iambic pentameter

Cultural  

1. The most common meter in English verse. It consists of a line ten syllables long that is accented on every second beat (see blank verse). These lines in iambic pentameter are from The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare:

   ĭn sóoth,/ĭ knów/nŏt whý/ĭ ám/sŏ sád.

   ĭt wéa/riĕs mé;/yŏu sáy/ĭt wéa/riĕs yóu….

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Example Sentences

At the same time, there is a sort of Shakespearean lilt to much of of it; many lines, in my random examination, resolve into iambic pentameter.

From Los Angeles Times

North of Copenhagen is the city of Elsinore, home to the castle where Hamlet takes place, with its wandering ghosts, ill-advised eavesdropping behind the drapes, conversations with skulls, and deadly duels in iambic pentameter.

From Literature

The games were meant to show the various types of poetic meter: iambic pentameter, for example, which William Shakespeare used to marvelous effect in many of his poems and plays.

From Literature

“Still, it was kind of the girls to write. I shall send each one a lengthy thank-you note, perhaps in iambic pentameter, if the mood strikes.”

From Literature

Penelope was far too preoccupied with worry to notice how the five ga-dongs made a perfect line of iambic pentameter, which only goes to show how extremely worried she was.

From Literature