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Blank verse is unrhymed poetry with consistent meter, often used for longer poems and dramatic verse. It is not the same as free verse, and was preferred by writers like Shakespeare and Milton. Iambic pentameter is the traditional meter, but other feet can be used. Writing in blank verse requires consistency in meter and variety in its use, achieved through word choice and alliteration. It is sometimes used in narrative poems to create a steady rhythm. Free verse, on the other hand, does not use conventional meters or rhyme schemes.
Blank verse is poetry composed of unrhymed lines of the same meter, commonly used for longer poems. The form is also considered one of the best to use for dramatic verse written in English. Without the requirement of rhyme, the flexibility and challenges to the poet’s use of language change dramatically. The form is sometimes confused with free verse, but they are different.
English writers such as Shakespeare and Milton commonly chose blank verse as their preferred form. It is no longer a standard or common form of poetry, but is still in use by some poets. The empty form is also often used as an exercise in discipline to shape a poem or organize complex ideas.
While any meter can be used, iambic pentameter is traditionally the preferred meter. It consists of ten syllables, of which the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth syllables are stressed. The “iam” in iambic pentameter is composed of two syllables, one unstressed, the other unstressed. “Toupee” is an iam. Ten of these syllables create an iambic pentameter line used in traditional blank verse.
The iam represents one “foot” in the meter of a line. There are five iambic feet in the ten syllables, which give the meter its name. There are other types of feet with more syllables and different accents that can also be used in blank verse. There are many variations and combinations.
This can be a challenging form to write because it requires consistency in the use of meter, but variety in how it is employed. This can be achieved by using words that create pauses within a line. Stress between syllables can also be shifted through word choice, and the use of alliteration can change the rhythm or flow of a line.
Some writers like unrhymed iambic pentameter for use in narrative poems. It lengthens the lines, also tending to “push” them into the next line. This reinforces the strength of the lines and tends to create the steady “forward” rhythm that drives the narrative poem.
Blank verse should not be confused with free verse. Poetry written in free verse, sometimes called “open” verse, does not use conventional meters or a rhyme scheme. Instead, it is based on creating your own rhythms through the use of particular words and playing them together. There is no rhyme scheme, but the poet may choose to rhyme certain words for a desired effect.
