Iambic Pentameter

Iambic Pentameter Definition: Iambic pentameter is a metrical pattern commonly used in English
poetry. It consists of lines with ten syllables each, where the even-numbered syllables are stressed,
and the odd-numbered syllables are unstressed. This creates a rhythmic and musical quality in the
verse.

Each pair of stressed and unstressed syllables is called an "iamb," hence the name "iambic."
"Pentameter" refers to the presence of five iambs in a line.

The pattern can be represented as follows:

da-DUM / da-DUM / da-DUM / da-DUM / da-DUM

Here, "da" represents an unstressed syllable, and "DUM" represents a stressed syllable.

Examples of Iambic Pentameter:

1. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" - William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18
2. "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" - William Shakespeare, Romeo and
Juliet
3. "To be or not to be, that is the question." - William Shakespeare, Hamlet
4. "Thy beauty shall no more be found, Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound." - John Keats,
"Ode to a Nightingale"
5. "When I behold upon the night's starred face, Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance." -
John Keats, "When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be"

Exercise 1: Identify Iambic Pentameter

Identify whether the following lines of poetry follow the iambic pentameter pattern. Write "I" if it is
iambic pentameter and "N" if it is not.
"The sun sets softly in the western sky."
"Upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary."
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."
"The river flowed gently beneath the moonlit night."
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

Exercise 2: Create Iambic Pentameter

Create lines of poetry that follow the iambic pentameter pattern.
Topic: Nature
Line: _________________________
Topic: Love
Line: _________________________
Topic: Time
Line: _________________________