1. What is Iambic Pentameter?
For the following slides, we are going to ‘zoom in’ on a line from a poem, just like google maps, to identify all the components of Iambic Pentameter.

2. Line vs. Meter
Line is simply a line of poetry, a pretty or deliberate order of words.
Example:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
Meter is when a line of poetry has rhythm.
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
…think M for rhythM

3. By the pricking of my rule of thumb!
Line is not always Meter, but Meter is always Line.
…what’s that rule about squares and rectangles? same difference.

4. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
Here we have one line of meter, one line of verse. Who would like to read this for us?
‘But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?’
What do you notice about how that sounds?
How many of you think you can hear the rhythm?
It may not seem like it at first, but lines like this are written with a logical rhythm, with a purpose, a structure, and, like a rap song, there are logical divisions within each line.
For those of you interested in music, what does this division remind you of?
-Measures, correct, just like measures.
Let’s see if you can figure out how many logical divisions there are?
How do you know?
Check your work

5. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?1
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

6. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?1 2
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

7. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?1 2 3
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

8. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?1 2 3 4
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

9. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?1 2 3 4 5
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
So we have five measures or logical breaks within this line. However, these are not called measure’. Who remembers from the video what these are called?
That’s right.

10. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?1 2 3 4 5
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
Feet!

11. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?1 2 3 4 5
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
And if there’s five feet to a meter, what is this called?
Five feet to a meter=

12. Pentameter Five feet to a meter= …Think ‘Pentagon’
Yes! Pentameter! Isn’t it glorious?
It’s easy to remember, because it’s like a pentagon, five sides, five feet, five logical divisions.
…Think ‘Pentagon’

13. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?1 2 3 4 5
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? 1
Ok, so we have our division of this line. How do you think we can break it down further?
Let’s take a look at one foot, and see how it sounds by itself.
But soft!

14. 1
But soft!
But soft!
Two syllables, within each foot there are two syllables
One is a unstressed syllable, the other is stressed.
This is called an Iamb
Can you identify which syllable is unstressed and which syllable is stressed?

15. Iamb But soft!  / What does one foot of Iambic Pentameter sound like?
Do you remember the video?
BaBUM! Right?
Let’s try this together, just like a heart beat
Ba BUM!

16. Iamb But soft!  / Are the same thing. Remember: Iamb and
What does one foot of Iambic Pentameter sound like?
Do you remember the video?
BaBUM! Right?
Let’s try this together, just like a heart beat
Ba BUM!
Remember: Iamb and
Are the same thing.

17. BUM! Ba  /
But soft!
Unstressed and stressed, just like a heartbeat. Ba BUM!

18. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?Ba
BUM! Ba
BUM! Ba
BUM! Ba
BUM! Ba
BUM!
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? /   /  /  /  /
Great, Now let’s read the line again, remember: Ba BUM!
How many of you can hear the rhythm?
Who can explain to me why we call this line Iambic Pentameter?

19. Great! A line of verse that is meter (which means it has rhythM)
So now we know that Iambic Pentameter is:
A line of verse that is meter (which means it has rhythM)
Made up of five or Iambs
Each Iamb has unstressed or STRESSED syllables

20. Now…how do we figure it out?
Count the syllables, does it have Ten?
Apply the rhythm to those words. Does it sound smooth, does it flow, is it natural and complete?
If ‘yes’ to both questions, then ‘yes’ to IAMBIC PENTAMETER!!!!
Note: Today we will practice finding Iambic pentameter with Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. Keep in mind, a line may still be written in Iambic Pentameter, and not follow the rhythm perfectly.
Ba BUM!
Ba BUM!