Jul 26, 2008

Shakespeare's Work | Shakespeare's Use of Prose

In all but four of Shakespeare's plays (Henry VI, Parts 1 and 3: King John; Richard II) prose is used as an alternative and contrasting medium to verse. The proportion of prose to verse can range from less than one-tenth (Titus Andronicus, Richard III, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Henry VIII) to nine-tenths (The Merry Wives of Windsor), but in every instance its use is carefully controlled for artistic effect. As for such plays as Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida, All's Well That Ends...