Key Terms

Here are some of the key terms that get used when talking about Shakespeare’s language, so you can look out for them in Romeo and Juliet.
  • Iambic Pentameter

    Play Iambic Pentameter Video

    Iambic pentameter is the name given to the rhythm that Shakespeare uses in his plays. The rhythm of iambic pentameter is like a heartbeat, with one soft beat and one strong beat repeated five times.

    Where will I find it in Romeo and Juliet?

    Iambic pentameter is used almost all the time in Romeo and Juliet. Count the syllables in this line where Romeo describes Juliet at the balcony. If you read it out you can see how it works: ‘But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks?’ (Romeo, 2:1)
  • Prose and Verse

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    Shakespeare writes in a combination of prose and verse. Prose is a conversational way of speaking which doesn’t have a set rhythm or structure. Verse always has a set rhythm and structure.

    Where will I find it in Romeo and Juliet?

    Most of Romeo and Juliet is written in verse, so it’s interesting to watch out for when it isn’t used. You can tell by looking at the page in the script. Where it looks like a poem, Shakespeare is using verse. When it looks like writing in a book that goes the whole way across the page, he is writing in prose. Prose is often used by servants or characters with lower status in the play. Interestingly, Mercutio speaks in prose when he’s with his friend Benvolio in Act 3 Scene 1, but switches to verse when Tybalt arrives.
  • Rhyming Couplets

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    Rhyming couplets are two lines written in iambic pentameter that end in the same sound, or a rhyme. They are often used to sum up the end of a character’s speech.

    Where will I find it in Romeo and Juliet?

    Many characters use rhyming couplets to finish thoughts and speeches in Romeo and Juliet. For example, Romeo uses them in speeches when he’s talking about Juliet. When he first sees Juliet In Act 1 Scene 5 his speech is written entirely in rhyming couplets: 'O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright. / It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night' (Romeo, 1:5). The play also ends with a rhyming couplet. Why do you think this is?
  • Antithesis

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    Antithesis happens when two opposites are put together. For example, hot and cold or light and dark.

    Where will I find it in Romeo and Juliet?

    In Romeo’s ‘Banished’ speech in Act 3 Scene 3, he uses antithesis to describe how it feels to be separated from Juliet. ''Tis torture and not mercy’ (Romeo, 3:3) is just one example. Opposites like light and dark and heaven and hell are used a lot in Romeo and Juliet.
  • Shared Lines

    Play Shared Line Video

    Shared lines are when two or more characters share a line of iambic verse between them. You will usually see this laid out on the page and it can often show a connection between charcaters.

    Where will I find it in Romeo and Juliet?

    A shared line tells us a lot about the relationship between two characters. Friar Laurence’s first greeting to Romeo in Act 2 Scene 3 and Romeo’s response is shared ‘Good morrow, father. Benedicite!’ (2:3) A shared line can also demonstrate an urgency in a character.
  • Sonnet
    A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines, written in iambic pentameter. It has three stanzas of four lines, with an ABAB rhyme scheme, and ends with a rhyming couplet. They are traditionally love poems.

    Where will I find it in Romeo and Juliet?

    The play opens with a sonnet spoken by the chorus, the prologue. But the most famous sonnet in the play is in Act 1 Scene 5 when Romeo and Juliet meet, beginning with the line 'If I profane with my unworthiest hand' (Romeo, 1:5). Unusually, this sonnet is shared by two people but still follows the set rules, ending with a couplet that Romeo and Juliet share.
  • Dramatic Irony
    Dramatic irony is a literary technique in which the significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience but unknown to the character speaking them.

    Where will I find it in Romeo and Juliet?

    Dramatic irony is used by Shakespeare throughout the play. The audience is aware of the couple's fate from the prologue but both Romeo and Juliet make references to death and fate, without knowing. Before Romeo meets Juliet at the ball, for example, he says his ‘mind misgives / Some consequence yet hanging in the stars' (Romeo, 1:4).

Test Yourself on language terms

Shakespeare writes in a combination of prose and verse. Verse is like poetry and it has a set structure and rhythm. The rhythm Shakespeare uses in his plays is called iambic pentameter, which is like a heartbeat, with one soft beat and one strong beat repeated five times. Sometimes it’s also interesting to look at lines that don’t match the rhythm of iambic pentameter and to think about why.
In Shakespeare’s plays you will find examples of antithesis, which is when two opposites are put together, like hot and cold or light and dark. Characters also often end speeches with rhyming couplets, which are two lines written in iambic pentameter that end in the same sound, or a rhyme. Shakespeare also writes sonnets which combine iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets to great effect. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to give the audience clues about what is coming next in the play and foreshadow the characters’ tragic ends.

Prose

The style of writing you might find in a book.

Take another look at the prose and verse definitions

Structure

Another word for organise or lay out.

Take another look at Nia’s definition of verse

Iambic

This words comes from the Latin word iam meaning beat.

Take another look at the iambic pentameter definitions

Heartbeat

The rhythm you feel in your chest, like a pulse.

Take another look at Nia’s definition of iambic pentameter

Five

The Latin word for this number is ‘pent’.

Take another look at the definition of iambic pentameter

Opposites

Another word for completely different things.

Take another look at Nia’s definition of antithesis

Dark

The total opposite of light.

Take another look at the definition of antithesis

Couplets

Another word for when two lines are coupled together.

Take another look at the definition of rhyming couplets

Iambic Pentameter

The name for the rhythm Shakespeare writes in.

Take another look at your third answer and the definitions

Sound

Another word for something you hear.

Take another look at Nia’s definition of rhyming couplets

Sonnets

A poem made up of 14 lines.

Take another look at the definitions

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something the character doesn't.

Take another look at the definitions

Teacher Notes

The following activities are great ways to introduce iambic pentameter and antithesis in Romeo and Juliet to a group of students. They also look at how language can be used as a weapon in the opening scenes.

Exploring Language (2008)

There are three activities in the pack. Each of them takes approximately 30 minutes. Please note video clips are no longer available from the 2008 production.

You can also try out the activities in the videos on this page with students.