blank verse

American  

[blangk vurs] / ˈblæŋk ˈvɜrs /

noun

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

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blank verse British  

noun

1. prosody unrhymed verse, esp in iambic pentameters

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blank verse Cultural  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of blank verse

First recorded in 1580–90

Compare meaning

How does blank-verse compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• blank verse vs. free verse

Example Sentences

"This is the biggest mountain because I was always worried about the iambic pentameter, about blank verse, and not being trained as an actor," he says.

From BBC

I knew John Milton wrote those lines of blank verse I loved.

From New York Times

The theater piece is written in deliberately Bard-like blank verse and alludes to Shakespearean plots.

From Seattle Times

Taking precedence over encomiums and recitations, costumes and nostalgia is the book itself, 710 pages of inner monologue and dialogue, stream of consciousness, blank verse, Greek classics and the venues and byways of Dublin, 1904.

From Los Angeles Times

Those who went for blank verse seemed to think that anything, however banal,

From Washington Post

Related Words

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