intro to shake spears Othello

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Shakespeare

born in April 1564 in Stratford on Avon

received classical education including Latin, Greek history, math astronomy and music

38 plays and 4 lengthy poems

Verse:

Poetic language that includes meter and sometimes rhyme;

organized in lines with a consistent number of syllables

Prose:

Ordinary written language with no meter or rhyme; organized in sentences

Verse vs. Prose:Usage

Poetic style of verse used for high status characters, great affairs of war and state, and tragic moments.

Prose used for low status characters (servants, clowns, drunks, villains), proclamations, written challenges, accusations, letters, comedic moments, and to express madness.

Meter

oMeter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

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Meter

Meter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Meter is responsible for creating the rhythm of a line.

Foot

Foot: a group of syllables that forms one complete unit of a metrical pattern.

Iambic pentameter is the most common metrical pattern in Shakespeare.