Robert: You lied, traitor, you call yourself a wife.
Emma:How can you judge, you don't know the whole tale.
Robert: I know the tale perfectly well. My life...
Emma: It's always about your life without fail.
Robert:You and the children are always put first.
Emma:You had no minutes for me on your clock.
Robert:Time for you when you and him have the worst.
Emma:You gave no pleasure it was you and scotch.
Robert:For five years, you both got a flat. Our son?
Emma:I promise you he's yours and only yours.
Robert:Out of my sight we are finished and done.
Emma: That's it,the end of it, end all the wars.
Robert:I hate you,fires of pure fury burns.
Emma:I love you, it is not yet our turn.

Robert And Jerry

Robert: Was this the way to repay me Jerry?
Jerry: What? I didn't mean for this to occur.
Robert: I the ice-cream and Emma the cherry?
Jerry: Nothing but now just a meaningless blur.
Robert: After all these years, our friendship remained.
Jerry: And will continue, things happen in life.
Robert: I thought of my tears, every time it rained.
Jerry: But on the bright side, she was still your wife!
Robert: Is this how you feel its alright to joke?!
Jerry: No humour, but just the cold hearted truth.
Robert: My anger is stern, don't try and provoke.
Jerry: Forget this please, what about our young youth?
Robert: Changing the subject will come of no use.
Jerry: Neither will Emma's efforts to seduce.

Emma & Robert (EDIT)

Robert: I can’t say that I’m shocked you were untrue.
Emma: the love we shared has passed its sell by date.
Robert: you tore my heart and now I’m filled with rue.
Emma: I longed to tell you but it was too late.
Robert: you went behind my back with my best friend!
Emma: he seemed to care more than you ever did.
Robert: for you I would have done a full back bend!
Emma: this pent up love you felt for me, you hid.
Robert: I see you are a cold hard stupid whore.
Emma: how dare you call me names it isn’t fair!
Robert: just pack your bags and walk straight out the door.
Emma: you fail to understand; see if I care.
Robert: please stay away and I will be okay.
Emma: I never wanted it to end this way.

Emma and Robert

Emma: Dear Robert is there anything to say,

Robert: There is nothing to say but this, Divorce.

Emma: Divorce! Could not there be another way,

Robert: No. Now is not the time to show remorse.

Emma: If not for me think of our lovely kin,

Robert: If you had cared, you would not have done IT.
Emma: I hadn’t control over the feeling within,

Robert: Ha! Feelings! Shut your mouth or I will hit-

Emma: That’s it use your big giant fists again,

Robert: How dare you answer back after all this?

Emma: And what you gonna to do get out a cane?

Robert: A little of respect wouldn’t go amiss.

Emma: I have now lost all the respect for you,

Robert: Ok then with this I bit you adieu.

Emma and Jerry (Edit)

Jerry: Why did you say you told him yesterday?
Emma: I don't know i was puzzled and afraid
Jerry: You were never a toy for fun and play
Emma: Then why did i feel constantly Betrayed?
Jerry: Without you my heart will completely die
Emma: Tell me, what did you ever see in me?
Jerry: I saw a gem in your small brownish eye
Emma: If I said marry me; would you agree?
Jerry: I couldn't it just wouldn't feel quite right
Emma: So what was all those afternoons for then?
Jerry: Our private afternoons? They were alright
Emma: I hate you sometimes...you typical men!
Jerry: Well atleast I admitted I love you
Emma: Then how come you could never say 'I do'?

Emma and Jerry

Jerry: Why did you say you told him yesterday?
Emma: I don't know i was confused and afraid
Jerry: Well did you even love me just one day?
Emma: Yes, Ofcourse your love was my cherry aid
Jerry: Without you my heart will completely die
Emma: Tell me, what did you ever see in me?
Jerry: I see a gem in your small brownish eye
Emma: If I said marry me; would you agree?
Jerry: I couldn't it just wouldn't feel quite right
Emma: So what was all those afternoonsfor then?
Jerry: Our private afternoons? They were alright
Emma: I hate you sometimes, your such a... grey hen!
Jerry: Well atleast I admitted I love you
Emma: Then how come you could never say 'I do'?

