William Shakespeare Techniques

Iambic Pentameter A regular line of meter which contains roughly 10 syllables, with heavier stress falling on every other syllable An iamb is a metrical unit made up of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed Pentameter refers to the number of iambs in the line (penta is the Greek word for five); so, there are five iambs in a line of iambic pentameter.

Here are two examples from Romeo and Juliet. (‘-’ means unstressed and ‘/’ means stressed) -/ - / - / - / - / My grave is like to be my wedding bed. -/ - / - / - / - / But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

Other Techniques Blank verse is simply unrhymed iambic pentameter Heroic Couplet-a stanza consisting of two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter, esp. one forming a rhetorical unit and written in an elevated style. For example, Romeo says, I’ll go along, no such sight to be shown,/ But to rejoice in splendor of mine own. *Last line of each scene is a heroic couplet*

Other Techniques Pun- the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words. For example, when someone falls or trips you might snidely remark, “Have a nice trip.”

Homework Write a sonnet: 1)14 Lines 2)Follows A,B,A,B,C,D,C,D,E,F,E,F,G,G rhyme Scheme (G, G is a heroic couplet) 3)In Iambic Pentameter 4)Include a pun

William Shakespeare Language

2 nd Person Personal Familiar Pronouns Thou - Subject: "Thou art my brother.”; “You are my brother.” Thee - Object: "Come, let me clutch thee.” ; “Come, and let me clutch you.” Thy - Possessive Adjective: "What is thy name?" ; “What is your name?” Thine - Possessive Noun: "To thine own self be true." ; “To your own self be true.”

Plural Pronoun Ye - Subject: "Ye shall know me." ; “You shall know me.”

Verb Inflection Elizabethan language, though considered Early Modern English, still retained some verb inflections. Usually they simply add an -est or –st to a word/verb. These were used often with the 2nd person familiar pronouns: "Thou liest, malignant thing." "What didst thou see?” "Why canst thou not see the difference?"

Sentence Structure Shakespeare often writes sentences in reversed order or thought. For example, -"A glooming peace this morning with it brings." (Romeo and Juliet)Romeo and Juliet -"That handkerchief did an Egyptian to my mother give." (Othello)Othello -“The earth that’s nature’s mother is her tomb;/What is her burying grave, that is her womb.” (Romeo and Juliet)Romeo and Juliet

Language Tricks Shakespeare’s language often includes such literary techniques as: personification, metaphors, similes, allusions, reversed words, puns, and anachronisms. By using these techniques, Shakespeare gives his words deeper meaning and interpretation to his words. He is also attributed for introducing nearly 2,000 words into the English language by bringing into usage foreign words, making conjunctions of 2 or 3 words, using nouns as verbs, or by inventing new ones.

Some words invented by Shakespeare include: Alligator, frugal, critical, eyeball, jaded, lonely, luggage, puke, torture, zany, and many more. Some phrases invented by Shakespeare include: “Dead as a doornail”, “Elbow Room”, “Good Riddance”, “Heart of Gold”, “Sorry Sight”, “Full Circle”, “Too Much of a Good Thing”, and many more

Thy Dauntless Homework Takest out thy silent conversations and modify them using the 2nd person familiar pronouns. Thou needst change thy verb inflections in thee conversations. Sentence structure to thine conversations in 3 of thy sentences thou changest. Ye willst addeth at least 16 words from thy Odd Words and Troublesome Words sheets.