Title Page

OBJECTIVES OF THIS LECTURE

• CONTENT OBJECTIVE: STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE THE CHARACTERISTICS AND
DIFFERENCES OF PROSE AND VERSE, AND HOW SHAKESPEARE USES EACH TO ADVANCE PLOT,
ILLUMINATE THEMES, AND DESCRIBE CHARACTERS.

• LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE: STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO WRITE 4 LINES OF DIALOGUE EACH IN PROSE
AND VERSE.

Lecture Objectives
STANDARDS ADDRESSED
• COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD FOR ELA > READING LIITERATURE: CRAFT AND STRUCTURE: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
• DETERMINE THE MEANING OF WORDS AND PHRASES AS THEY ARE USED IN THE TEXT, INCLUDING FIGURATIVE AND
CONNOTATIVE MEANINGS; ANALYZE THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF SPECIFIC WORD CHOICES ON MEANING AND TONE (E.G., HOW
THE LANGUAGE EVOKES A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE; HOW IT SETS A FORMAL OR INFORMAL TONE).

• COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD FOR ELA > WRITING: TEXT TYPES AND PURPOSES: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.E
• ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A FORMAL STYLE AND OBJECTIVE TONE WHILE ATTENDING TO THE NORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF
THE DISCIPLINE IN WHICH THEY ARE WRITING.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.B
• USE NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS DIALOGUE, PACING, DESCRIPTION, REFLECTION, AND MULTIPLE PLOT LINES, TO
DEVELOP EXPERIENCES, EVENTS, AND/OR CHARACTERS.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.D
• USE PRECISE WORDS AND PHRASES, TELLING DETAILS, AND SENSORY LANGUAGE TO CONVEY A VIVID PICTURE OF THE
EXPERIENCES, EVENTS, SETTING, AND/OR CHARACTERS

Standards
PROSE, DRAMA OR VERSE
Types of
Writing

Prose Drama
Poetry or Verse Built with dialogue,
Built of sentences and
Built of lines, verses paragraphs stage directions and
and stanzas characters

Narrative
Expository Prose Verse

Smart Art/Duel Coding

WHAT KIND OF WRITING IS TWELFTH NIGHT
• ON YOUR NOTES, RECALL THE DEFINITION OF PROSE AND VERSE. WHICH IS
TWELFTH NIGHT WRITTEN IN? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THIS? WRITE AT LEAST
THREE SENTENCES. JUSTIFY YOUR IDEAS TO YOUR GROUP.

Educational Hook
PROSE
/PRŌZ/
NOUN
1. WRITTEN OR SPOKEN LANGUAGE IN ITS ORDINARY FORM, WITHOUT METRICAL STRUCTURE.

PROSE IS:
• EVERYDAY LANGUAGE
• LACKING RHYTHM OR METER IN THE LINE
• FORM OF SPEECH USED BY COMMON PEOPLE IN SHAKESPEAREAN DRAMA, SUCH AS
MURDERERS, SERVANTS, AND PORTERS
• *THE MAJORITY OF THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR IS WRITTEN IN PROSE BECAUSE IT DEALS
WITH MIDDLE-CLASS.
• *THE SERVANTS FROM TWELFTH NIGHT SPEAK IN PROSE.

Animation
EXAMPLE OF PROSE IN TWELFTH NIGHT ACT 1 SCENE 3, LINES 43-52

TOBY: ACCOST, SIR ANDREW, ACCOST

SIR ANDREW: GOOD MISTRESS ACCOST, I DESIRE BETTER ACQUAINTANCE.

MARIA: MY NAME IS MARY, SIR.

SIR ANDREW: GOOD MISTRESS MARY ACCOST--

SIR TOBY: YOU MISTAKE, KNIGHT, ‘ACCOST’ IS TO FRONT HER, BOARD HER, WOO HER, ASSAIL HER.

SIR ANDREW: BY MY TROTH, I WOULD NOT UNDERTAKE HER IN THIS COMPANY. IS THAT THE
MEANING OF "ACCOST"?
NOW YOU TRY…..
• FIND AN EXAMPLE OF PROSE IN TWELFTH NIGHT. WRITE IT DOWN IN YOUR
NOTES. CITE THE ACT AND SCENE NUMBER. SHARE IT WITH YOUR PARTNER.

Progress Monitoring Question/ Duel

Coding (pic of servants who speak
prose)
NOW CHECK
DOES YOUR EXAMPLE HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?

• RUN ON LINES
• NO RHYME OR METRIC SCHEME
• THE QUALITIES OF EVERYDAY
LANGUAGE
• SPOKEN BY A COMMON CHARACTER
• HUMOR

Progress Monitoring Question/Duel Coding (pic of

comedic characters who speak prose, added to Hamlet
for levity)
VERSE
/VƏRS/
NOUN
1. WRITING ARRANGED WITH A METRICAL RHYTHM, TYPICALLY HAVING A RHYME. IF THE VERSE
HAS NO RHYME, IT'S CALLED BLANK VERSE. MOST OF SHAKESPEARE'S VERSE IS BLANK
VERSE.

