IAMBIC PENTAMETER for Teachers and Students. With iambic pentameter examples from Shakespeare

This video has been called the BEST LESSON on Iambic pentameter you will find on KZbin. Teachers use it in their classrooms. University students have described it as the best explanation they have ever heard.
Most videos you find on Iambic Pentameter are lacking in depth. They merely give the basic definition of Iambic Pentameter. While this is OK, it robs a student of the chance to appreciate one of the finest rhythms in poetry.
If you are trying to learn more about Shakespeare's plays, or are trying to teach others, why not watch this video and work along with the short exercises. If you do, then you will fully understand the answers to the following questions.
What is Iambic Pentameter?
How can you spot it when you are reading Shakespeare?
Why do we sometimes find ourselves not being able to find the iambic meter? And why do so many lines in Shakespeare's plays, not appear to follow iambic pentameter.
Be sure to watch this video all the way through. If you are studying Shakespeare for school, or simply growing your appreciation for Shakespearean plays, then this video may just be one of the best videos that you ever watch.
IF YOU WANT TO BEGIN TEACHING YOURSELF MORE ABOUT CLASSIC LITERATURE, be sure to check out my Patreon.
Patreon link patreon.com/user?u=84761803

[@adyshih]

I thought i knew what is the Iambic Pentameter, not really until I watched this video !!!

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thanks, Adyshih! I'm pleased you enjoyed it.😃👍

[@MH-ql4nh]

I wish this was taught like this when I was learning Shakespeare in school! My teacher only gave the briefest explanation and then moved on. Thank you so much for making this video!

[@lucyssweetjournaling]

This is just brilliant. I've looked around KZbin and NOTHING compares to this explanation of iambic pentameter. Outstanding!!!

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you so much!

[@Michajeru]

You have a very special talent for teaching. I learn so much from your videos.

[@sambers4251]

This was fantastic! You explained it better than how they taught it in school and university. This is such a helpful resource for anyone learning about Shakespeare!

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you so much, Sam. That's really kind of you to say. Thanks for taking the time to be so encouraging, I truly appreciate it.

[@ShivangiBhasin]

I’m going to cry Tristan, you have no idea how long I’ve struggled to understand this concept you’ve explained so simply. Thank you, truly🥺

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Oh Shivangi, that's made my day. That's the reason I make these videos. If they can help one person, I'm content. This is the best comment I've had.😃❤

[@ShivangiBhasin]

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 I did my undergraduate in English and I’m currently pursuing my masters in the same. I’m enrolled in poetry course where we write poems each week on different topics and I wanted to write the sonnet but just couldn’t figure out the rhyme-scheme. We had to write a political poem and I wanted to write about the war in Ukraine and use Pushkin as my inspiration. Ultimately ended up doing something totally different but this is such a timely video because I can still use these lessons in future writings. I really can’t thank you enough and I’ve shared this with my class. I hope you get so many more eyes on your videos which are so thoughtful and educational. Sending lots of love🤗❤️

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

@@ShivangiBhasin Pushkin is a great model for basing ones poetry on. I hope to expand my poetry reading this year. Thank you for your encouragement once again, Shivangi. And thank you so much for sharing my video with your class.❤

[@urbanapache2]

Actually found this more useful then what I learned in two years at drama School.

[@paulinebartle8810]

At the beginning of your video I had no clue as to what Iambic Pentameter was. In fact I had never heard of it. But after your brilliant explanation, I understand completely. Your detailed video is brilliant. Thank you so much for that.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Oh, thank you Pauline, that means a lot. Pleased you enjoyed it. Shakespeare is quite something and a deeper appreciation for why and how he does things just makes his works even more enjoyable.

[@aintfalco7968]

I found this very helpful. A rather scientific approach

[@growlocalmarketing]

This was such a pleasure to listen to. I wish you had more on writing rather than reading. Super content and delivery. Thank you.

[@72mje]

You are an amazing teacher. This was so good - thanks!

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Awww thanks, that's really nice of you to say. Iambic pentameter is fascinating isn't it?

[@veronicamullins4783]

This thirty minutes has given me so much Thank you

[@petersuitch3129]

The rhythm of the heart! Brilliant!

[@Sopranistineberhard]

Love all your videos, but these educational ones really make my day! Thank you!

