Even if you haven't heard of the iamb, you've seen it somewhere. It's beautifully rhythmic, incredibly versatile and universally appreciated – It may just be the perfect meter. Take it from the ancient Greeks; take it from France and Italy. Take it from the iambic pentameter of Shakespeare, Blake, Milton, and Wordsworth. The iambic meter is worldwide and has been used in poetry for thousands of years, giving it a deep and rich history that makes it the perfect meter for analysis.
Iamb meaning
To begin, here's a simple definition of an iamb.
An iamb is a metrical foot containing one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.
The word 'delight' is an example of an iamb (de/light).
If this seems a little bit perplexing, don't worry. After recapping poetic meter, you'll be able to make sense of the definition in no time.
Recap: feet and stress patterns
To recap, here's a quick definition of a 'metrical foot':
A metrical foot is a group of two or three syllables that make up the meter of a poem.
There are many different types of poetic feet. You can identify which category a foot falls into based on which 'beats' (syllables) a writer emphasises within a word.
If a poet emphasises a syllable, it's referred to as a 'stressed' syllable; if they don't, it's known as 'unstressed'.
It may be surprising to learn that humans stress different parts of a word when they talk, but they naturally emphasise certain syllables all the time. If you stress the wrong syllable, a word can sound completely incorrect. Here's a quick exercise that explains this concept.
- Take a look at the word 'domain'.
- First, break the word into its two syllables (do-main).
- Next, say the word out loud and notice which syllables you stress.
- You should naturally emphasise the second syllable more than the first (do-MAIN).
- This means that the first syllable is unstressed and the second is stressed.
- For this reason, 'domain' is an example of an iamb.
To prove that stress patterns are inherent in our everyday conversation, try reversing the syllables that you stress in the word 'domain' (DO-main). Notice how unnatural it sounds? This is why stress patterns are so important within poetry; if the meter isn't perfect, a poem may feel awkward and uncomfortable to read.
You can identify the meter as soon as you know where the stresses lie in a word or line. Different stress patterns have different names. Here's a list of the most common stress pattern combinations and their names.
- Iamb: Unstressed/Stressed (da-DUM)
- Trochee: Stressed/Unstressed (DA-dum)
- Spondee: Stressed/Stressed (DA-DUM)
- Anapest: Unstressed/Unstressed/Stressed (da-da-DUM)
- Dactyl: Stressed/Unstressed/Unstressed (DA-da-dum)
The iamb, which consists of an unstressed/stressed pattern, is underlined. As you can see, it contains one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
To state the final meter of a line, count how many times a particular stress pattern repeats per line. For example, a line containing three iambs is known as a line of iambic 'trimeter'. Here are a list of the most common meters and the number of feet they contain.
It can be helpful to remember: as long as a line follows a consistent 'unstressed/stressed' pattern (da-DUM/da-DUM/da-DUM), it is iambic.
Iamb etymology
The word 'iamb' derives from the Greek iambos, a near identical poetical meter popular in ancient Greece. The 'iamb' is also closely associated with iambus, a genre of ancient Greek poetry that was often, but not always, written in iambic meter. Ancient Greek iambus poetry was often satirical, obscene, and insulting. Greek poets like Semonides (fl. 7th century BCE), Hipponax (fl. late 6th century BCE), and Archilochus (c. 680 - c.645 BCE) were the first poets to pioneer the genre.
Fig 1. This bust depicts Archilochus (c. 680 - c. 645BC), one of the earliest poets to pioneer the iambus genre.
Iamb example
The iamb is well-suited to a range of poetry because it has a comfortably paced, upbeat rhythm. Its gentle cadence is often compared to the beating of a heart (da-DUM/da-DUM). This makes the iamb ideal for poetry about love, human nature, feelings and emotions. The 'rising' beat can also make iambic poetry sound majestic and imposing.
In contrast, the 'falling' beat of the trochee (DA-dum) means that a trochaic meter is often used when writing about mournful topics like death and loss.
'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud' - William Wordsworth
Here are the first four lines from William Wordsworth's (1770-1850) 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud' (1807).
I wandered lonely as a cloud.
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Each line in this poem contains four repetitions of an unstressed/stressed pattern. This means that it is written in iambic tetrameter. The rhythmic and orderly meter makes the poem seem peaceful and relaxed. The gentle, uplifting pattern of the iambs matches the narrator's tranquil stroll through the countryside.
'I Love the Jocund Dance' - William Blake
Here's an extract from William Blake's (1757-1827) 'I Love the Jocund Dance' (1783).
