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 Much Ado About Nothing.
  • 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 Much Ado?

    Iambic pentameter is used at quite specific moments in the play. If you count the syllables in this line where Claudio rejects Hero at the wedding and read it out, you can see how it works: ‘Give not this rotten orange to your friend’
  • Prose and Verse

    Play Prose and Verse video

    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 Much Ado?

    Only 30% of Much Ado is written in verse, so it’s interesting to watch out for where it is used and why. You can tell by looking at the page in the play text. Where it looks like a poem, Shakespeare is using verse and when it looks like writing in a book that goes the whole way across the page, prose is being used.
  • Rhyming Couplets

    Play Rhyming Couplets Video

    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 Much Ado?

    Certain characters use rhyming couplets to finish thoughts and speeches in Much Ado. For example, Hero uses one as she exits after tricking Beatrice in Act 3 Scene 1: ‘If it prove so, then loving goes by haps, / Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.’
  • Antithesis

    Play Antithesis video

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

    Where will I find it in Much Ado?

    Antithesis in used quite a lot in Much Ado. For example, in Act 2 Scene 1 Beatrice says, ‘He that hath a beard is more than a youth: and he that hath no beard is less than a man’. Many of the characters in Much Ado play with language in this way to entertain others and to display their wit and cleverness.

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 strong beat and one soft 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 uses wordplay, especially in his comedies, such as puns which are jokes using a word that has two different meanings.

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 word comes from the Latin word iam meaning beat.

Take another look at the 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 definitions

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 definitions

Couplets

Another word for when two lines are coupled together.

Take another look at the definitions

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

Puns

Another word for jokes that use wordplay.

Take another look at the definitions

Teacher Notes

You can use the activities in the videos on this page with students, to explore the language in the play as you work through it. The activity which is used to explore iambic pentameter will be very useful in understanding rhythm and structure.