Posted by SONNET CLV on June 11, 19100 at 21:10:41:
In Reply to: Def. of iambic pentameter posted by cookie on June 11, 19100 at 03:56:40:
First ... Here's the definition of the word "iambus" or "iamb" from the Thrall and Hibbard HANDBOOK TO LITERATURE (a pretty authentic source for college English majors): "A metrical foot consisting of an unaccented syllable and an accented. The most common metrical measure in English verse.”
What that means is essentially this: an “iamb” consists of two syllables. It may be two separate words, one word with two syllables, or even a portion of a multi-syllable word. But the important thing is that each of the two syllables has a different “accent.” Sometimes the accent is called a SHORT/ LONG. That means, the first word comes quickly off the mouth when spoken; the second word actually sounds for a longer time.
The thirteenth line of Shakespeare’s SONNET 49 opens with the words “To leave.” Note that when you say this, the “To” is spoken more quickly than “leave,” which sort of lingers in the mouth. Too, that second word sort of gets an added “punch” to it – the accent. (For an experiment, try saying these words by stretching out the “to” and making the “leave” sound for only a brief moment. It should sound awkward and funny.)
Shakespeare follows those words with “poor me.” Here again you have a SHORT followed by a LONG – but note that the size of the words (the number of letters it has) does not play an important role in the shortness or longness of it. In fact, sometime a word such as “I” can be either short or long, depending on what word follows it. (In fact, SONNET 49 gives an example of this very thing. Line two opens with “When I” where the “I” is short; and line 9 presents this pair of words: “do I,” where the “I” is now long.)
Now the pentameter part. “Penta” means “five,” as in a pentagram. And “meter” refers to a count or “measure.” – A count of five. So ... how many syllables will you have total in a line of iambic pentameter? A count of five times two syllables, equals ten. Ten syllables in a line of iambic pentameter. With alternating SHORT and LONG syllables.
Here’s an example from Shakespeare ... the final two lines of his SONNET 49:
To leave poor me thou hast the strength of laws,
Since why to love I can allege no cause.
You should be able to hear the “bounce” of the rhythm in those lines, if you read them by accenting that second syllable, fourth syllable, sixth syllable, eighth syllable, tenth syllable. Do you see? Or rather ... do you hear?
Another experiment: try reading those two Shakespearean lines by changing the emphasis from LONG to SHORT, LONG to SHORT, LONG to SHORT, LONG to SHORT, LONG to SHORT. It should sound awful! Because Shakespeare was writing very specific language for a musically poetic sound – iambic pentameter.
By the way ... occasionally you’ll see an eleventh syllable ... a short syllable at the very end of a line ending in an “ly” or “ing” word. This is allowed, and happens on occasion, when things get tough. But it isn’t real common, and the SONNET 49 I referred you to does not have such a line with the eleventh syllable. (You may find examples of this in Shakespeare’s SONNET 29 and SONNET 42.)
If you read my comment to Karen on the ROMEO & JULIET message board, you’ll get some more info on iambic pentameter. Here’s that URL.
http://starbuck.com/shakespeare/Romeoandhall/wwwboard.html
Best wishes to you in your pursuit of the Bardic joy – reading Shakespeare.
– SONNET CLV --
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