I love the jocund dance,
The softly breathing song,
As these lines only contain three repetitions of an iambic stress pattern, this verse is in iambic trimeter. The iambs once again create a relaxed cadence within the poem. In this case, the pleasant rhythm of the verse mirrors the gentle' softly breathing song'.
Iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter consists of five repetitions of an unstressed/stressed pattern.
Iambic pentameter is the most common meter within all of English literature. It has been the meter of choice for innumerable poets and playwrights across history. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to use iambic pentameter within an English verse. However, evidence suggests that the verse format had been used in Europe long before it was ever found in English poetry.
Chaucer likely learned about iambic pentameter after visiting France and Italy. He also spoke both languages, which was likely useful when learning poetic forms from different countries!
There are many theories accounting for the popularity of iambic pentameter within poetry. The meter is said to be pleasing to the ear because it mirrors the rhythm of everyday speech. This makes verses in iambic comfortable to read because they reflect the cadence of daily conversations. In contrast, verses with longer meters and unusual stress patterns often sound awkward to read because they can't easily be said in one breath and don't fit the natural pattern of speech.
Iambic pentameter is also used in several other English poetic forms.
Heroic couplets
What is the heroic couplet?
The heroic couplet is a classical form of English poetry. It consists of two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter.
This style of poetry was introduced to English literature by Geoffrey Chaucer and is said to have been perfected by Alexander Pope (1688-1744) and John Dryden (1631-1700). Here's a couplet from Alexander Pope's 'Eloisa to Abelard' (1717).
Why rove my thoughts beyond this last retreat?
Why feels my heart its long-forgotten heat?
This is an example of a 'closed' heroic couplet because each line is its own complete sentence. In contrast, if the first line of a couplet carries on to the second, it is referred to as an 'open' couplet.
Blank verse
Iambic pentameter is also a common component of blank verse.
Blank verse is poetry written in a regular but unrhymed metrical structure. The form almost always consists of unrhymed iambic pentameter.
The verse style first entered the English lexicon in the 16th century. Many authors have used it to great effect in their work, including the following:
- Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)popularised it with plays like Doctor Faustus (1592) and The Massacre at Paris (1593)
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616) most famously used blank verse in many of his plays.
Other notable poets who used blank verse include the following:
Here's a blank verse couplet from Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 18' (1609).
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
You'll notice that blank verse closely mirrors typical human speech. This explains why iambic pentameter is so popular with poets and playwrights alike; the verse always remains rhythmic and sounds natural when read aloud.
Fig 2. Thought you could make it through an article about poetry without coming across this man? Think again! Shakespeare was a huge fan of iambic pentameter, so much so that he used it in every one of his plays. That's a lot of blank verse!
Iamb in poetry
For further reading, here's a list of poetry that includes iambic verse.
| Poem | Poet | Date published |
| 'Holy Sonnets: Batter my heart three-personed God' | John Donne (1572-1631) | 1633 |
| Paradise Lost | John Milton (1608-1674) | 1667 |
| 'The Miller's Tale' | Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1340s-1400) | 1392 |
| An Essay on Man | Alexander Pope (1688-1744) | 1733 |
| 'She Walks in Beauty' | Lord Byron (1788-1824) | 1814 |
| 'Ulysses' | Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) | 1842 |
| 'Song: I Love the Jocund Dance' | William Blake (1757-1827) | 1783 |
| 'In Memoriam A.H.H.' | Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) | 1850 |
| 'The Second Coming' | William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) | 1920 |
| 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud' | William Wordsworth (1770-1850) | 1807 |
| 'Tintern Abbey' | William Wordsworth (1770-1850) | 1798 |
Iamb - Key takeaways
- An iamb is a metrical foot containing one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.
- As long as a line follows a consistent 'unstressed/stressed' pattern (da-DUM/da-DUM/da-DUM), it is iambic.
- The word 'iamb' derives from the Greek iambos, a near identical poetical meter popular in ancient Greece.
- The iamb is well-suited to a range of poetry because it has a comfortably paced, gentle rhythm that perfectly suits poetry about love, human nature, feelings and emotions.
- Some writers who have published works in iambic pentameter include John Donne (1572-1631), John Milton (1608-1674), Geoffrey Chaucer (c. the 1340s-1400), William Blake (1757-1827) and William Wordsworth (1770-1850).
References
- Archilochus (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Archilochus_01_pushkin.jpg) by Shakko (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Shakko) licensed by CC BY SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
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