[@susprime7018]

Unless you are Australian, in which case it goes up at the end, everything is a query. Sun of York? Relax Aussies, I love you very much. Thank you, a very fine lesson. Iambic pentameter transcends dialect, that must be why Shakespeare is transcendent.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

😂 So true about the Australian inflection. As for Shakespeare's transcendence, the chap was a genius. He was almost a channel which the rhythm of words flowed into the world.

[@jennifervarda6248]

Brilliant! Im currently sleep deprived with a 5 month old and this video kept me completely hooked, which is saying something as my attention span has dwindled somewhat 🙃 thank you so much!

[@wburris2007]

Can you jump in your time machine and explain this to me in 1974. In school the only sense that I could make out of Shakespeare and having to write poetry was that the teacher got his jollies from torturing students. Do I need to learn Shakespeare's English to read Shakespeare? I speak Canadian, and I don't always pronounce words the same way you do.

[@orionfoote2890]

Seriously, this is the best video I've seen on the topic. Like many others, I've struggled a bit with coming to grips with iambic pentameter and really understanding the subtleties and intricacies of it, but this has given me a totally different perspective on it. This should be used in classrooms - it's that good. I'm rapt to have discovered this channel and will be more than simply "looking into it"....and furthermore, i don't care who knows it!

[@harrietsmock1393]

This is the most entertaining and informative lecture on language I have ever heard. Thank you for the tremendous amount of work and study you put in to present this to us.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you, Harriet. I'm so glad that you liked it.😃❤️

[@SeanMillea]

This was great! Question: do people ever disagree with the idea that he wrote this way and that we aren’t retroactively deciding things are stressed or unstressed? Also, do you think he write with this in mind or was it instinctual?

[@laughinjax]

Loved this! THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@christophermaguire9206]

I made it through all four years of high school literature and got out. Not understanding. I am back pentameter this video. Help me understand why it is and why it’s used. Thank you to the creators for putting this video out. It’s helped me a great deal. Appreciate Shakespeare’s work the soul of wit.…😊

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thanks, Christopher. I'm pleased that you liked it. 👍

[@SerenityAutumn]

Howdy. Musician and journalism major just now getting into reading the classics. This channel is amazing! Didn’t come from a great public school, so this has changed my life, especially my songwriting and writing career. 🤘🏻 thank you! I am particularly surprised by how iambic pentameter makes sense to me as an adult and having been a musician. But the way you explain it helped so much.

[@user-ye9tl4zk6l]

Oh! You are amazingly clear! Thanks!

[@patriciatolliver4057]

As usual, i loved this video. I do enjoy the videos tremendously.

[@joanwhiting546]

Thank you so much! Best explanation ever!!! 😊🎉❤

[@collinharmon3207]

Of all the men on KZbin you teach best, I can recite the work of Shakespeare now :D But great video. I got really excited learning how it echoes the beat of the heart.

[@bluebull1246]

Loved this video. Brilliant

[@eva_fr]

Wow, that was a delightful and genius lesson. 👏🏼 Omg, I just went down the rabbit hole, and I am full of reminiscence of my old school days when we studied metrics in my mother tongue, Hungarian. And I've forgotten about it almost everything, but it is so great to remember and relearn it again. And in English, with Shakespeare. 😊 This video is a gem. 💎 Thank you.🤎

[@passerby5]

The most illuminating vid I've seen You taught this lesson 'xactly like a pro I hope to use this meter more in speech

[@sarahcarroll4201]

I enjoyed this informative video immensely. This is wonderful timing as my students will begin studying The Tragedy of Macbeth next week. Thank you so much, and I look forward to learning more about literature from you!

[@ritz1119]

Wonderful explanation. Thank you!

[@chloedeburghrelax]

Absolutely brilliant, thank you 🙏

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it. 😃❤️

[@happybee0622]

Thank you for the great explanation of the iambic pentameter that it’s not easy to learn. A great teacher I am so glad to find today!

[@makungumasangu1838]

Wow! A fantastic video. This was helpful in every way. Thank you! 🎉

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

I'm so glad that you found it helpful ☺️

[@cherrysoda3427]

In a 1 month HUM course and this was very helpful ! Thank you

[@carolhansen4657]

Tristan, you are a treasure. I am in the "middle" of Middlemarch, and your videos have helped me to appreciate this magnificent book even more.

[@taniaarthur1903]

Thank you so much. Such an informative and great video. I loved how explained everything.

[@katrinajimenez4179]

You explained this so clearly (and eloquently!) that I will play this for my homeschooled sixth grader. Thank you! You are a great teacher, and this was a labor of love to explain it in such a manner.

