Final answer:
Iambic pentameter is a significant poetic structure used by Shakespeare in his plays to indicate genre, literary significance, character class, and create a pleasant sound. It requires skillful use of syntax and inverted syntax. An example can be found in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.
Step-by-step explanation:
Iambic pentameter is a significant poetic structure used by Shakespeare in his plays. It consists of lines with five sets of iambs, which are two-syllable pairings of an unstressed and a stressed syllable. Shakespeare used iambic pentameter to signal the genre, literary significance, and class of characters, as well as to create a euphonic sound. It also requires a skillful use of syntax and inverted syntax to fit the meter. An example of iambic pentameter can be found in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18: 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?'