Why Shakespeare loved iambic pentameter - David T. Freeman and Gregory Taylor

[@RozzyKmartdrix]

"Shakespeare's most poetic lines don't just talk about matters of the heart, they follow its rhythm."

[@zararoyce319]

Yeah that's so beautiful

[@chanjanie2229]

yea this strikes me too

[@BernardoFlor_Krio]

It's... poetic

[@mabob1913]

Best part of the video.

[@goldfisch456]

That was deep

[@samseegmiller2719]

Poetry is the rhythm of the heart. I like that observation.

[@sairamts]

Not poetry... A specific rhythm in poetry...

[@keatonsmith5669]

Another reason Shakespeare gets maligned is because most of his work was plays, not novels. We read them as novels today, but in order to fully appreciate it, it has to be seen as a play.

[@gauravdhanwan4464]

Keaton Smith Everytime I read a play it's always portrayed on stage much better then I could have ever imagined it out to be.

[@Art1611]

"The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most: we that are young Shall never see so much, nor live so long."

[@ADDIDASSSSSSSSSSSSSS]

Most excellent and prolifically profound!!! You are a very gifted writer.

[@tinibari456]

@@ADDIDASSSSSSSSSSSSSS It's old Bill's lines, not Numa's.

[@manishkota4145]

@@ADDIDASSSSSSSSSSSSSS bruh

[@ADDIDASSSSSSSSSSSSSS]

@@tinibari456 I guess I was actually crediting the writing of Shakespeare and not Numa. No wonder Numa seemed so gifted. Thanks for clarifying the actual writer. Keep rocking!

[@tinibari456]

@@ADDIDASSSSSSSSSSSSSS Ha, it's been a while since I made that comment. But don't worry if you don't recognize Shakespeare right away! just read him and you'll learn to recognize his style.

[@rezwanul99]

They taught us Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and Macbeth at school without telling us about Iambic Pentameter.

[@thomashayes5597]

Really?

[@satoshinakamoto7253]

@@thomashayes5597 yup

[@tg-sj2nu]

Same thing here but they also want us to write a poem using iambic pentameter... they just never taught us a poetry unit

[@idot3331]

I think they're usually supposed to, I certainly learned about it.

[@anahansen5191]

​@@tg-sj2nuno trae no sé😂

[@Puzzler363]

I always found the problem with iambic pentameter is that it's not always clear if a syllable really is stressed or whether you are just imposing the stress to make it fit. In the example of "To be or not to be" we learn that "to" is an unstressed word, and then at 2:40 we're told that "to" is stressed. In the example "i am a pirate with a wooden leg" I would have naturally stressed the capitalised syllables "I am a PIrate with a WOODen LEG", possibly with the I unstressed.

[@Hraefngar]

Shakespeare varied his meter a lot. He'd sometimes swap the first iamb with a trochee and throw in other different types of feet to emphasize different parts of the poem and produce a more varied sound. Also, meter is often relative. A syllable/word can be unstressed in one line but stressed in another depending on the surrounding syllables. IN my HANDS i HELD a BOOK and BURNing IT was ALL it TOOK to SET the CROWD aFLAME The first 'it' is surrounded by softer syllables (was and ing), so it is stressed. 'Took' and 'all' are harder sounding making the second 'it' unstressed. Now remember that not all stressed syllables are created equal. Some are much heavier than others (burn vs it), and the context in which they appear can vary the amount of stress they are given. In addition to this, if a strong metrical pattern has been previously established in the poem we will subconsciously try and connect the words we read to that rhythm. This can cause somebody to read a syllable with more stress to fit a pattern, but it can also make it much more noticeable when the poem breaks the pattern. The key is just to approach this not as an exact science. There's a lot of variance to it.

[@snookerhand]

@@bronzenrule I appreciate your explanation. Of course, I'm still not conversant, but it's so much cleared now. In your explanation, why not just be vigil of the meter and the stress will serendipitously fall exigent (in the mind of the reader)? In shaded arbor I sat in deep thought/Through the leaves sunlight strikes and I am taught.

