Shakespeare Iambic Pentameter Read through A brief guide

Shakespeare & Iambic Pentameter

Read through A brief guide to Elizabethan E nglish with your table group: Take turns reading through the phrases and vocabulary. Complete the verb conjugation together.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING: What is the stress pattern of an iamb? a. b. c. d. stressed, unstressed, stressed unstressed, unstressed B

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING: Iambic Pentameter contains_____ feet, each of which contains _____ syllables. a. b. c. d. two, five, two three, two C

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING: Which of these lines is NOT iambic pentameter? a. “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? ” b. “A little more than kin and less than kind. ” c. “Just for a handful of silver he left us. ” d. “So foul and fair a day I have not seen. ” C

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING: Shakespeare’s characters often speak in iambic pentameter when they are feeling… a. b. c. d. heightened emotions introspective passionate all of the above D

REFLECT & Discuss: 2 minutes Think about how you speak when you are feeling a strong emotion: anger, happiness, sadness, disappointment. In trying to express yourself, do you use specific kinds of words? Do you use short sentences or long sentences? And does your language change depending on the kind of emotion you’re feeling?

ü ü ü “ Practice using iambic pentameter: 10 minutes Have a conversation exclusively in iambic pentameter. Write the conversation down, alternating lines. Count your syllables and stresses carefully – remember you can’t change the normal stress of a word just to fit the meter! Your conversation has to actually make sense and be school-appropriate. Don’t respond to your partner’s sentence until they have EXACTLY 10 syllables!