Iambic pentameter
The most dominant English poetic metre, consisting of five iambic feet (unstressed-stressed syllables) per line, creating a natural ten-syllable pattern that approximates natural English speech rhythm: da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM.
Real World
Shakespeare's Hamlet delivers 'To be, or not to be, that is the question' in near-perfect iambic pentameter — the steady da-DUM rhythm gives the existential crisis a measured, philosophical gravity that a chaotic rhythm would undermine.
Exam Focus
Identify where the metre breaks or substitutes a stressed first syllable — the disruption signals emotional or thematic shifts.
How well did you know this?