What Kinds of Poems Use Iambic Pentameter?

Iambic pentameter is the most common used metrical line in English literature, surfacing in both poetry and versed plays like those of Shakespeare. It first surfaced in the classic poetry written in Ancient Greek and Latin. They used a syllable pattern by alternating short and long syllables to create the iambic rhythm. Later, English writers used the stress of syllables in speech to recreate the feel of iambic pentameter in English literature. Iambic pentameter is commonly used in sonnets, epic poetry and blank verse.

Form

Iambic pentameter is written in feet. Each line is made up of five feet. Each foot is made up of two syllables known as an iamb or an iambic pair. The first syllable is unstressed, the second is stressed. Inverse iambic pentameter is when the first syllable is stressed and the second is unstressed. It was first used in English literature by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, who learned it from the Italians.

Sonnets

Sonnets are commonly written in iambic pentameter. There are three traditional forms of sonnet: the Petrarchan sonnet, also known as an Italian sonnet; the Spenserian sonnet; and the Shakespearean sonnet. A Petrarchan sonnet has two stanzas, each with 10 syllable, or five iamb. The first is an eight line stanza with abbaabba and the second is a six line stanza with a cdecde or a cdcdcd rhyme scheme. The Spenserian sonnet was named for Edward Spencer who created it. The sonnet is made up of three quatrains and an ending couplet. It has an abab bcbc cdcd ee rhyme scheme. The Shakespearean sonnet is the most common form of English sonnet. Like the Spenserian sonnet it has three quatrains with an ending couplet. It has an abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme. All sonnets end with a twist. The last two lines should offer an alternative viewpoint or an unexpected turn for the readers. For example, in Shakespeare's sonnet 130, the speaker spends the first 12 lines belittling his lover's female charms, and the last two lines praising her as a love beyond all else.

Epic Poetry

Epic, or heroic poetry, is a long poem which tells a story. It was intended to be presented orally, and perhaps accompanied with a stringed instrument. Heroic poems sung the praises of important historical figures and legends, gave a chronicle of significant events or outlined a culture's basic value systems. Traditional epic poems, like "Beowulf" or "The Odyssey," were not written down, but were passed by memory from bard to bard. English heroic poems like "The Battle of Maldon" or John Milton's "Paradise Lost" were written in iambic pentameter.

Blank Verse

Blank verse is written in iambic pentameter, but unlike other iambic poetry styles does not rhyme. The blank verse style does not have a specific stanza pattern or length, its only qualification is that it be written in standard iambic meter with five feet per line. According to Paul Fussell , this style of poetry makes up about 65 percent of English poetic works, and first became popular during the 1500's. Christopher Marlowe was the first English author to use blank verse style and introduced it to both poetic and dramatic genre's. The romantic poets, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Hart Crane and Wallace Steven's, have all used the blank verse notably.

References

• "Reading Poetry: An Introduction"; Tom Furniss, et al.; 1996
• "Her Kind: Shmoop Poetry Guide"; Schmoop; 2010
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Heroic Poetry
• "The Norton Anthology of Poetry" Margaret Ferfuson, et al; 2005
• "Poetic Meter and Poetic Form"; Paul Fussell; 1979
• "Patterns in Poetry: Recognizing and Analyzing Poetic Form and Meter"; Greg Roza; 2005