| King Lear is written in | Blank Verse and Prose |
| Blank Verse has | unrhymed iambic pentameters |
| Shakespeare doesn’t | stick to Blank Verse rigidly as he uses shorter lines for emphasis |
| Shakespeare uses short lines in | scenes of chaos |
| Longer lines are used to | avoid the comic sing song or monotonous effects of repeated iambic pentameter |
| Rhyming couplets provide | a sense of closure |
| Rhyme is used to draw | attention to thoughts or ideas (fools song) |
| Comic characters usually speak | in prose in Elizabethan and Jacobean dramas |
| Scenes of madness are written in | prose |
| Lear shifts from blank verse to prose which highlights | disruption in his mind |
| Lear refers to himself at the beginning in the | 3rd person and 1st person as the play progresses and he loses his power |
| Language is direct and simple which reinforces | the dramatic power of king lear |
| Characters use asides and soliloquies to | inform audience about feelings and intentions |
| Goneril and Regan use clipped commands which highlight | their crave for power |
| Imagery and metaphors | highlights understanding |
Language in King Lear
July 3, 2019