blank verse

[blangk vurs]

noun

1. unrhymed verse, especially the unrhymed iambic pentameter most frequently used in English dramatic, epic, and reflective verse.

blank verse

noun

1. prosody unrhymed verse, esp in iambic pentameters

blank verse

1. Verse written in iambic pentameter, without rhyme. Many of the speeches in the plays of William Shakespeare are written in blank verse; this example is from Macbeth:

   Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

   Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

   To the last syllable of recorded time;

   And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

   The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

   Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

   That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

   And then is heard no more: it is a tale

   Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

   Signifying nothing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blank verse¹

First recorded in 1580–90

Related Words

• ballad 
• composition 
• epic 
• lyric 
• poetry 
• rhyme 
• sonnet 
• verse 
• writing