Emma & Robert

Robert: I can’t say that I’m shocked you were untrue.
Emma: the love we had has passed it’s sell by date.
Robert: you tore my heart and now I’m filled with rue.
Emma: I wished to tell you but it was too late.
Robert: you went behind my back with my best friend!
Emma: he seemed to care more than you ever did.
Robert: for you I would have done a full back bend!
Emma: this pent up love you felt for me, you hid.
Robert: I see you are a cold hard stupid whore.
Emma: how dare you call me names it isn’t fare!
Robert: just pack your bags; be gone out of the door.
Emma: you fail to understand, see if I care.
Robert: I won’t be hurt again on from this day.
Emma: I never wanted it to end this way.

robert & jerry

Robert: I thought us two, we were best friends matey
Jerry: who’s to say us two, cant be such a way?
Robert: your kindness cannot make me so weighty
Jerry: my kindness does not aim to make you gay
Robert: well then, please don't try to change my sad mind
Jerry: I just don’t think a girl can break us up
Robert: so now you have slept with my love, she isn't your kind?
Jerry: she was too young, she was only a pup.
Robert: how dare you choose to speak such a foul phrase!
Jerry: we had the flat for such a sinful thing!
Robert: are you naming my wife a one-night phase?
Jerry: but if she was, the birds, they wouldn't sing!
Robert: so now it seems my faith was just a trap
Jerry: my life was just a fake, a deadly trap.

Task 8: An iambic conversation

Firstly, PLEASE look carefully at ALL the poems from last week's task. It is SO important that you read other people's work and, even more crucially, the COMMENTS I have made. Each comment I write is NOT just for the student I am talking to; it is to teach ALL of you something about the task too.

Some of you have completely cracked IAMBIC VERSE now; some of you are VERY close to cracking it; and some of you still appear to be hitting difficulties.

Let me remind you of some basic rules to check when writing IAMBIC PENTAMETER in particular:

1. Number of syllables: perfect iambic pentameter will have 5 feet (or beats), each consisting of 2 syllables. Therefore, if ANY of your lines of iambic pentameter have more or less than 10 SYLLABLES, there is something wrong.
2. Even and Odd: it is only the EVEN numbered syllables (i.e. 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th) which should be emphasised when writing iambic pentameter; the odd numbered syllables should NOT be stressed (i.e. 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th).
3. Say it out loud: check your poem by reading it out loud; when you do so, DELIBERATELY put exaggerated emphasis on the even-numbered syllables - how does it sound? Do ANY of the words sound really weird? If they do, the chances are something is wrong somewhere.
4. Shuffle along: sometimes, when something is wrong with your iambic rhythm, it can simply be a case of SHUFFLING a word along one syllable in the line (either forward or backward) and then inserting a one-syllable word where there is a GAP.
5. First and last: remember that the FIRST syllable must NOT be stressed; similarly, you must END each line with a STRESSED syllable. If your line starts with a stressed syllable, or ends with an unstressed one, then there is something wrong.

Right, on to this week's task...

Now that you have seen Betrayal, it will come as no surprise that I would like your next task to be based on that play.

I would like you to choose TWO characters from the play (i.e. Jerry and Robert OR Jerry and Emma OR Robert and Emma), and then write an imaginary conversation between the two of them, to take place shortly after the last chronological scene of the play (i.e. in 1977, at some point after Jerry has had that awkward meeting with Robert).

However, your conversation must be written in the form of a SONNET, following all the rules of sonnet-writing:

1. 14 lines
2. Rhyme scheme = ababcdcdefefgg
3. Iambic pentameter throughout

In addition, I would like you to assign the lines alternately to each of your two characters. In other words, Character A will speak Lines 1/3/5/7/9/11/13; whereas Character B will speak Lines 2/4/6/8/10/12/14. In this way, the sonnet will show a conversation between the two of them.

