Iambic Pentameter - Simple Example

Simple Example

An iambic foot is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The rhythm can be written as:

da DUM

The da-DUM of a human heartbeat is the most common example of this rhythm.

A standard line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row:

da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM

The tick-TOCK rhythm of iambic pentameter can be heard in the opening line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 12:

When I do count the clock that tells the time

It is possible to notate this with a "/" marking ictic syllables (experienced as beats) and a "×" marking nonictic syllables (experienced as offbeats). In this notation a standard line of iambic pentameter would look like this:

× / × / × / × / × /

The following line from John Keats' To Autumn is a straightforward example:

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

The scansion of this can be notated as follows:

× / × / × / × / × / To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

Read more about this topic:  Iambic Pentameter

Famous quotes containing the word simple:

    “Your apple face, the simple crèche
    Of your arms, the August smells
    Of your skin. Then I sorted your clothes
    And the loves you had left, Elizabeth,
    Elizabeth, until you were gone.”
    —Anne Sexton (1928–1974)

    “The state has no religion for the simple reason that it has each and everyone.”
    —Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)