[@manuelahrasky8472]

A fantastic explanation! Thank you so much for this. You bring Shakespeare to life in a wonderful way.

[@azundaowiriwa2674]

I really love and appreciate your channel Tristan

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

I appreciate that!

[@dwilliams321]

Thank you for making this video. It's been really helpful to me.

[@shawnbrewer7]

Fantastic video!

[@marthacanady9441]

Well done. Thanks, Tristan for all the good examples.😊I get it and love it and just emphasizes the genius of Shakespeare.

[@davidannderson9796]

This has to be one of the finest teaching videos I have ever seen! And the first minute or so Was mind-blowingly beautiful! Better than any cute cat video! Thank you so much!

[@kirenireves]

Wonderful video - that I finally got around to watching, because I, too, thought I knew what Iambic Pentameter was, but I didn't even know what I didn't know...what even there was to know. This will help me in my work to write with more authority (I'm often writing things from an expert's point of view and need to convey competence and leadership). Please do other writing "tricks" to convey other "hidden" messages. It's like learning how a magic trick works! Here's a clickbait title for you to use: "5 secret writing tricks to get them feeling the way you want - Guaranteed!" ^_^

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Pleased you enjoyed it. And thank you for the video title. That's awesome!!!

[@maiko4130]

Great video! I can’t thank you enough.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

I'm so pleased that you watched it. Thank you so much. 😀❤️👍

[@skmcc9252]

That was the best explanation of iambic pentameter I've ever heard, thank you Tristan. Thirty minutes well spent. Now, where did I put my complete Shakespeare.

[@christbianchi]

This was very informative! Explained so well! Thank you for the video

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you Chris. It amazes me how much there is to how language works.

[@estebzz_]

this video was invaluable. thanks so much!

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Really pleased that you found it so useful.

[@davidgagen9856]

What a brilliant explanation.

[@stephencharlton2024]

Another excellent piece

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thanks Stephen 😊

[@dqan7372]

Nicely done. Enjoyed that.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thanks! I'm really pleased you did😃👍

[@caterinapipperi3543]

This video was extremely helpful and interesting. I remember my teacher in high school trying to teach us Italian students iambic pentameter to no avail. Now, thirty years later, it is clear at last 😅

[@amyabjork]

Brilliant! Thank you so much for this amazing class. ❤

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you, Amy. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it. 😀❤️

[@shabirmagami146]

brilliant explanation..... sharing with my students... thank you ...love and respect..💌

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you so much. I hope your students find it helpful.👍

[@Montaigne1533]

A superb explanation of iambic pentameter. Thank you!😊

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you, Francesca 😀 I'm so glad you enjoyed it ☺️

[@sylvanaire]

I had an English teacher that, when he taught poetry, he always started with the rhythm, then the sentence structure or grammar, and only lastly attempted to decipher the meaning of the words. By that time I had zoned out & didn’t care any more about the poem, if I ever had, lol. He uncovered some really clever writing that way, but pretty much turned me off poetry for life!

[@C.Aikman-yj7fq]

Thank you so much, Tristan.

[@rameo89]

Great video, plenty of insight on the craft

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you Ramzy, I'm pleased that you enjoyed it.

[@SoFine163]

God bless you. And may all your wishes and hearts desires manifest. Thank you for this lesson.

[@anette9679]

Brilliant!

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you Anette.❤

[@user-qm2dj4wo1x]

this is seriously underated..thankyou sir

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you so much. I appreciate it 😃❤️

[@davidannderson9796]

Shakespeare 500 years later Incredible Homer 2700 years later The Prophet Isaiah well over 2,000 years The Ramayana over 2,000 years Mind-blown Thank you so much!

[@mollydooker9636]

Awesome video. I"m going to try to write something in iambic pentameter. A sentence I never thought i would ever write lol.

[@jeffwilson1447]

I listened to a few KZbins on meter and this one was a delight to watch. Meter is clearly explained. Thank you

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you. That means a lot to me. 😀👍❤️

[@josephnunes868]

Yes ignorant to this information , often times while reading Shakespeare i get in this ebb and flow which, beknowst to me is authentic prose or poetry ... wow I love Shakespeare.... the rereadablelity is unmatched with him..

