Member-only story

Shakespeare and the Versification of English Drama (1561-1642)

Robbie Carter

·12.5k Followers· Follow

Published in Shakespeare And The Versification Of English Drama 1561 1642

4 min read

349 View Claps

44 Respond

Save

Listen

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright in the English language. However, his work was not created in a vacuum. He was part of a long tradition of English drama, and his work was influenced by the work of his predecessors.

Shakespeare and the Versification of English Drama, 1561-1642

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	18525 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	424 pages

One of the most important aspects of Shakespeare's work is his use of verse. Shakespeare wrote his plays in verse because it was the traditional form for English drama at the time. However, Shakespeare was not content to simply follow the conventions of his time. He experimented with different verse forms, and he used verse to create a variety of effects.

This article will explore the different ways that Shakespeare used verse in his plays.

Blank Verse

Blank verse is the most common verse form in Shakespeare's plays. It is unrhymed iambic pentameter, which means that it is made up of lines of ten syllables, each of which has five unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable.

Blank verse is a very versatile verse form. It can be used to create a variety of effects, from the comic to the tragic. Shakespeare used blank verse for most of his plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Othello.

Rhymed Verse

Rhymed verse is another common verse form in Shakespeare's plays. Rhymed verse can be used to create a variety of effects, including humor, pathos, and suspense.

Shakespeare used rhymed verse in a variety of his plays, including The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Tempest.

Prose

Prose is the ordinary form of spoken language. It is not as common as verse in Shakespeare's plays, but it is used for a variety of purposes, including humor, realism, and exposition.

Shakespeare used prose in a variety of his plays, including Henry IV, Part 1, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Winter's Tale.

Shakespeare was a master of verse. He used verse to create a variety of effects in his plays. His work is a testament to the power of verse to communicate human emotion.