Shakespeare’s Style Iambic Pentameter

What do these words have in common?? divine caress bizarre delight

Iambic Pentameter Like many of Shakespeare’s plays, Romeo and Juliet is written in a poetic structure known as iambic pentameter. This is a rhythmical pattern of syllables. “iambic’ means that the rhythm goes from an unstressed syllable to a stressed one. Sounds like a heartbeat: daDUM, daDUM, daDUM

I.P. Cont. – Each iambic part is called a “foot” – “pentameter” means that the line has 5 of these “feet” – The word “divine” is a foot, the phrase “hate thee” is also a foot. – Remember we are talking about syllables here, not words.

Examples of I. P. – “I walked, she fled, and day brought back my night” -John Milton – I walked/she fled/and day/brought back/my night

– We hold these truths to be self- evident -Thomas Jefferson – We hold/ these truths/ to be/ self e/ vi dent

Shakespeare himself… – “As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee” – As I/ hate hell/ all Mon/ ta gues/ and thee

What’s a Sonnet ?

A Sonnet – A sonnet is a poem that consists of 14 lines of iambic pentameter. – How many feet would that be? – You got it…70 feet – There are a few different types of rhyming schemes, but the English or Shakespearean Sonnet follows this format: – ababcdcdefefgg

A Shakespearean Sonnet – The prologue to Act I and Act II are sonnets. – By the way… “blank verse” is unrhymed iambic pentameter – Let’s look at the first prologue together. The rhyming format will make more sense to you as we read the prologue.