1. SHAKESPEARE’S
LANGUAGE

2. METER
The basic rhythmic structure of a poetic line,
containing a regular pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables.
/ = stressed
˘ = unstressed

4. METER =
Type of Foot
+
# of Feet in a Line

5. FEET
A group of syllables in poetry
comprised of two or more
stressed or unstressed
syllables.

6. 6 TYPES OF FEET
The primary feet are referred to using these:
•Iambic: destroy (unstressed/stressed)
•Anapestic: intervene
(unstressed/unstressed/stressed)
•Trochaic: topsy (stressed/unstressed)
•Dactylic: merrily (stressed/unstressed/unstressed)
The substitutive feet are referred to using these terms:
•Spondaic: hum drum (stressed/stressed)
•Pyrrhic: the sea/ son of/ mists (the "son of" in the
middle being unstressed/unstressed)

7. IAMBIC METER
A pattern consisting of an unstressed syllable
followed by a stressed syllable (da-DUM)
Example: attempt

8. LINE LENGTH
The types of line lengths are as
follows:
 One foot: Monometer
 Two feet: Dimeter
 Three feet: Trimeter
 Four feet: Tetrameter
 Five feet: Pentameter
 Six feet: Hexameter
 Seven feet: Heptameter

9. IAMBIC
PENTAMETER

10. METER =
Type of Foot
+
# of Feet in a Line

11. BLANK VERSE

12. EXAMPLE FROM THE
TEMPEST (SHAKESPEARE)

13. COUPLET

14. END-STOPPED
LINE

15. RUN-ON LINE

16. DRAMA TERMS

17. ASIDE

18. COMEDY

19. DRAMA

20. DRAMATIC
IRONY

21. FOIL
Example: Katniss Everdeen & Effie Trinket
in The Hunger Games

22. MONOLOGUE

23. OXYMORON
JUMBO SHRIMP

24. PUN
EXAMPLE:I wondered why the baseball
was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

25. SOLILOQUY

26. STAGE
DIRECTIONS

27. TRAGEDY