Unrhymed iambic pentameter is a meter used in poetry where each line consists of five feet, with each foot having an unstressed and a stressed syllable. It does not require rhyming but can have internal rhyme. Shakespeare used this meter extensively in his works.
Unrhymed iambic pentameter is a special type of meter that can be used in a poem or other written work. Non-rhyming simply means that the words within and between each line need not rhyme, although some internal rhyme may occur and still keep the overall work from being in a particular rhyme scheme. Much like rhyming iambic pentameter, this meter consists of individual lines each made up of five “feet” indicated by the prefix “penta-” in the name. Unrhymed iambic pentameter uses the iambic system, which means that each foot is made up of two syllables, one unstressed and the other stressed.
Many poems are written with a particular meter, such as unrhymed iambic pentameter, which indicates the overall flow the poem should have when read. Meter simply refers to the basic structure of the poem and how each line is created. Poems written in free verse typically have no fixed meter, although other poetic devices and rhyme schemes may still be present. A poem written in an unrhymed meter simply does not use rhyme schemes, although occasional internal rhymes may occur.
There are many different types of meter, and unrhyming iambic pentameter uses a meter where each line consists of five feet. A poem written in hexameter would be lines each made up of six feet, and a poem in octameter would have eight feet per line. The actual feet of each line can be created in a number of different ways, depending on the particular metrical style used for the poem.
This meter uses the iambic style, and this indicates the number and orientation of stressed and unstressed syllables in each foot. Iambic style features a single unstressed and a single stressed syllable per foot, usually with the first unstressed followed by the stressed syllable. This is often described or depicted as “ta TUM | ta TUM | ta TUM | ta TUM | ta TUM” where “ta” indicates an unstressed syllable and “TUM” a stressed syllable. An example of iambic pentameter would be “The cat awaits the day of fish and mice” where solicitations such as “the CAT | WAIT | the DAY | of FISH | and MICE.”
This type of unrhymed iambic pentameter was used extensively by the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. Many of Shakespeare’s sonnets used iambic pentameter and a structure that included a simple rhyme scheme. In his plays, however, he often eschewed rhyme, but continued to write lines in iambic pentameter for greater sonic impact when recited by his actors.
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