Poetry Syllables, Rhythm, and Patterns

1. Poetry Syllables, Rhythm, and Patterns • Words are broken into syllables, parts that create a specific sound. • Poets use syllables to create sounds and rhythms in their poems. • Being able to identify the poet’s use of syllables can help the reader better understand the meaning of the poem and to identify the type of poem created.

2. Identify the syllables in the following line from Romeo and Juliet “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?” “(But) (soft)! (What) (light) (through) (yon) (der) (win) (dow) (breaks)?”

3. Rhythm, Meter, and Feet • Rhythm is a musical quality based on repetition. • When you talk about the beat you hear when you read a poem, you are describing its rhythm. • One common form of rhythm is meter, a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in the lines of a poem. • Stressed syllables are marked ’ • Unstressed syllables are marked ˘

4. Identify the stressed and unstressed syllables in the following line from Romeo and Juliet “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?”

5. ˘ ́ ˘ ́ “(But) (soft)! (What) (light) ˘ ́ ˘ ́ (through) (yon) (der) (win) ˘ ́ (dow) (breaks)?”

9. Identify the syllables in the following poems. Determine if the poems fit the traditional definition of a haiku. State whether or not each poem is a haiku and provide a reason to support your decision. Why do you think some of these poems do not fit the definition of a haiku?

17. Identify the rhyme scheme for each of the following sonnets. • Highlight the couplets. • State which type of sonnet each selection represents. • Be sure to provide a brief explanation to support your opinion.

22. Create a scale to estimate the size of the stage and important parts of the building used in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Label the height, width, and depth of the parts you are able to identify.