Shakespearean Techniques

Iambic Pentameter
 The phrase iambic pentameter is simply the name given to the rhythm that Shakespeare
used in his plays.
 Iambic pentameter is a heart-beat rhythm, performed five times.
 Iambic rhythm gives structure to the language of the play.

Verse and Prose

 Shakespeare writes in a combination of prose and verse.
 Prose is a conversational way of speaking, which doesn’t have a set rhythm or structure.
 Verse is a biorhythm and can rhyme, but often doesn’t.
 When a character is speaking in verse or prose, Shakespeare is making a choice, and we can
tell a lot about the character in that moment, such as what they want, why they want it, and
how they go about getting it.

Rhyming Couplets
 Rhyming couplets are two lines of iambic verse that end in the same sound or a rhyme.
 These are often used to sum up the end of a character’s speech.
 Rhyming couplets feel like complete thoughts on their own.
 Rhyming couplets are used to create a point in a poetic way.

Antithesis
 Antithesis occurs when two opposite ideas or concepts are put together. An example is hot
and cold or good and bad.
 Antithesis can be a sign that a character doesn’t know where to go or what to think. They
are indecisive.