Question

Which line from the tempest is written in iambic pentameter?

A. Though every drop of water swear against it (Act 1, scene i, line 55)
B. Too much the rein: the strongest oaths are straw
C. Good wombs have borne bad sons
D. And left me to a bootless inquisition

Answer 1

The answer is B because it has iambic rhythm that repeats five times

Answer 2

B. Too much the rein: the strongest oaths are straw

Iambic pentameter has 5 metric feet called iambs. The iambs are made of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. This means that a line of iambic pentameter has 10 syllables. Option A: Though/ eve/ry /drop/ of/ wa/ter /swear/ ag/ainst/ it/ has 11 syllables. Option B: Too/ much/ the/ rein/: the/ stron/gest/ oaths/ are/ straw/ has 10 syllables. Option C: Good/ wombs/ have/ borne/ bad/ sons/ has 6 syllables. Option D: And/ left/ me/ to/ a/ boot/less/ in/qui/si/tion/ has 11 syllables. The only choice with 10 syllables is B. If you were to write out the unstressed syllables it would look like this: too MUCH the REIN: the STRONgest OATHS are STRAW.