[@jakefastf]

I’m inclined to believe that Shakespeare was doing this subconsciously because it sounded good. Do what sounds good

[@hollismallory2757]

I don’t think it’s that exact… there’s also often variations on the iambic by one or two extra or less syllables

[@mahshidhsi656]

This was great. English is my second language and learning this stuff specially without teacher during quarantine is kind of hard. I watched so many videos about iambic pentameter but non of them helped me like this. I totally understood. Thank you :)

[@antoniomotta3578]

you are welcome

[@SelenasHater2]

It took my latin teacher 3 weeks to make me understand poetic meters! Here is so well explained! Thank you!

[@virginiabryson6290]

Latin teachers explain things in the most complicated way possible haha

[@moleshaman3040]

I'm not surprised , it's worth remembering each language has several poetic meters and rhyming traditions (though some are borrowed from other cultures and/or adapted). But I agree the description of Shakespeare's use of iambic pentameter was well explained !

[@patod4]

beautifully explained, thanks!

[@qwertstrewq]

It's also when I found out today that poetic meters have patterns like a drum beat would. Simply think the kick as an unstressed syllable, and the snare as a stressed syllable, and you've got a beat made from a foot. Damn, poetry _is_ music!

[@claudiaquat]

Iambic foot - it is so cool I always use it, as a rule. For even frosh in English One can go ta DUM ta DUM ta DUM.

[@gjgany]

Such a creation is thy art that you present.

[@rajandsamuel]

Ricardo Rivera it actually is

[@aliadrift]

@@rajandsamuel Sorry, 7 months later. It's actually iambic tetrameter.

[@songbird-in-the-night]

I read this with iambic pentameter

[@ComfortChef]

Why do people always quote "To be or not be..." when someone is holding a skull? If I recall correctly shouldn't that be the "Alas poor Yorick..." quote?

[@Splurgendii]

you're right... why do they do it? good question.

[@woodfur00]

I think they were probably going for recognisability rather than accuracy, although you're totally right.

[@MentalVideographer]

One does not simply place pictures correctly.

[@nice3333333333]

I personally like the scene and the quote being put together. One man alive; holding the skull, one man dead; the skull. "To be or not to be... That is the question." I don't know much about poetry, but that scene with that quote sure raises some philosophical thought material.

[@Splurgendii]

Thus conscious does make cowards of us all!!!

[@abel.lisman]

Amazing way to explain how Shakeaspeare is beyond any drama wrighter in History. As a Drama Teacher from Argentina i´m thanked for this lesson.

[@nate1204]

2:42 rip moon never forget

[@jakes4605]

XD

[@Oh_Snickerdoodle]

Just paying my respects to the moon 😔✋

[@anatine_banana_69]

Perhaps

[@Hypoticon316]

He deid

[@jaedenvanderberg3890]

4:07 Iambic pentameter is described as: unstressed stressed | unstressed stressed | unstressed stressed | unstressed stressed | unstressed stressed. With the pattern bendy line shoe But at 4:20 we see Trochaic Hexameter as ALSO being unstressed stressed | unstressed stressed and so on when we were earlier told that Trochaic meant stressed unstressed, but we see unstressed stressed.

[@tyannelowe9316]

Blew right over my head until I reviewed it again.

[@sagellivokin]

"Words to heat of deeds too cold breath gives." That line rocks. And you can use it to give someone courage! Courage enough... to kill.

[@hari.santoso]

I tried to make a poem based on that video. But I'm not a native speaker. O thee, who shine as bright as moon itself Just let my words reside inside your heart The sun will come to melt your wall of ice Then I sow seeds of love and wait, and wait Till we unite our soul with every rose Anyone could check the grammar for me please?

[@hari.santoso]

So, Ishould write "O, Thou" etc.?

[@4dityanarayan]

Hey, that's an amazing start! The fourth line, though, is not in iambic pentameter, as 'I' is an unstressed syllable and 'sow' is a stressed one. It should be the other way round. Just write it differently and it'll be one great read :)

[@4dityanarayan]

For instance, "I sow the seeds of love, and wait, and wait"

[@hari.santoso]

aditya narayan Well, great! Thanks, man.

