See you if you can show by listing examples how the language of poetry is different from the language of prose in Act 3 Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
I have chosen to answer this blog question as I am still confused by the demarcations between writings of poetry or prose within Shakespeare’s plays.
I have sort the help of the all knowing Google to help guide my investigation into the differences;
- a checklist of differences and similarities can be found here
- the history of writing poetry and prose can be found here
- a chart comparison between poetry and prose here
- definition of Shakespeare’s blank verse here
Now to dissecting Act 3 Scene 1 myself!
BOTTOM Not a whit! I have a device to make all well.
Write me a prologue, and let the prologue seem to
say we will do no harm with our swords and that
Pyramus is not killed indeed. And, for the more
better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not
Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. This will put them
out of fear.
Write me a prologue, and let the prologue seem to
say we will do no harm with our swords and that
Pyramus is not killed indeed. And, for the more
better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not
Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver. This will put them
out of fear.
This excerpt from the play is written in prose!
- The lines extend end to end to the margin
- Language is straight forward and easy to understand (as easy to understand as a Shakespeare comes!)
- Arranged in a paragraph with full sentences (not truncated or indented)
- The first word of each sentence is capitalised
In my newly expert opinion, I can now conclude that the next excerpt is written in poetry and prose;
BOTTOM I see their knavery. …..
He sings.The ouzel cock, so black of hue,
With orange-tawny bill,
The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill—
He sings.The ouzel cock, so black of hue,
With orange-tawny bill,
The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill—
TITANIA, waking up
What angel wakes me from my flow’ry bed?
What angel wakes me from my flow’ry bed?
BOTTOM sings
The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
The plainsong cuckoo gray,
Whose note full many a man doth mark
And dares not answer “nay”—
for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a
bird? Who would give a bird the lie though he cry
“cuckoo” never so?
The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
The plainsong cuckoo gray,
Whose note full many a man doth mark
And dares not answer “nay”—
for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a
bird? Who would give a bird the lie though he cry
“cuckoo” never so?
Here the poetry style of writing is identified by;
- Bottom’s singing is depicting a special transformation through musical rhyme and is decorated with symbolism and imagery
- The language is purposefully creating sound to stand out and become a song
- The arrangement of lines is not contained within a paragraph and is truncated
- The first letter of each line is capitalised, even when mid-sentence
I hope that anyone needing help with differentiating poetry from prose can read this blog post and be less confused!
Caitlin McCartney 
Hi Caitlin!
This was an extremely helpful piece. It definitely clarified the differences in poetry and prose in the play. Anyone who is confused by the two would be enlightened after reading your blog. I especially like that you included specific examples for both, however, I do think further analysis of text excerpts would have been helpful. Another point of constructive criticism I can offer is a reread before publication, as some sentences are clumsy. Other than that, great work!
LikeLike
Nice exploration Caitlin- well done! It was worth the effort!!!
Editing Needed (and some workshop follow-ups- see Purdue Owl for help: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/
* I have sort the help =sought [ !!!!]
LikeLike