About Clare Washbrook Expertise I can answer questions related to the texts, sonnets or to Shakespeare's life. I can help with historical context and language difficulties. I am a secondary school English and Drama teacher in England and can therefore help current students with the texts which they are studying.
DO NOT ASK ME WHERE HE GOT HIS IDEAS FROM! I know that it is a dreadful question to be posed as homework but I have recieved it dozens of times. The answer can be found in past questions.
Experience I fell in love with Shakespeare at a young age and continue to be enthralled. I have studied Shakespeare to undergraduate level and teach Shakespeare to A-level (age 18). I have performed three of his plays. As an amateur etymologist I am familiar with many misconceptions about the meanings, intent and usage of words in the plays which other people are often unaware of.
Educated to post-graduate level.
Published and performance poet.
Former Journalist, former Editor, occassional Private Tutor. Included in OED as the first writer to use a particular word.
Organizations The Poetry Society
Publications The Radio Times, Books by Dogma, "SO" Magazine, NUS publications, Other Poetry, OED, Publications by PTS others
Education/Credentials BA (HONS) Literature (Theatre minor), MA (current accreditation)
Awards and Honors Bronze Award - International Poetry Awards 2004
Question Why does Shakespeare use iambic pentameter throughout romeo and juliet? Isn't
really difficult to maintain it and it would take a lot of time to have every line in
iambic pentameter, so why did shakespeare use it in his writing? what was so
important about it and what did shakespeare's use of iambic penatmeter do in
the novel romeo and juliet?
Answer Nikitha,
He doesn't stick to it all the way through! Much of it is in iambic pentameter, but not all of it.
Despite this dominant structure, there are many other poetic structures within Romeo and Juliet. If you look, he ascribes different poetic styles to each character and these styles develop as the character develops. In a way he gives their personalities or souls a unique poetic voice which reflects their character development in actual form. Romeo speaks in sonnets.
As to why he did it, well it is not written down anywhere but I "believe" that he did it to reflect the poetic tradition of the story. Romeo and Juliet is not an original story and exists in many forms by many different writers (prior to Shakespeare). It began life as a poem. Shakespeare developed that in quite a complex and beautiful way.
If this is for a piece of school work, I would suggest referring to Romeo and Juliet as a play, not as a novel.