Needless to say, the TOPIC of the conversation is pretty obviously going to be the topic which dominates the play: betrayal.

This is a VERY difficult task. Good luck!

If you want some help finding the right RHYME (as long as you use the site carefully and ONLY use words which still get across the PRECISE meaning you are looking for), try the 'rhyme generator' at www.rhymezone.com.

And if you are stuck finding ANOTHER word to express something you are trying to say, why not use the thesaurus at www.thesaurus.com. If you do this, however, (as with any thesaurus), when you do FIND a word, always check it in a dictionary first, before you use it, to make SURE it means exactly what you want it to.

Here is my attempt:

Emma: At first it seemed our passion would endure.
Jerry: But passion doesn't last, it burns and dies.
Emma: I thought my feeble heart had found its cure.
Jerry: I sought a panacea in your eyes.
Emma: Your love was just a fiction from the start.
Jerry: I loved you. We just wanted different things.
Emma: A vicious way to tear my life apart!
Jerry: How viciously the thwarted lover stings!
Emma: The "thwarted lover"? How are you so cold?
Jerry: Look, neither of us thought that this could last.
Emma: It seems to me you're easily consoled.
Jerry: Just looking to the future, not the past.
Emma: Betrayal charges a pernicious price.
Jerry: Our amorous inferno turned to ice.

betrayal

i gave you a shiny flat screen tv
but you just tuned me away
it could have been really easy
but you insisted not to play
used to watch football matches together
but i was'nt in your league
i now live with my mother
you insisted it was just fatigue

betrayal

She took the cookie from the jar

(left my life in crumbs)

It hurt to see her full grown face

(darkness had over come)

I tried and tried to forget

(but brain washed was my mind)

Now i picture her batterd face

as i leave that life behind

betrayed

You made it feel just like a dream
it felt so damn alive
i felt your world was mine to own
there was nothing to hide
but later i found out the truth
your true colours were shown
i felt so hurt inside of me
my broken heart was thrown

Betrayal

My heart was whole before you came

My heart sunk with your touch
My body flooded with the shame
Like a balloon it popped
My heart was pumping before you came
It’s just a muscle now
Betrayal killed me all the same
Thank you for doing that

Forgotten

My heart, my life, my world shattered.
Tears flood my broken soul.
To search, why, is such confusion.
Pain is out of control.
Fire of regret burns inside.
Left here to bear your sin alone.
The forgotten jewel in the shade.

Betrayal

I sent my heart to you by post,
enclosed with it, my kiss of lust,
it arrived at yours with my love,
but you betrayed my trust.
labelled with "return to sender"
you sealed your own damn fate,
you showed me misery
so I'll fill your world with my hate.

Betrayal

My heart is the muddy pavement,
Which you walked all over.
My love for you was so lucky,
Like a four-leaf clover.
My lust for you forever burned,
That passion; our candle.
But you held us down so hard and rough,
Like a rusty door handle.

how could you

"if you wake in a room of blood
dont worry ,your just lost in my heart"
this is what you once told me before
but now betrayal has left us apart
together we were kentucky and chicken
but you left me for the fatty fries
now you become chicken and chips
and again my life is full of lies

Betrayal

I really thought you were the one,
One glance and I was yours.
My friends and family did not approve,
And still I fought your wars.
I lived my dream with you my love,
Good things come to an end.
I loved you truly with my heart
You saw me as a trend.

Betrayal

My heart was but a beating soul,
of which you chose to tear.
My love was but a cotton fleece,
you never chose to wear.
I gave to you an arm, a leg,
you kicked and punched me sore.
I like that I dont know you now,
I love when we're at war.

