How to Write a Poem in Iambic Pentameter

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From Quick Guide: Poetry Writing Guide

Summary: Writing a poem in iambic pentameter requires writing five metrical feet in a specific rhythm. Write a poem in iambic pentameter with tips from a produced playwright in this free video on writing.

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By Laura Turner
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Laura Turner received her B.A. in English from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., graduating magna cum laude with honors. She then attended the University of Nevada, Las...read more

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Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Laura Turner, and today, I'm going to talk to you about how to write a poem in Iambic Pentameter. The rhyme scheme for Iambic Pentameter is very popular, because it was made very popular by William Shakespeare, and today, I'm going to show you an example from one of his most known Iambic Pentameter sonnets, Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day? and the way I've broken it up here, is by the metrical feet, in the Iambic Pentameter Style, which contains five metrical feet, so therefore separating, Shall I, compare thee to, a Summer's Day? and the way that I broke this up, is that each line in Iambic Pentameter, contains ten syllables, and each of those syllables, is unstressed, followed by stressed, so if I read the line like this, Shall I Compare, Thee To, A Summer's Day? You sort of feel the rhythm, behind this rhyme scheme, and so, in this particular sonnet, we have twelve lines, and then in the same sort of rhyme, and also every other line rhymes, and then at the end, we also have a rhymed couplet with see and thee, so if you like to write in Iambic Pentameter, it seems to be fairly easy, and you can choose whatever subject you would like, and just have fun with it."

eHow Article: How to Write a Poem in Iambic Pentameter

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