VERSE IS:
• SPOKEN BY A MEMBER OF NOBILITY OR UPPER CLASS.
• LINES THAT HAVE AN INTERNAL RHYTHM WITH A REGULAR RHYTHMIC
PATTERN.
• USED AT TIMES OF HEIGHTENED DRAMA FOR MAXIMUM EMOTIONAL
IMPACT.

Animation
EXAMPLE OF VERSE IN TWELFTH NIGHT
VIOLA'S SPEECH ACT 2 SCENE 2

VIOLA: I LEFT NO RING WITH HER. WHAT MEANS THIS LADY?

FORTUNE FORBID MY OUTSIDE HAVE NOT CHARMED HER.
SHE MADE GOOD VIEW OF ME; INDEED, SO MUCH
THAT, SURE METHOUGHT, HER EYES HAD LOST HER TONGUE,
FOR SHE DID SPEAK IN STARTS DISTRACTEDLY.
NOW YOU TRY….
• FIND AN EXAMPLE OF VERSE IN TWELFTH NIGHT. WRITE IT IN YOUR NOTES.
CITE ACT AND SCENE NUMBER. SHARE IT WITH YOUR PARTNER.

Progress Monitoring
Question
NOW CHECK
DOES YOUR EXAMPLE HAVE:

• A SET AND REPEATED RHYTHM

• TEN SYLLABLES PER LINE
• SPOKEN BY NOBILITY OR A MEMBER OF
THE UPPER CLASS
• USED AT A TIME OF HEIGHTENED DRAMA

Progress Monitoring Question/ Duel Coding (pic of King

Lear, a noble man who speaks in verse)
HOW DID SHAKESPEARE USE PROSE
SHAKESPEARE USED PROSE TO:
• TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT HIS CHARACTERS
• INTERRUPT THE RHYTHMIC PATTERNS OF THE PLAY.
• DISTINGUISH LOW CLASS CHARACTERS FROM THE HIGHER-CLASS, VERSE-
SPEAKING CHARACTERS.
FOR EXAMPLE – HAMLET

• ONE OF HAMLET’S MOST POIGNANT

SPEECHES IS DELIVERED ENTIRELY IN
PROSE, EVEN THOUGH HE IS A PRINCE.
IN THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLE,
SHAKESPEARE INTERRUPTS HAMLET’S
VERSE WITH A HEARTFELT REALIZATION
ABOUT THE BREVITY OF HUMAN
EXISTENCE. THE IMMEDIATENESS OF
THE PROSE MAKES US REALIZE
HAMLET IS GENUINELY THOUGHTFUL
AND SOLEMN. IT ALSO HUMANIZES HIM
AND MAKES HIM MORE RELATABLE.
LET’S LISTEN TO KENNETH BRANAGH AS HAMLET
• HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=XXVVKXYN7WG&T=9S

Duel Coding
PROSE WAS USED TO CREATE A RANGE OF EFFECTS
• TO MAKE DIALOGUE MORE REALISTIC
MANY SHORT, FUNCTIONAL LINES LIKE “AND I, MY LORD,” AND “I PRAY YOU LEAVE ME” ARE WRITTEN IN PROSE TO GIVE THE
PLAY A SENSE OF REALISM. IN SOME LONGER SPEECHES, SHAKESPEARE USED EVERYDAY LANGUAGE TO ALLOW THE
AUDIENCE TO IDENTIFY WITH HIS CHARACTERS.

• TO CREATE COMIC EFFECT

SOME OF SHAKESPEARE’S LOW-CLASS COMIC CREATIONS ASPIRE TO SPEAK IN THE FORMAL LANGUAGE OF THEIR
SUPERIORS, BUT DO NOT HAVE THE INTELLIGENCE TO ACHIEVE THIS AND THEREFORE BECOME OBJECTS OF RIDICULE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE UNEDUCATED DOGBERRY IN MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING ATTEMPTS TO USE MORE FORMAL LANGUAGE
BUT KEEPS GETTING IT WRONG. IN ACT 3, SCENE 5, HE INFORMS LEONATO THAT “OUR WATCH, SIR, HAVE INDEED
COMPREHENDED TWO AUSPICIOUS PERSONS.” HE MEANS “APPREHENDED” AND “SUSPICIOUS”.

• TO SUGGEST A CHARACTER’S MENTAL INSTABILITY

IN KING LEAR, LEAR’S VERSE DETERIORATES INTO PROSE AS THE PLAY UNFOLDS TO SUGGEST HIS INCREASINGLY ERRATIC
MENTAL CONDITION.
NOW YOU TRY….
• USING YOUR PREVIOUS EXAMPLE
OF PROSE, EXPLAIN IN YOUR
NOTES WHAT YOU THINK
SHAKESPEARE WAS TRYING TO
ACHIEVE BY USING COMMON
LANGUAGE. WRITE AT LEAST THREE
SENTENCES TO JUSTIFY YOUR
THOUGHTS. WHEN YOU ARE DONE,
SHARE WITH YOUR PARTNER.

