The diction of a play is another way of saying the language that the characters use. There are several important things to note about the language devices employed by Shakespeare.
The change between verse and prose can identify that something significant has occurred for a character in that moment in time. Examples of this are when a character switches from being stable, calm and sane to them losing their mind, becoming confused or enraged. Eg: The Fools Song
Lear is a good example of a character switching between verse and prose. Within the beginning scenes of the play, Lear speaks in verse, this is because he is King and is supposed to have the most power and hold the highest status amongst his kingdom. When Lear begins to realise that people are turning against him because of decisions he made, his speech becomes more broken which indicates that he is aware of the fact that he is losing control and slowly becoming mad. His speech becomes increasingly careless and less sophisticated. It makes it seem like Lear is becoming more of a fool than a king.
Verse : “Meantime we shall express our darker purpose. Give me the map there. Know that we have divided In three our kingdom, and ’tis our fast intent To shake all cares and business from our age,”
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