Adieu

Behold my heart, the dart has hit.
Your sharpened point of pain.
Your stories carried on and on,
I stared at you in vain.
The lies filled me with deja vu,
Oh those, they grew and grew!
One word shall end betrayal, so;
To you, I bid, adieu.

you betrayed me but i'm ok

you stole my heart right from my chest
told me you'd cherish it
oh how naive i must have been
for now my heart you've split
we used to be joined at the hip
like two peas in a pod
but now i can't stand to be seen
with such a selfish sod

BETRAY me and WATCH lol

You’re the only man who killed my heart
You broke my fragile heart yet again
But still my endless love pounds for you
It was you who betrayed me your insane!
You deserve to die; why tell a lie?
You broke my heart thinking you’ve won
You played with my feeling thinking your big!
But you didn’t think the game had only just began

the love triangle

You were my one, my love
Yet this means nothing to you and you leave
I sit there with thoughts of the past
Thoughts of the love that us two could perceive
The love that just us two could share
And now it seems my envied life’s a fake
My heart is now an empty lair
Horrid memories beat apace
They are the scars of love.
I guess love isn’t that simple.

Betrayal

Betrayal is unimaginable;
yet I went through it all.
All the pain that you put me through,
my pain dented the wall.
He made me feel like total crap,
and yet I got punished.
How could I be so bloody stupid?
At least now we’re finished!

Task 7: Betrayal...figuratively speaking

betray verb Be or prove false to; be disloyal to; disappoint the expectations of.

betrayal noun The act of betraying; a treacherous or disloyal act.

disloyal adjective Unfaithful to personal ties of duty or affection, such as friendship, marriage etc.

Next week, we will be going to see a critically acclaimed production of Harold Pinter's play, Betrayal. In preparation for this, I would like you each to write about the topic of the play: i.e. BETRAYAL.

1. Rather than ask you to write freely (which might be difficult and susceptible to waffle), I would like you to write an 8-LINE POEM.
   
2. Please stick to IAMBIC rhythm throughout. Not only will this stop you getting out of practice, but it is also a useful discipline in which to write. It forces you to be particularly careful with your choice of language.
3. Odd lines should be TETRAMETERS (i.e. 4 feet = dee-DUM dee-DUM dee-DUM dee-DUM) and even lines should be TRIMETERS (i.e. 3 feet = dee-DUM dee-DUM dee-DUM).
4. The rhyme scheme should be as follows: abcbdefe (see my example below if you're stuck).
   
5. Try to use as much figurative language as possible (SIMILES and METAPHORS). I want your poem to be dripping with imagery! :)
6. And write the poem in the 2ND PERSON - i.e. as if addressing somebody who has betrayed you. This can be fictional (so don't worry if you have never been betrayed!) - in fact, it might be easier to keep control over your writing if you base it on a fictional scenario. However, should you choose to base it on real experience, that is fine too.

As usual, here is my attempt:

My heart's a bright red vintage car,
And you removed the keys.
My love's a dripping honey hive,
And you purloined the bees.
I promised you the earth and moon,
(And my last milky way);
But your account has now expired -
Your card was thrown away.

I am going to give you slightly longer for this task. Please make sure you have completed it, without fail, by midnight on Wednesday 20th June.

VENUS AND ADONIS

You always do this to me,
It has always been the same,
Why can’t you love me as much as I love you?
I have always been there for you, always given you a shoulder to cry on
I thought you were the only one I could rely on....
Oh how wrong could I have been?
At my desperate times of need
You left me
Sitting there in the cold, trying to grab on to your body
For you, for hope, for us
I lost everything for you
Family, friends, hope
Now I sit alone cold and naked
Without a friend or a lover
It’s me alone again to fend my self against the whole wide world.

Venus and Mars

Why am i not important?
What have i done to him?
does he not fell attracted to me?
am i not enough?
or am i too much to handle?
Why does he not respond when i call his name?
does he not feel attracted to my perfection?
or am i just boring?

