1. Characteristics of Shakespearean Plays
Verse dramas: plays written in verse (poetry) Blank verse: unrhymed lines of poetry Iambic pentameter: a type of meter or rhythm in which each line has five feet with a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables

2. Soliloquy and Aside
Soliloquy: A monologue spoken by an actor when the character believes himself/herself to be alone. The soliloquy reveals a character’s innermost thoughts and often provides necessary but otherwise inaccessible information to the audience. Aside: In drama, a few words or short passage spoken by one character to the audience or another character while the other actors on stage pretend they cannot hear the speaker’s words. Aside is also a stage direction.