Iambic Pentameter and Sonnets

Understanding Shakespeare’s Poetic Style

Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, including Romeo & Juliet.

He also wrote about 154 sonnets.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets

sonnet : a fourteen-line poem

Most of Shakespeare’s sonnets dealt with themes like love, life and death, and beauty.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets

unstressed syllable : a weakly pronounced syllable of a word; marked with a U

stressed syllable : a strongly pronounced syllable of a word; marked with a /

meter : the basic rhythmic pattern of a line of poetry foot : one smaller part of meter; each foot contains a

combination of stressed and unstressed syllables

iamb : an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (U /)

U /Afraid Af - raid U /Become be - come U /Appoint Ap-point

pentameter : five sets of feet, containing 10 syllables

Shakespearean Poetry Terms

Many parts of Romeo and Juliet and Shakespeare’s sonnets are all written in

Iambic PentameterFive sets of an unstressed syllable

followed by a stressed syllable.

OR

Each line of poetry contains five iambs.

Five iambs

U / U / U / U / U / 1 2 3 4 5

Iambic Pentameter

Two main purposes for iambic pentameter

1. Easier to memorize Why do you think it would be important to

Shakespeare, a playwright, that his writing was easy to memorize?

2. Helps the reader to tell the difference between upper class characters and lower class characters Shakespeare would write lines for upper-class

characters in iambic pentameter.

Why did Shakespeare use iambic pentameter?

Another reason for using iambic pentameter

3. We talk naturally in this rhythm. We naturally speak in unstressed and

stressed syllables. If we didn’t, we would be speaking in a monotone voice.

Why did Shakespeare use iambic pentameter?

U / U / U / U / U / I am a pirate with a wooden leg.

I AM a PIrate WITH a WOODen LEG.

Iambic Pentameter Practice

U / U / U / U / U / I’m hungry. Is it almost time for lunch?

I’m HUNgry. IS it ALmost TIME for LUNCH?

Iambic Pentameter Practice

U / U / U / U / U /

We hold these truths to be self-evident.

We HOLD these TRUTHS to BE self- EVidENT.

Iambic Pentameter Practice

U / U / U / U / U /

So foul and fair a day I have not seen.

So FOUL and FAIR a DAY I HAVE not SEEN.

Iambic Pentameter Practice

U / U / U / U / U /

But soft: what light through yonder window breaks?

U / U / U / U / U /It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Iambic Pentameter Practice