[@helinn6140]

excellent explanation, thank you

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

So glad you found it helpful. 😀

[@stephenperera7382]

I think reading Shakespeare is a mistake without having previously watched a play or heard a finely acted audio book of it. I personally do read alongs as the actors (be it visually or audio) will help us understand what is being said and what is happening as of course the language used is not easy to decipher as modern audience a lot of the time. Of course in reference to this lesson you are giving us the fine actors will lay the stresses out as intended. Your channel is superb thank you. Hello from Gibraltar

[@zakiyahjannath2052]

This video is so good. It really shows you how romantic shakespeare actually was!!

[@saleemsheikh2239]

Sir.it's a great video. I never understood it in my college time but your methods of teaching n your smiling face makes things easier.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you so much, Saleem.

[@AG-jf6wg]

Subscribed!

[@nostradamus1162]

i studied this for german literature in school (& then for ancient greek and latin poetry) 🥰 most people dont miss their school days but i feel like i never again had such wonderful topics to explore right under my nose 😅 this is a wonderfully easy explanation

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Sometimes, one thinks that one should be introduced to school later in life, when one really appreciates it. 😅 I think there should be a return to school when we are 30. It would improve society immensely.

[@DelibDilettante]

The famous opening lines are spoken by Duke Orsino: **"If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die."** At first glance, it might seem that Orsino is requesting music to indulge and enjoy his feelings of love. However, a closer reading reveals a more complex and nuanced intention. Orsino seeks an overindulgence in music, hoping that by flooding himself with the stimulus associated with love, he will reach a point of satiety where his desire will "sicken" and eventually "die." This suggests a desire to cure himself of his obsessive infatuation with Olivia by overexposing himself to the very thing that fuels it.

[@DelibDilettante]

The famous opening lines are spoken by Duke Orsino: **"If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die."** At first glance, it might seem that Orsino is requesting music to indulge and enjoy his feelings of love. However, a closer reading reveals a more complex and nuanced intention.

[@harithavallathol5078]

Thank you, sir🫡

[@ssatheesan7076]

Really great

[@jannisluck9534]

great video !

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you 😊

[@RanaIsmail81]

Thank you for this amazing video!!! I studied this but found myself completely learning it anew! Why is our memory so fickle?!

[@redhedkev1]

Thank you (The rhythm of the heart, interesting). The rhythm of CPR, as I was taught, was to the song of the Bee Gee's "Staying Alive"...(or, more darkly as told to me by an EMT, "Another one bites the dust" by Queen). Which now makes me wonder if those songs lyrics are in Iambic pentameter.

[@CourtneyReads]

Are you a teacher by profession? You would be a wonderful one. I always feel like I learn something while watching your videos, no matter the topic. Thank you for this one!

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

I'm not a teacher, Courtney, although I would've liked to be one. I have suffered a good deal of poor health which isn't good for a permanent teaching position. Though I have had the privilege of helping various students who have come to me for informal discussions. It's just a pleasure to be able to share my love of literature with people like you Courtney, who have a mutual passion and appreciation. Thanks so much for being so supportive. You're great. 👍❤

[@liamhemmings9039]

This is great. As a frequent traveller to Greece I wonder if some of the stresses are influenced by Greek, which although 'western' reverses the stress.

[@hiwayshoes]

Hi Tristan, I’m glad to have found your channel! I’m not too familiar with Shakespeare’s work, but I just have a curiosity question: could Shakespeare have made his iambic pentameter rhyme or would that, in his day, be a sort of breaking with conventional rules of the time? Thanks for the work you’re doing, I’ll check out your channel soon… Cheers 💖!

[@apollonia6656]

I remember watching Marlon Brando and I couldn't help but laugh. Admittently, his method acting did not help ! Actors such as Guilgud, Olivier, Guinness, Jacobi were great Shakespearean actors, but I wish I could say the same for Sir Kenneth Branagh's film version of Hamlet. Maybe he concentrated more on direction , I cannot explain why the film left me cold....not forgetting Jack Lemon and Robin Williams ,they were embarrassing 😔 Anyway, thank you. My nephew learned more from this video than his teacher !🙂

[@pdub7352]

Slow digestion stretches the attention-span like nature's forgotten magic.

[@ch00p]

Thanks for this Tristan! I’ve been spending the last year or so delving deeper into poetic structure and forms, and I wish I had this video when I started. Learning the structure of iambic pentameter came easy enough, but initially I had a bit of trouble finding it “out in the wild” so to speak. When I’d hear a line that broke the pattern, I found myself second guessing whether what I was reading actually was in iambic pentameter (or any other meter, for that matter). The latter part of this video really helps me build a bit more confidence in that regard. Since you’re on the topic of Shakespearean verse, could you perhaps do a video on the Sonnet form? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it beyond its base structure(s).

