The Rhyming &
the Styling of
Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The 3 Writing Styles of MSND
-Iambic Pentameter,
-Rhymed Verse,
-Catalectic Trochaic Tetrameter
Iambic Pentameter
• is a kind of rhythmic pattern that consist of:
- five “iambs” per line (iamb-unaccented
syllable followed by an accented one).
- It's the most common rhythm in English
poetry and sounds like five heartbeats:
- “Penta" means "five,"
- “meter" refers to a regular rhythmic pattern.
Iambic Pentameter
• It's the most common rhythm in English poetry
and sounds like five heartbeats:
da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM.
• Here's an example from Theseus's speech to
Hippolyta:
hippOLyTA, i WOO'D thee WITH my SWORD,
and WON thy LOVE, doING thee INjurIES;
Rhymed Verse
• Passionate youth of MSND rhyme their words (Hermia’s)
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; (A rhyme)
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind: (A rhyme)
Nor hath Love's mind of any judgment taste; (B rhyme)
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste: (B rhyme)
And therefore is Love said to be a child, (C rhyme)
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled. (C rhyme)
Catalectic Trochaic Tetrameter
• Used by fairies & also witches in Macbeth
• A "trochee" is the opposite of an "iamb."
• It's an accented syllable followed by an
unaccented syllable that sounds like DUM-da.
• "Tetra" means "four" and "meter" refers to a
regular rhythmic pattern. So "trochaic
tetrameter" is a kind of rhythmic pattern that
consist of four trochees per line
Catalectic Trochaic Tetrameter
• It sounds like this:
DUM-da, DUM-da, DUM-da, DUM-da.
Here's an example where Puck addresses
Oberon:
CAPtain OF our FAIry BAND,
HELeNA is HERE at HAND;