Iambic Pentameter: The Basic Rhythm



Mrs. Malone

Iambic Pentameter: The Basic Rhythm

Much of the language discussion we will have in this guide revolves around Shakespeare's poetry.  So, it is important that you understand the following terms:

a foot = a group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm. Why is it called a

foot? Because such measures of rhythm were originated in the march melodies and dance melodies of Ancient Greece, and the foot comes down on the stressed beat. (Poetry, dance, and music have been inter-related throughout the ages and the influences they have had upon each other are multiple.)

iamb (noun) = a foot of one unstressed and one stressed syllables. (us)

I am- a live force (Sounds like a heart beat)

Penta = five

Iambic pentameter = (noun) Definition:  a common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed

line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable

and an accented syllable.

ta DA, ta DA, ta DA, ta DA, ta DA

(English 20th century stress pattern. Example: I know the way to go is over there.)

Each line = 10 syllables. Every other syllable is stressed.

(For those of you who are musically inclined: it’s like a time signature: a musical notation indicating the number of beats to a measure and kind of note that takes a beat.)

Etymology:  French iambique `of a foot or verse' and Greek pentameter `measure of five'

Compounding: Certain stress patterns are received into our language-otherwise it would not make sense. Example: water bottle not water bottle

Blank verse –unrhymed iambic pentameter (no big deal!)

Two HOUS / holds BOTH / a LIKE / in DIG / ni TIE

(In FAIRE / Ve RON / a WHERE / we LAY / our SCENE)

CAUTION: Although this is the regular rhythm of iambic pentameter, if we read the whole play this way, it would be positively mind-numbing. How do we to fix that? Thanks for asking. We fix it by syncopating for meaning. To syncopate in music is to accent beats that aren’t regularly accented. For example: Look sir, here comes the lady towards my cell. In this sentence, “Look” is a stressed syllable in an unstressed position-probably done here for effect.

How to “Syncopate for meaning?”

• Use the verbs and nouns. They are the primary carriers of meaning.

• Use balances and contrasts. This means using the pitch, rhythm, and volume to provide maximum contrast.

Doth WITH their death burIE their PArents STRIFE. (Regular)

Doth with their DEATH BURie their PArents STRIFE. (Syncopated)

Reading Shakespeare's Plays

Language: Unusual Word Arrangements

(from: )

Many students ask if people really spoke the way they do in Shakespeare's plays.  The answer is no.  Shakespeare wrote the way he did for poetic and dramatic purposes.  There are many reasons why he did this--to create a specific poetic rhythm, to emphasize a certain word, to give a character a specific speech pattern, etc.  Let's take a look at a great example from Robinson's Unlocking Shakespeare's Language.

I ate the sandwich.

I the sandwich ate.

Ate the sandwich I.

Ate I the sandwich.

The sandwich I ate.

The sandwich ate I.

Robinson shows us that these four words can create six unique sentences which carry the same meaning.  When you are reading Shakespeare's plays, look for this type of unusual word arrangement.  Locate the subject, verb, and the object of the sentence.  Notice that the object of the sentence is often placed at the beginning (the sandwich) in front of the verb (ate) and subject (I).  Rearrange the words in the order that makes the most sense to you (I ate the sandwich).  This will be one of your first steps in making sense of Shakespeare's language.

Language: Omissions

Again, for the sake of his poetry, Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole words. 

These omissions really aren't that much different from the way we speak today.  We say:

"Been to class yet?"

"No.  Heard Malone's givin' a test."

"Wha'sup wi'that?"

We leave out words and parts of words to speed up our speech.  If we were speaking in complete sentences, we would say:

"Have you been to class yet?"

"No, I have not been to class.  I heard that Mrs. Malone is giving a test today."

"What is up with that?"

A few examples of Shakespearean omissions/contractions follow:

|'tis ~ it is |i' ~ in |

|ope ~ open |e'er ~ ever |

|o'er ~ over |oft ~ often |

|gi' ~ give |a' ~ he |

|ne'er ~ never |e'en ~ even |

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I am

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