[@wmarler]

Hari Taqwan Santoso this is beautiful

[@SpankinMusic]

Now every time I tell a tale, to children yet unlearned, Iambic prose will surely build a healthy, lifelong interest. And interest in the works of him whose words spans age to age, shall yield for those young little minds a passion for the stage.

[@BabyandLittleGuy]

Great observations! I most especially enjoyed the end: "Shakespeare's most poetic lines don't just TALK about matters of the heart...they follow its rhythm." How poetic! :)

[@datfancygaming4971]

Shakespeare was like; haha *writing* heart goes brrRRR brrRRRR brrRRRR

[@quekrt5381]

lol

[@b_prodz384]

lol

[@ebmbehaviour]

This is a great film that clearly explains meter as a whole, how iambic pentameter works and most importantly, why it was used Shakespeare's plays. Nicely done!

[@gayliedelgado9039]

Thank you, what a clear, entertaining way of looking at Shakespeare's use of rhythm.

[@Andrewism]

I love you Ted-ED! I now understand it so well!

[@nathanw.3187]

Andrew Rodrigues I’m trying to make a playlist on Spotify in this format... idk why I’m like this

[@b_prodz384]

8 yeara ago

[@aperson22222]

It is the favor'd form of English verse, Especially when ruled Elizabeth. Will Shakespeare wrote all of his plays therein; So also Kit, and many other bards. The first, the third, fifth, seventh, and the ninth Of syllables are left without a stress. The rest are stress'd; it mimics human speech.

[@juliadubaj6558]

That was beautifully done

[@amanwearingsuspenders7390]

Shakespear's most poetic lines don't just talk about matters of the heart they follow its rhythim. Wow really great ending line.

[@nathanfernandes7085]

This hands down the best videos I have seen on youtube till date............ thank you Ted

[@brettnemecek8388]

Poetry is one of my great weaknesses (the same way that math might be for others). This helps, but is still hard for me to understand. I'm just going to have to watch it again to get it down.

[@nurselgokalp1309]

What a man Shakespeare was! I adore him much more now! He was a great poet.

[@aviattavar2741]

+Lee Spicer wtf

[@aviattavar2741]

Lee Spicer chill man aha, just saying what u wrote was a bit creepy, no offence.

[@aviattavar2741]

Lee Spicer aha thats k man just making an observation, u vexed by any chance ahaahaha

[@aviattavar2741]

Lee Spicer Safe bro x, Ps: y do u keep liking ur own comment?

[@12345saoma]

oh my gosh the part with the heart is so amazing!

[@pstrowlministries6109]

Superb lesson on the heartbeat of the flow and rhthym of verse in Shakespeare.

[@alixandramullins7463]

This is an extremely helpful video for visual learners. I found it to be very useful in clarifying these hard to grasp concepts for this writer. With nice animations, it was especially helpful in portraying the poetic concepts of Meter / Feet / iambic pentameter .

[@mavila1368]

I hate learning this shit in school...

[@kaje01]

Ted is so awesome. Every video: Stuff I never knew, about stuff I never knew I cared about

[@RosheenQuynh]

The ending made me fall in love with the iambic pentameter even more than Halo got me interested in it. "Child of my enemy, why have you come? I offer no forgiveness, a father's sin passed to his son."

[@stephc5899]

i love the pun in the description. thank you for this amazing video ted- ed! you're saving lives and you don't even know it

[@megan7108]

I actually enjoyed reading A Midsummer Night's Dream. I found it easier to understand than some of his other works.

[@A.Lee815]

My teacher showed me this in class and it explains iambic pentameter very thoroughly. If you try and read a Shakespeare poem as the person here reads.

[@kaishint4792]

If any of you have trouble with the stressed and unstressed syllables. You can go to a dictionary like marriam webster and find the word in its syllables which should look like this: \ sək-ˈses \ and \ bi-ˈhīnd \ The ( ' ) part is placed right before the stressed syllable. On dictionary.com the stressed part is marked with a deeper and fatter color.

[@halihorror]

The pirate illustration was so good! Thanks a bunch!

[@4dityanarayan]

Am I the only one reading the comments in iambic pentameter and failing miserably?

