A LESSON IN BLANK VERSE, RHYMED VERSE

AND PROSE

Forms of Language used in Shakespeare’s plays

A FORM OF POETRY THAT DOES NOT RHYME, ALSO KNOWN AS UNRHYMED IAMBIC PENTAMETER

Blank Verse:

Blank Verse broken down

Blank means that the poetry is not rhymed.Iambic pentameter refers to the fact that each

line contains five iambs.An Iamb is a metrical foot, consisting of a stress

syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.This is the form of language that Shakespeare

usually wrote in.Although we don’t speak in this

stressed/unstressed form, blank verse resembles most closely the natural rhythm of the English language.

A FORM OF POETRY THAT RHYMES

Rhymed Verse:

A few things about Rhymed Verse:

Reserved for romantic scenes (ie. When Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time at the Capulet ball in Act I scene 5)

Reserved also for heroic or political speeches

Rhymed verse makes the scene memorable.

ORDINARY WRITTEN OR SPOKEN LANGUAGE

Prose:

A few things about Prose:

Used especially for the lines of servants and musicians, or others of lower social standing.

Using prose for these characters emphasized their lack of education and their place in Elizabethan society.