Prose vs. Verse

Prose vs. Verse

Verse

Verse is a collection of lines that follow a regular, rhythmic pattern–in Shakespeare, usually iambic pentameter, a metric scheme in which each line has ten syllables consisting of five unaccented and accented syllable pairs. In its highest form–when the language is lyrical and the content sublime–verse can become poetry, either rhymed or not.

Prose

Verse in The Taming of The Shrew

Verse in Iambic Pentameter

Prose is the everyday language of conversation, letters, lectures, sermons, newspaper articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia articles. Lines of text that are of prose do not all have the same number of syllables nor are there any discernible pattern of stresses. Prose has no rhyme or metric scheme.

"Pardon me, sir, the boldness is mine own"(II.i.93). -Tranio

"The more my wrong, the more his spite appears"(IV.iii.2). -Kate

"Now, by the world, it is a lusty wench" (II.i.168). -Petruchio

"That have by marriage made thy daughter mine,

While counterfeit supposes bleared thine eye" (VI.i.120-121). -Lucentio

"Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,

And place your hands below your husbands foot;

In token of which duty, if he please,

My hand is ready, may it do him ease"(VI.ii.193-195). -Kate

Prose in The Taming of The Shrew

"I must believe my master; else, I promise you,

I should be arguing still upon that doubt;

But let it rest. Now, Licio, to you.

Good master, take it not unkindly, pray,

That I have been thus pleasant with you both."

~Bianca (III.I.57-61)

"Verona, for a while I take my leave,

To see my friends in Padua; but of all

My best beloved and approved friend,

Hortensio; and I trow this is his house,

Here, sirrah Grumio, knock, I say"(I.II.1-4). ~Petruchio

"Is ’t possible, friend Litio, that mistress Bianca

Doth fancy any other but Lucentio?

I tell you, sir, she bears me fair in hand"(IV.II. 1-3).

~Tranio

Prose vs. Verse

The Taming of The Shrew

Works Cited

Cooper, John R. "Intonation And Iambic Pentameter." Papers On Language and Literature 33.4 (1997): 392. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.

Ross, Charles. "Ariosto In Prose." Prose Studies 29.3(2007): 336-346. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print.

Rachel Spilky

Kaia Mendenhall

Isaac Dobbins

Justice Norris

In Conclusion

In conclusion, we have found that the majority of The Taming of The Shrew is written in verse, simply because it is a play. Since verses can either rhyme or not, almost all lines in this play are verses. Also, we found that the use of Iambic Pentameter is quite prevalent in this play, most likely because it is written by Shakespeare and he is known for that style of writing. Prose is a much more relaxed writing style and is commonly used in this play only for informal conversations or when comic relief is needed after the use of verse for serious and tense situations.

The language used by Shakespeare in his plays is in one of three forms: prose, rhymed verse or blank verse, each of which he uses to achieve specific effects. Shakespeare wrote his plays partly in verse and partly in prose, freely alternating between the two in the same acts and scenes. One consistent difference between the two seems to be that verse is used when there are passages of high feeling and increased intensity, while prose is often the language of wit and play.