[@tacomeme429]

(ok I'll try iambic pentameter) Seems not, but you can try to read this now.

[@rezwanul99]

Boy Bawang Thank you for this comment. (Am I iambic pentametering right?)

[@elderlyoogway]

I will, must say, that I find you amusing, pal! So please, my friend, you can't and shouldn't stop it now :D

[@AnnaClaraGB]

Thanks a lot! It was really hard to understand poetic rhythm before this video.

[@practicalpen1990]

In just 5 minutes, TED-ED just explained this topic better than my Literary Translation classes. I finally got it!!!

[@ggbliss8121]

Thank you! I love this connection between the heartbeat and rhythm!

[@denisoshea1089]

I can` t tell how useful this lesson was.

[@theredghostman9279]

I think it is amazing how the poems follow the rhythm of a heart.

[@2512fabian]

Iambic pentameter is very pliant, and accommodates an array of variations that go far beyond what is covered in this video. If you google 'versemeter' you will find my blog page.

[@WalrasLaw]

Great video! Loved the heart explanation. However, there might be a mistake at the 4:20 mark. The example labeled as a Trochaic Hexameter seems to be a Iambic Hexameter (the pirate's feet are iambic on the white sheet of paper just as in the sand)

[@justinmclean9275]

+WalrasLaw Exactly what I was going to say! If the dragging of the wooden leg is supposed to stand for the unstressed syllable which it resembles, the animator seems to have reversed the pattern.

[@drphilYNWA]

lol I was hoping there'd be someone who pointed that out already so I wouldn't have to

[@RenaudAlly]

lol i thought i didnt pay attention to the video, when I noticed it didn't make sense

[@alixandramullins7463]

likely the animator / illustrator thought it looked cool, but maybe didn't quite grasp the concepts when creating all the visuals...

[@Panicks28]

I agree as well

[@MentalVideographer]

You'll find if you read on of meters' truth/ of rythmic meaning found in Shakespeare's plays/ of sounding more poetic than uncouth/ and how to not be left here in a daze. Pentameter, Iambic, first of all/ is nought but how I'm writing this right now/ If conquering the meters, first to fall/ Pentameter, the first that you should know. If you must wonder as to what I did/ In upper writings, 'twas a visual rhyme/ Between them similarity is hid/ but see the word, of sound you must be rid. And as this is a sonnet, you should know/ See couplets? That means there's not far to go.

[@davidjuson5608]

If only the English lessons I endured as a schoolboy where that coherent and intelligent as that. Thank you.

[@advikasadasivan3274]

Wow! This is so intuitively explained.

[@dragonfastback5440]

Wonderfully explained with enjoyable graphics. One minor point; at 4:20, isn't the first graphic, the one in red, incorrect? It appears to be an iambic hexameter.

[@joachimluchterhand311]

Great explanation and very useful in my Shakespeare lessons ! Thanks a lot 👍🙏

[@jaytettehquarshie1522]

This is the most subtle TedEd i have seen this year

[@daviddemar8749]

best explanation of this I've ever encountered. 2nd best? john barton of the RSC explained it on the ITV miniseries Playing Shakespeare -also available on KZbin

[@tehdii]

Iambic pentameter is so pre-neuralink anachronism :P And now I have realized that Picard would add a rytm to a verbal reasoning of the Borg. Just imagine the spread of a pentameter through the universe: You will you will assimilated be :) Also Tomorrow and plus one day, and plus two days... minus equals one of twelfth - Borg rendition :)

[@demos.darkenburg]

PLEASE ANOTHER VIDEO ABOUT SHAKESPEARE😭❤❤❤❤❤

[@sum1414]

That's why when you're sad you can write well, because you can feel your heartbeats

[@soupmaknae1006]

Wow...what a beautiful way to explain...thnk u

[@angelopusta205]

Thank you very much for your videos - Angelo Rey Pusta

[@fitsgeraldalmendral1152]

Thank you for educating us Fitsgerald Almendral

[@koleta666]

Beautiful!!

[@MichaelSHartman]

Thank you for the explanation.

[@jaojao1768]

Though I prefer the ancient meter, that was used in Kalevala, as well as in Hiawatha, by that fellow with the long-name

[@dirmfe2]

Wow! That was great. Got me at the heart thing.