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thanks! It would do so many people a big favour, if teachers at high school simply said: Although Shakespeare writes in iambic pentameter, that doesn't mean there aren't variations. That one sentence could help generations of students😂 Good idea for a video on the Sonnets. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@utopiaisnow]

Love your videos Tristan. Would love to interview you if you would be interested :D

[@harringtonday5319]

❤🙏

[@adyshih]

Hi Tristan, do you think Iambic Pentameter has modern implication and application how we speak and write even non in the context of reading Shakespeare ? Do any other writer has this in mind when they write nowadays? I am not a native English speaker and some thing this iambic concept may actually help me to address my monotonous speech tone patter, does this make any sense?

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Hi Adyshih! This is a good question. Poets may use iambic pentameter deliberately today, but in my experience I'm not sure it is used very deliberately anywhere else. The reason being that it takes conscious effort. If you want to hear iambic pentameter being used deliberately, then watch the introduction to this video again, because I deliberately constructed it out of iambic pentameter. From the words "Do not be swift to ..." to the words "fine eloquence." Ask yourself what effect that achieved. If you want to have a less monotonous speech pattern, then I highly recommend listening to some Shakespeare, just to hear the rhythm. Your aim isn't to copy iambic pentameter, but rather to become aware of how stressing certain words makes our speech more colourful. I have done some videos on Shakespeare's speeches which I think will be helpful. Try the "Hollow Crown" speech, and Henry V "Band of Brothers." Hope this helps.

[@guepardiez]

According to Wikipedia, feminine endings are called feminine because they match the unstressed endings of feminine words in French. It has nothing to do with culturally feminine qualities.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thank you for the correction 🙏 ☺️

[@Mindfultranslations]

Fantastic info .. But is this I A present only in Shakespeare? I find the issue like music … only in language the accent is unavailable until it’s pointed out by an expert like yourself… Thanks for your efforts 😊

[@maryanncarl646]

Awesome! Where were you when I needed you in high school? (Answer: I am sure you weren't born yet. lol) I had good teachers but you take it to a different level. Thank you so much. Just a quick question about book club. I've been looking all over to see if and when there is going to be a weekly discussion and can't find any info. Could you please let me know? I definitely don't want to miss it because I am enjoying the book so much. It's a hoot!

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Thanks Mary Ann. Shakespeare is the bees knees isn't he! As for the book club, I want to host the chats very very soon. Im just trying to work out a few wrinkles. But stand by, it's coming.😅

[@maryanncarl646]

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 I love Shakespeare or any author that knows how to use language well. However, I need a lot of help with Shakespeare. Have you come across any annotated editions that are particularly good?

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

@@maryanncarl646 The Arden editions are rather good in my opinion. But I've never found any editions with the scanning already in.

[@maryanncarl646]

@@tristanandtheclassics6538 I wasn't looking for anything with scanning just an edition with notes explaining the various archaic references. I would like to try Shakespeare again and I certainly need help.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

@@maryanncarl646 Arden; The RSC editions; Folger are all pretty good options

[@guepardiez]

Let me, for illustration purposes, as Shakespeare's pupil pose, and write some words in grand iambic feet, just five per line, to see how rhythm builds and resonates in those who felt my presence in the void, by which I mean this barren comment section.

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@jonzillaz]

Hello, I thoroughly enjoyed your video and learned a lot from it. Though, I wonder why @11:18 'Juliet' isn't 3 syllables: Ju-li-et? Could it be perhaps that in old English it was spelled/pronounced differently? Many Thanks

[@petermccafferty9230]

You can pronounce it Jul-yet, same goes for Rom-yo

[@user-ny1bc9kk4n]

I liked the explanation but how do you decide that the Now is which is the first word is stressed or unstressed same with other lines.

[@davidannderson9796]

Poetic meter is music

[@tfpp1]

Sooo…as a musician, it’s basically 6/8 meter with a pickup beat. 😅

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Bingo!!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@seaanemones]

“Can you hear that rhythm??” No actually i cant at all

[@tarsschley5771]

I’m learning how to write a sonnet. For fun. So far, not having fun. 😂

[@michaelaward3682]

Is this in iambic pentameter But nothing lasts and slips like sand through cracks

[@tristanandtheclassics6538]

Yes. A lovely line.😀❤️👍