Iambic Pentameter

1. Iambic Pentameter Verse in Shakespeare’s Writing

2. Iambs • The natural rhythm of the English language is the iamb • An iamb is an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable • ba-BOOM • The accented syllable is often said to be “strong” • The unaccented syllable is often said to be “weak” • Many words in English have this pattern • Try out some common names

3. Iambs - examples • - / • Ber - nard • Suz – anne • Ber - lin • Den – ise • Mau – reen • New York

4. Iambs – Teacher Names / - - / - Mi-chael Mc-Ad-am / - / - / - Kath-y Stef-a- nid-es - / - / - Re-be-cca Hoff-man

5. Teacher Names • Ian Heathcote • Cornelia Plank • Rob Pendelbury • Teresa Gonzalez Cipriano

6. Iambs - feet • An iamb is called a “foot” • A sentence has several feet • Shakespeare typically wrote in five feet per line • So how many syllables would that make? • When five feet occur in a line, it is called pentameter. • When those five feet are all iambs, then this is called iambic pentameter.

7. Iambic Pentameter - Example • O – NEVer • Shall SUN that MORrow SEE! • Your FACE, my THANE, is AS a BOOK, where MEN • May READ strange MATters. To beGUILE the TIME • Look LIKE the TIME. Bear WELcome IN your EYE, • Your HAND, your TONGUE: look LIKE the INnocentFLOwer • But BE the SERpentUNDer’t.

8. Iambic Pentameter • Scan these lines (i.e., figure out the strong and weak syllables): To alter favour ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me. • (Act I, scene v) • (HINT: slow down and exaggerate how you speak, as if you were a bit “stupid”!)

9. Shakespeare’s Characters • Noble characters in Shakespeare’s plays tend to speak in iambic pentameter • This shows that they are well educated and above the common people • Often their lines rhyme. • Common people, on the other hand, usually speak in prose • Their speech does not typically rhyme.