1. -Shakespeare Poetry Terminology-
1) Rhythm
– Any wavelike recurrence of motion or sound.
2) Meter
- A specific kind of Rhythm (that you might tap your foot to).
3) Foot
– A basic unit of meter (i.e., a metrical unit). It usually consists
of one accented (or stressed) syllable and one or two
unaccented (or unstressed syllables)).
4) Iamb
– A type of foot. It consists of an unstressed syllable
(marked with – ) followed by a stressed syllable
(marked with /)

2. Examples of Iambs:
Non-examples of Iambs:

3. 5) Line
– a unit of poetry, made up of feet that can be measured.
If the line has:
One foot,
it is referred to as having monometer
Two feet,
it is referred to as having dimeter
Three feet,
it is referred to as having trimeter
Four feet,
it is referred to as having tetrameter
Five feet,
it is referred to as having pentameter***
Let’s practice this idea with some other kind of feet—trochee, spondee, anapest, dactyl.

4. Now, why the. next to pentameter
Now, why the *** next to pentameter? It just so happens that most of Shakespeare’s poetry was written in iambic pentameter.
Notice that there are five iambs in this line of poetry.

5. 6) Scansion
- The process of measuring the rhythm of poetry
7) Prosody
- The study of meter in poetry
8) Blank Verse
– A phrase that refers to poetry written in iambic
pentameter. Blank verse refers specifically to
unrhymed iambic pentameter.