Simple Example
An iambic foot is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The rhythm can be written as:
da DUMThe da-DUM of a human heartbeat is the most common example of this rhythm.
A standard line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row:
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUMThe tick-TOCK rhythm of iambic pentameter can be heard in the opening line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 12:
- When I do count the clock that tells the time
It is possible to notate this with a "/" marking ictic syllables (experienced as beats) and a "×" marking nonictic syllables (experienced as offbeats). In this notation a standard line of iambic pentameter would look like this:
× / × / × / × / × /The following line from John Keats' To Autumn is a straightforward example:
- To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
The scansion of this can be notated as follows:
× / × / × / × / × / To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shellsRead more about this topic: Iambic Pentameter
Famous quotes containing the word simple:
“Nothing can rightly compel a simple and brave man to a vulgar sadness.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The old-fashioned idea that the simple piling up of experiences, one on top of another, can make you an artist, is, of course, so much rubbish. If acting were just a matter of experience, then any busy harlot could make Garbo’s Camille pale.”
—Helen Hayes (1900–1993)