Venus & Mars

Venus:

Its always the same with him
The ONE night i have off
and he's slumped on the floor
No doubt the cherubs took him drinking again
They're a terrible influence on him
any other man woul kill to spend the evening with me!
I just don't get it...
I told him we need councelling
He dismisses the subject everytime i bring it up
The irony of it all is that Im the goddess of love and my love life is going nowhere!
Perhaps i should give up and accept this is how my life is

Mr And Mrs Andrews

I had thought that my dreams would soon be reality one day.
But were they?
No.
Me impatiently waiting here...
For someone to come and rescue me,
Who would treat me with respect,
And be faithful,
and love me.
But what was the use?
I wish that I'd have another to love...
And to care for...
Someone to call my own.
But why?
So I'm still here sitting impatiently...
Hoping for a miracle,
Waiting...
With HIM.

Mr and Mrs. Andrews

Mrs Andrews

You are the man, who has everything he's ever dreamt of.
Right?
Wrong.
This is the day where my truth arrives,
The day when I release my views on truth, pain, love.
You think your silence can hide the untrue love,
Silence cannot be your alibi forever,
Silence is the give-away,
The evidence.
Behold the truth I know,
The countless clues I see.
Day to night you carry that gun. Why?
Protection?
Or fear?
Hide those fine lady friends of yours,
Flashing their bonnets and wearing no wedding ring.
Is it my love that drives your desire?
Or the dead child that haunts your dreams.
Upon this vivid morning arrived the fair,
But you brought me, here.
To sit upon this vivid chair.
With that blasted gun,
How many has it helped to end?
Hearts I mean.
Our author,
Swirling colours and light,
Left a place in my lap.
For what?
Nothing.
Too serene this hill.
Orders by your word?
Obviously.
Finally, it is your time.
Tell me the words you've been wanting to say,
End me. End this child. End my heart.
Leave your evidence binding gun,
Pick your life up once again.

Mrs Andrews.

I don't think my dear husband could become more infantile.
Look at him with his shotgun trying to grasp out at some form of masculinity, I do think he is rather beautiful.
I force myself to think that because I have come across like I have not one ounce of bitterness.
The plan would never work otherwise.
When I spoke to the painter earlier I asked him whether he would reserve a space on the bench,
which Mr Andrews would presume was for his future heir.
In fact I only requested for this painting to be done
so I could have a memory to laugh and cry about.
The space in the picture was never planned for an angelic offspring,
but for one dear Mr Darcy.
Majorie our maid had consulted me to not have a dalliance with such a young rapscallion,
but perhaps that's what enchanted me about him,
his beautiful chest pulsating with overbearing passion,
certainly more than Mr Andrews:
'once a month for recreation'.
And whenever he consulted his conscience and realised he didn't have an offspring to leave his estate to, he pathetically tried to woo me into the four poster;
curiously it was never the right time of month.

Venus and Adonis

Venus

Look at him!
Sometimes I really do wonder why the hell I’m here.
I wouldn’t mind if it looked like he was paying me the least bit of attention.
But, as it is obvious to see, he isn’t.
I wasn’t born yesterday. Does he think I can’t see he is looking straight through me?
O but I’m not hurt no don’t jump to conclusions
I can live without him.
Who am I kidding?
Look at me, clinging on to him.
Hopeless, hopeless without him that’s what I am
But look at the good points he doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere fast does he.
Mission pretty much accomplished
One to me
Nil to him

Adonis

O for god sake!
I have a question for my self
Why the hell did I come back from hunting?
I don’t see it I have my dogs raring to go raring to hunt.
But still I’m stuck here with this woman stuck to my shooting arm.
Is she trying to jeopardise my daily catch.
Is she mad? Mind, don’t answer that question.
All she does is moan
Hence why I’m looking straight through her not at her
But I wouldn’t mind if she could catch a hint
But no she thinks I want to stay here, with her talking
Exactly what I don’t want to be doing
I would have thought because the painter was here
She would at least try not to look as desperate
I guess no one can be that lucky
Can they?
As you can probably see I have officially given up
One to her
Nil to me

