THE HANDY DANDY VEST-POCKET GUIDE TO IAMBIC PENT., EDUCATIONAL TOOL Options

[AMETHYST]

THE HANDY DANDY VEST-POCKET GUIDE TO IAMBIC PENTAMETER

This Posting is provided with the generous permission of JasonHM, who has shared so much of his knowlege throughout the internet and has helped many discover form and skill-For this, I am grateful!




Iambic pentameter means, in strict terms, there should be 10
syllables and 5 accents or stresses per line, patterned so that
the stresses fall on the even-numbered syllables, as in Keats'
lines (stressed syllables capitalized):

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain

/ when I/ have FEARS/ that I/ may CEASE/ to BE/
/ be FORE/ my PEN/ has GLEANED/ my TEEM/ ing BRAIN/

This pattern is composed entirely of iambs, units of
2 syllables with the first unstressed and the second stressed:

/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/
/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

This pattern is the fundamental pattern of sonnet writing,
and the one to which certainly any beginning sonnet writer
should aspire. Of course, a sonnet written entirely in strict
i. p. will quickly begin to sound monotonous, so there are
several other metrical units ("feet") which are considered
as acceptable substitution in iambic lines:

trochee--/ stressed unstressed/

When in the chronicle of wasted time
/ WHEN in/ the CHRON/ i CLE/ of WAST/ ed TIME/
/ trochee/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/


spondee--/ stressed stressed/

Full many a glorious morning have I seen
/ FULL MAN/ ya GLOR/ yous MORN/ ing HAVE/ i SEEN/
/ spondee/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

Trochees and spondees can appear in other feet than the first
foot, as well:

Before high-piled books, in charact'ry
/ be FORE/ HIGH PIL/ ed BOOKS/ in CHAR/ ac TRY/
/iamb/ spondee/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

Among the bushes, half leafless and dry
/ a MONG/ the BUSH/ es HALF/ LEAF less/ and DRY/
/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ trochee/ iamb/


Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
/ SHALL I/ com PARE/ THEE to/ a SUM/ mer's DAY/
/ spondee/ iamb/ trochee/ iamb/ iamb/

What is important here is that the number of substituted feet
is always less than the number of iambic feet. If the
substitutions outnumber iambs, the iambic meter is lost.

One other important substitution is considered acceptable
in iambic verse, the "double iamb" (sometimes called the
"double ionic"):

/ pyrrhic/ spondee/
/ unstressed unstressed/ stressed stressed/

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
/ WHEN to/ the SES/ ions of/ SWEET SI/ lent THOUGHT/
/ trochee/ iamb/ {pyrrhic/ spondee/} iamb/

When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
/ WHEN in/ dis GRACE/ with FOR/ tune and/ MEN'S EYES
/trochee/ iamb/ iamb/ {pyrrhic/ spondee/}

The double iamb is counted as if it were identical to two iambs,
so this line is considered to have 1 trochee and 4 iambs, clearly maintaining the iambic meter.


Here are some examples from current sonnet writers:

Frederick Turner--"In a Season of Political Faction":

The slow spring lifts its body once again
As if it were a ship swamped in a gale;
It rights itself. An avalanche of pain
pours from its battered bows across the rail.

/ the SLOW/ SPRING LIFTS/ its BOD/ y ONCE/ a GAIN/
/ iamb/ spondee/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

/ as IF/ it WERE/ a SHIP/ SWAMPED in/ a GALE/
/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ trochee/ iamb/

/ it RIGHTS/ it SELF/ an AV/ a LANCHE/ of PAIN/
/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

/ POURS from/ its BAT/ tered BOWS/ a CROSS/ the RAIL/
/ trochee/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

R. S. Gwynn--"Local Initiative":

For years his parents saw that wreaths were placed
Beside the crossroads where their youngest boy
Left lines of rubber from his shattered toy,
An epitaph new concrete has erased.

/ for YEARS/ his PAR/ ents SAW/ that WREATHS/ were PLACED/
/ iamb /iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

/ be SIDE/ the CROSS/ roads WHERE/ their YOUNG/ est BOY/
/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

/LEFT LINES/ of RUB/ ber FROM/ his SHAT/ tered TOY/
/ spondee/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/

/ an EP/ i TAPH/ NEW CON/ crete HAS/ e RASED/
/ iamb/ iamb/ spondee/ iamb/ iamb/


Mark Jarman, "Holy Sonnet 24":

Breath like a house fly batters the shut mouth.
The dream begins, turns over, and goes flat.
The virus cleans the attic and heads south.
Somebody asks, "What did you mean by that?"

/ BREATH like/ a HOUSE/ fly BAT/ ters the/ SHUT MOUTH/
/ trochee/ iamb/ iamb/ {pyrrhic/ spondee/ = double iamb}

/ the DREAM/ be GINS/ turns O/ ver and/ GOES FLAT/
/iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ {pyrrhic/ spondee/ = double iamb}

/ the VI/ rus CLEANS/ the AT/ tic and/ HEADS SOUTH/
/ iamb/ iamb/ iamb/ {pyrrhic/ spondee/ = double iamb}

/ SOME bod/ y ASKS/ WHAT do/ you MEAN/ by THAT/
/ trochee/ iamb/ trochee/ iamb/ iamb/


If you are interested in pursuing sonnet writing, the first thing you need to do is work on developing
skill in handling strict iambic pentameter. Once you have acquired a degree of proficiency with strict i.
p., you can then begin to experiment with metrical variations. However, such basic skill is essentially a
requirement for anyone who wants to learn to write sonnets.

Jason

[Guest_Don_*]

Thanks for posting this as it is more concise than my collection.

I only see two items missing.
1a) Which words or syllables should be stressed like nouns, verbs, etc.
1b) Which words should be unstressed like conjunctions, prepositions, etc.
2) Examples showing when normal (or initial) stresses & unstressed are revised.

The latter is more complex and difficult because it is advanced scansion.