Flashcards · YET01 · A Level Topic 4

Unit 4: Shakespeare and Pre-1900 Poetry (A Level) flashcards

9 cards on A Level Topic 4, subtopics 4.3 to 4.4. Pick a subtopic or study them all.

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How is YET01 Unit 4 (WET04) set out?: 2 hours, 50 marks, completing the full IAL: a Shakespeare section and a pre-1900 poetry section of equal size.
What is blank verse, and why do departures from it matter?: Unrhymed iambic pentameter. A switch to prose often marks lower status, comedy or loss of control; rhyming couplets often close a scene with finality.
What is a foil?: A character who contrasts with the protagonist, throwing their qualities into sharper relief.
How should you write about a Shakespeare extract?: Say where it falls and what has just happened, make a claim about its dramatic purpose, analyse language, verse, stagecraft and imagery, then connect it to the play as a whole.
What does the balance of "To be, or not to be" set up in Hamlet's soliloquy?: An either-or structure that the rest of the speech complicates. The soliloquy lets the audience watch thought in progress rather than a conclusion.

What are the conventions of a ballad and an ode?: A ballad tells a story in a simple, regular rhythm, often with a refrain. An ode addresses and praises a subject in an elevated tone.
How do you approach the language of a pre-1900 poem?: Read slowly, aloud if possible, and paraphrase difficult lines (unfamiliar diction, inverted word order, classical references) before analysing them.
What does "charter'd" suggest in Blake's "I wander thro' each charter'd street"?: Ownership and control: with the heavy, repeated rhythm, it presents the city as restricted and oppressive.
What concerns are often linked with Romantic and Victorian poetry?: Romantic poets often respond to nature, imagination and social change; Victorian poets to doubt, industry and morality. Show how a specific feature reflects such a concern rather than forcing a label.