Venus and Adonis

You come, you go
In and out of my life. For what?
Hunting.
Hunting those pointless beasts.
Leaving me behind, stark naked
In the cold, alone with Cupid.
Hopeless,
No-one to watch over me.
My life is at it's end.
Please,
I beg of you, Adonis,
Don't leave me.
My heart is empty,
I'm helpless without you.
I need you,
Adonis please,
Don't go.

venus and adonis

Venus

Why must you go hunting
when you could stay here with me
your scent, your touch,the feeling your there;
thats all i shall ever need
i hold on to you but you don't hold onto me
a one way relashionship its me myself and i,
we both know it should be:me you and..cupid?
ha! but what help is he,
standing there like some sort of king.
well then if he is, then this i pray:
Adonis my sweet dont go, please stay
for if you go you may never come back.
lets be together forever.Just Adonis and me!

Adonis

moan,moan,moan why cant she just let me be?
i need my independence
surely she can see
everone need there space even "her royalness"
im a mortal shes a godess
but i still have feelings.
i love her
that i cant deny
but im not kentucky
and shes not chicken
we cant always be together
itll drive me away
and then when im gone
im gone not even cupid will save me!

Mr and Mrs Andrews

Mr Andrews

This is the life!
What else could a man want?
Handsome face, wealth, bride, and a personal painter;
I hope he paints me properly, with a bit of nip and tuck here and there.
He better paint my wife properly too,
I don’t want her looking ugly,
What would the world say?
I cannot bear the thought of it.
Well no need to worry, I’ve got it all under control;
Flash some money under his nose and he paints the world’s most beautiful, delightful and wonderful picture
What would I do without money?
God knows
Well I would not have Mrs Andrews here for starters.

Mrs Andrews

My life is over.
Why do I have to sit in this position?
This corset! I can’t breathe!
In addition, I have to put on this stupid posh accent for the whole time this painter is here
I have to pretend that I am painting something like a child for me to hold.
How sad.
I can’t believe that this man bought off my parents so easily.
He played with our weakness and got a ‘beautiful lady companion’
Please! Reach out for the sick bucket;
Be sure to give me one as well.
I am definitely going to need it the most listening to this old crackpot 24/7.
He even mumbles in his sleep
Oh god!
Your not going to kiss me now are you.
I would rather wear this corset forever then kiss you.

Venus And Adonis

Going hunting that’s all he ever does
look at me clinging onto him like glue;
I may as well have gone for the dogs.
Cupid isn’t helping much either
staggering around in the back.
My stark naked body is cold from fear,
yet warm with love...
I’m spellbound by this mortal,
yet my beautiful love refuses to stay.
“Him not returning” is my worst fear
but his heart is somewhere else.
My love is gone, I guess Cupids real job
is done...

samson and delilah

He was a Herculean figure in anyone’s mind
It didn’t bother me though
For a man is not a man without a woman.
I wasn’t fearful of him, no
That would have been patronising
To fear a man of which his power was rooted in his hair?
Without his hair he was nothing,
As I soon found out
Without his hair he was like every other power hungry peasant
Hopeless, and in no way worthy of my accompaniment.
He was spellbound by love
In a way which only love can achieve,
As I sat there watching down like the eagles that swooped from above
I couldn’t help but realise, Samson was no longer a homicidal Hercules
He was more of a balding peasant who could barely hold his own weight
O how gay the birds had suddenly sounded as Samson awoke.
I suppose it was wrong,
But it felt so right,
With the god that had driven him to his destiny overlooking his unavoidable fate
And the peasants that were left after my Hercules had finished his killing spree
Crowding the doorway.
I don’t know how such a foul deed could be carried out under the eyes of god,
But whatever the reason,
Love is avoidable
Fate is not.