SHAKESPEARE’S
TWELFTH NIGHT
UNDERSTANDING
METRIC VERSE &
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
All words with multiple syllables have accented
and unaccented syllables.
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
All words with multiple syllables have accented
and unaccented syllables.
Behind
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
The blue truck is behind the brown cow.
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
be / hind
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
be / HIND
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
U
/
be / HIND
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
/
U
BE / hind
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
/
U
BE / hind
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
What’s the meter of your last name?
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
What’s the meter of your last name?
Spaulding
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
What’s the meter of your last name?
Spaul/ding
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
What’s the meter of your last name?
/
U
SPAUL/ding
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
What’s the meter of your last name?
/
U
SPAUL/ding
In your notebooks, figure out the meter and accent of your last name.
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
This is the rhythm of words.
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
THIS is the RHYthm of WORDS.
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
EVery TIME we TALK, we STRING
toGETHer ACCented and
UNACCented SYLLables withOUT
even THINKing aBOUT it.
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
POets THINK aBOUT THIS STUFF
they USE the RHYthm of LAnguage
to HELP conVEY their MESSage.
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff!
-Macbeth IV, i, 71
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
u
/
u
/
u
/
u
/
u
/
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff!
-Macbeth IV, i, 71
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
But screw your courage to the sticking place,
And we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep—
-Macbeth I, vii, 60
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
u
/
u
/
u
/ u
u
/
/
u
/
But screw your courage to the sticking place,
u
/
u
/
u
/ u
/
And we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep—
-Macbeth I, vii, 60
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
Lines like these are written
in iambic pentameter.
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Take Notes!
An iamb is a type of foot.
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Take Notes!
Feet = the smallest repeating rhythmic unit
iamb = metrical foot with an unaccented
syllable followed by an accented
syllable.
u
/
But screw
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Take Notes!
Feet = the smallest repeating rhythmic unit
iamb = metrical foot with an unaccented
syllable followed by an accented
syllable.
u
/
your cour
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Take Notes!
Feet = the smallest repeating rhythmic unit
iamb = metrical foot with an unaccented
syllable followed by an accented
syllable.
u
/
age to
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Take Notes!
Feet = the smallest repeating rhythmic unit
iamb = metrical foot with an unaccented
syllable followed by an accented
syllable.
u
/
the stic
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Take Notes!
Feet = the smallest repeating rhythmic unit
iamb = metrical foot with an unaccented
syllable followed by an accented
syllable.
u
/
king place
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
u
/
u
/
u
/ u
u
/
/
u
/
But screw your courage to the sticking place,
u
/
u
/
u
/ u
/
And we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep—
-Macbeth I, vii, 60
These lines are built with iambs.
Therefore, these lines are iambic.
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
u
/
u
/
u
/ u
u
/
/
u
/
But screw your courage to the sticking place,
u
/
u
/
u
/ u
/
And we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep—
-Macbeth I, vii, 60
How many iambs are in each line?
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
u
/
u
/
u
/ u
u
/
/
u
/
But screw your courage to the sticking place,
u
/
u
/
u
/ u
/
And we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep—
-Macbeth I, vii, 60
Five. The ancient greek word for five was pente
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
I am a pirate with a wooden leg.
I AM a PI rate WITH a WOOD en LEG
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
But soft: what light through yonder window breaks?
-Romeo and Juliet
METRIC VERSE
Take Notes!
So foul and fair a day I have not seen.
-Macbeth
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Take Notes!
iambic = made up of iambs
pentameter = five feet/line
Iambic pentameter
weakSTRONG
x
five
weakSTRONGweakSTRONGweakSTRONGweakSTRONGweakSTRONG
ACTIVITY
In your notebooks, (with a partner if you choose) create a
dialogue that is written in iambic pentameter. Each person
in the dialogue should have two lines. So…four lines total.
ACTIVITY
In your notebooks, (with a partner if you choose) create a
dialogue that is written in iambic pentameter. Each person
in the dialogue should have two lines. So…four lines total.
Son: I’m hungry. Is it almost time for lunch?
Mom: Not yet — the soup is heating on the stove.
Son: But Mom, I don’t want to eat soup for lunch.
Mom: My Boy, you will eat it, and you’ll like it!
HOMEWORK
In your notebooks, answer the following questions
Look back through Act 1. Which characters speak in iambic pentameter and which ones do not?
Why did Shakespeare do this?