he is so oft beguiled. (C rhyme)

Catalectic Trochaic Tetrameter Used by fairies & also witches in Macbeth A "trochee" is the opposite of an "iamb." It's an accented syllable followed by an unaccented syllable that sounds like DUM-da. "Tetra" means "four" and "meter" refers to a regular rhythmic pattern. So "trochaic tetrameter" is a kind of rhythmic pattern that consist of four trochees per line

Catalectic Trochaic Tetrameter It sounds like this: DUM-da, DUM-da, DUM-da, DUM-da. Here's an example where Puck addresses Oberon: CAPtain OF our FAIry BAND, HELeNA is HERE at HAND;