Question

Which is an example of iambic pentameter

Answer 1

An example of iambic pentameter is the line "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" from Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, demonstrating a rhythmic pattern of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, five times per line.

Step-by-step explanation:

Iambic pentameter is a style of poetic meter characterized by a line made up of five iambs, each consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. It's commonly used in English poetry and is particularly associated with the works of William Shakespeare. A quintessential example of iambic pentameter is the line "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" from Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. Each "da-dum" sound represents an iamb, totaling five in the line, which creates the rhythmic pattern of an iambic pentameter. In this pattern, lines have 10 syllables, with the stress falling on every second syllable.

Playwrights and poets often employed iambic pentameter to signify literary significance, convey the social class of a speaker, or to achieve a melodic quality in their work. It can be observed in various forms of poetry, including Shakespeare's plays, epic poems, and sonnets like "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day."

Answer 2

Some examples of iambic pentameter include:

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)

Her vestal livery is but sick and green And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)

And I do love thee: therefore, go with me; I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee, And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep; (Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream)