1. Intro to Shakespearean Poetry & Language
Mrs. Toney
Spring 2011

2. Rhythm in Poetry Like music, language has rhythm Meter
In poetry, this is a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
Meter
Meter is the pattern of rhythm established by a poem
dependent not only on the number of syllables in a line but also on the way those syllables are accented

3. Types of Meter in Poetry
The rhythmic unit is made up of one stressed syllables, and one or or two unstressed ones.
This is called a “foot”
The 3 types of feet are:
Iamb (reSIST)
Trochee (ABsent)
Spondee (GOAL LINE)
Number of Feet in a line:
3 = Trimeter
4 = Tetrameter
5 = Pentameter

4. Shakespeare Uses Iambic Pentameter
A foot may be iambic, which follows a pattern of unstressed/stressed syllables
For example, read aloud: "The DOG went WALKing DOWN the ROAD and BARKED.“
Because there are five iambs, or feet, this line follows the conventions of iambic pentameter (pent = five), the common form in Shakespeare's time.
Stressed syllables are labeled with a "/" mark and unstressed syllables with a "U" mark.

5. Shakespearean Sonnets
Sonnets are a form of poetry that follow a very specific formula.
They are written in blank verse (10 syllables) using iambic pentameter

6. Elizabethan/Shakespearean Sonnets
Poem consisting of 14 lines
Has a very specific rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Written in iambic pentameter
Each line contains 10 syllables.
The words in each line make a pattern where an un-emphasized (soft) syllable is followed by an emphasized (strong) syllable.
Sonnets are often love poems, but they don’t necessarily have to be.

7. Sonnets In short, Shakespearean sonnets have:
14 lines total which are made up of:
3 quatrains
Stanzas with 4 lines each
1 couplet
Stanzas with 2 lines each

8. Sonnets, yay!

10. The Language of R & J The prologue is a sonnet
The rest of the play is written in blank verse
Blank verse = type of poetry with meter, but no rhyme
Much of the play is also written in iambic pentameter
In other words, this is a play that is written like a poem, that reads like a story!!

11. The Language of Shakespeare
‘anon: soon; right away
aught: anything
coz: cousin; close friends
ere: before
e’er: ever
god-den: good evening
God gi’ go-den: God give you a good evening
hence: from here

12. Elizabethan Words to Know
hie: hurry
hither: here
marry: a short form of “by the Virgin Mary” and so a mild exclamation
morrow: morning
naught: nothing
o’er: over
prithee: pray for thee, or please
Sirrah: a term used to address a servant

13. More Elizabethan Terms to Know
soft: be still; quiet; wait a minute
thither: there
whence: where
wherefore: why
wot: know
yond, yonder: over there