Progress Monitoring Question/Duel Coding (pic of servants and

commoners who speak prose, often used for comedic effect)
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
• THE PATTERN OF VERSE MOST FAVORED BY SHAKESPEARE IS IAMBIC PENTAMETER.
IAMBIC PENTAMETER IS DEFINED AS A TEN-SYLLABLE LINE WITH THE ACCENT ON
EVERY OTHER SYLLABLE, BEGINNING WITH THE SECOND ONE.

IAMBIC PENTAMETER SOUNDS LIKE THIS:

BA- BUM / BA-BUM / BA-BUM / BA-BUM / BA-BUM

NOW SAY IT WITH ME....

BA- BUM / BA-BUM / BA-BUM / BA-BUM / BA-BUM

LET’S WATCH A SHORT VIDEO TO FURTHER UNDERSTAND IAMBIC PENTAMETER.
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=5LFWVJLLITK

Duel Coding
LET’S TRY TOGETHER
• SOME OF SHAKESPEARE'S MOST FAMOUS LINES ARE IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER. ON YOUR
NOTES, CIRCLE THE SYLLABLES IN THE FOLLOWING LINES THAT ARE STRESSED, THEN TURN
TO YOUR PARTNER AND SPEAK EACH LINE OUT LOUD USING AN EXAGGERATED IAMBIC
PENTAMETER.

• IF MU- / -SIC BE / THE FOOD / OF LOVE, / PLAY ON ("TWELFTH NIGHT")

• BUT, SOFT! / WHAT LIGHT / THROUGH YON / DER WIN / DOW BREAKS? ("ROMEO AND JULIET")

Duel Coding
 LET’S LISTEN TO JOANNA LUMLEY AS VIOLA

• HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=JG1QTS5PDEM

Duel Coding
VERSE WAS USED TO CREATE A
• TO MAKE THE DIALOGUE SOUND MORE FORMAL
RANGE OF EFFECTS
VERSE WAS THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY THE NOBILITY AND UPPER CLASS IN SHAKESPEARE'S DRAMAS. MOST OF
SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS ARE WRITTEN ABOUT THESE CHARACTERS. THE HISTORIES AND TRAGEDIES WRITTEN BY
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE WERE WRITTEN IN VERSE TO CONVEY A FORMAL AND SERIOUS TONE. VERSE, EVEN WITHOUT
RHYME HAS A MAJESTIC QUALITY TO IT.

• TO DRAW THE AUDIENCE IN AT KEY MOMENTS

BLANK VERSE COMMANDS THE LISTENER'S ATTENTION. THE AUDIENCE MUST LITERALLY, PHYSICALLY LEAN IN TO
CONCENTRATE AND UNDERSTAND THE MEANING BEHIND THE LINES. BECAUSE THE WORDS ARE SO SPECIFICALLY, SO
JUDICIOUSLY CHOSEN, THE READER OR LISTENER IS MEANT TO INDULGE IN THE FEELING OF THE WORDS, MUCH LIKE
THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES.

• TO HEIGHTEN DRAMA
VERSE IS MOST OFTEN USED IN LONG STRETCHES OF DIALOGUE CALLED MONOLOGUES OR SOLILOQUIES AT TIMES OF
GREAT EMOTION FOR CHARACTERS. CHARACTERS USE VERSE TO PROCESS THEIR FEELINGS OF JOY, LOVE, LOSS,
ANGER AND FEAR. THIS GIVES THE READER OR LISTENER AN INDICATION THAT WHAT THE CHARACTERS ARE
EXPERIENCING IS CRUCIAL TO THE STORY.
 NOW YOU TRY….
• USING YOUR PREVIOUS
EXAMPLE OF VERSE,
EXPLAIN IN YOUR NOTES
WHAT YOU THINK
SHAKESPEARE WAS
TRYING TO ACHIEVE BY
USING VERSE. WRITE AT
LEAST THREE
SENTENCES TO JUSTIFY
YOUR THOUGHTS. WHEN
YOU ARE DONE, SHARE
WITH YOUR PARTNER.

Progress Monitoring Question/Duel Coding

(pic of very dramatic scene from MacBeth.)
RECALL

• WITHOUT LOOKING BACK AT YOUR NOTES, TURN TO YOUR PARTNER AND RECALL
THE DEFINITIONS OF PROSE AND VERSE. GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF THE TYPES OF
CHARACTERS WHO WOULD SPEAK EACH, AND THE REASON SHAKESPEARE USED
THAT LANGUAGE.

Culminating Activity
MAKE IT YOUR OWN
• NOW THAT YOU ARE ALL EXPERTS ON PROSE AND VERSE. WRITE A SHORT SCRIPT
OF DIALOGUE THAT INCLUDES AT LEAST FOUR LINES IN VERSE, AND FOUR LINES IN
PROSE. KEEP IN MIND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH, AND FOR WHICH
PURPOSE THEY ARE USED.

Culminating Activity