[@aliahicks7402]

Cool video,explained a lot, thanks!!

[@charlychips]

Excellent explanation. Thank you very much.

[@craigsneddon4732]

If only they put this kind of effort and resources into a good cause, imagine the difference that could be made !

[@Cameron-ue7lu]

Beautiful explanation, and how cool is the bard, that upstart crow :)

[@AD-tc9tn]

Awesome video, it explained a lot!

[@immanuellareginanwanedo3017]

Unfortunately I still don’t get it 💔

[@oranges7706]

So in poetry, we divide lines into 'feet'. These are groups of stressed and unstressed syllables, usually with 1 stressed and at least 1 unstressed syllable. There are lots of types, but the one Shakey boi used the most was the 'iamb', which is one unstressed and one stressed syllable (da-DUM). The 'pentameter' part just means there are 5 feet per line, or 5 iambs. Hope that helps!

[@sritamjena5128]

I also noticed Juliet slapping Shakespeare's hand at 2:45! It was really funny!

[@djajarahcorpuz1188]

I really learned a lot from this video, thank you! -Djajarah Zairelahar Corpuz

[@pratibhapunnuri4172]

Superb explanation

[@shizyninjarocks]

Perfect explanation!

[@keyinnerg242]

Damn Shakespeare you genius

[@Gustolfo]

Maravilloso. Gracias por subirlo.

[@loszhor]

Wonderful video! I was taught something similar when getting help with my speech.

[@aokay720]

This video is so helpful!!! Thank you so much!

[@Sarahjayne08]

Brilliant. Thank you!

[@lansingday1453]

Fun video teaching. Thank you. ... Hmmm. never thought of iambic pentameter as heartbeat. Depends on how you feel it. A rest beat after the second beat, it fits well, since heartbeat cycle is a three pulse (lub-dub rest). When I hear Robert Frost read his work, his ten beat line is straight flow of 10. No heartbeat there. Thanks for the new insight!

[@bonghy]

Wow, that was an eloquent lesson. Thank you.

[@tatumkeith5955]

No it wasn’t

[@tatumkeith5955]

My bad sorry wrong video

[@yujia2667]

tis IS the BEST adVICE i HAVE reCEIVED!

[@arshalanbeg6252]

what a beautiful explanation!

[@arjunverma963]

4:24 trochaic hexameter is wrong as they put the unaccented syllable first and then the accented syllable , what is would be is an iambic hexameter

[@annamonza9376]

Beautiful !

[@sayedhossain4525]

This video mafe me appreciate Shakespeare so much!

[@koukilambino3762]

This video helped me a lot. -Kouki Lambino

[@DebdottaKundu-r3o]

Wow !! What a beautiful explanation 👌... Loved this video ... lacking adjectives to describe my satisfaction 😌 ❤...

[@Suranjan_Malik]

Greatly explained. Thank you

[@nezzy4645]

My teacher tried to explain this but I understand it more from watching this lol

[@elidesportelli325]

5:04 a beatiful rhytm

[@gizemg2158]

Wow this is so powerful. completely articulates why I like poetry so much in a way I haven't been able to express before

[@vibinabalan239]

It's really helpful. Thank you so much.

[@RaysDad]

"Who would do that must first be wise and good." -JM

[@eddesa5134]

The animators at 4:24 got the Trochaic Haxameter illustration WRONG. If the pirates foot represents a stressed syllable and a slur is silent then the Trochaic would start with a foot followed by a slur, and repeats this pattern 6 times. Other than that minor error it was beautifully illustrated and thanks for an interesting, clear wonderful explanation of these useful poetry concepts.

[@rezvanmanbari2343]

Such a beautiful reason for choosing iambic pentameter

[@janineparis1478]

this is very amazing! - Janine Paris

[@biffrapper]

Thanks! One minor nitpick... the pirate would say "I BE a pirate with a wooden leg." They don't say am. ;)

[@lauraminer9542]

biffrapper Or..perhaps....A pirate with a wooden leg be I?

[@crissaalcuirez5624]

Thank You -Crissa O. Alcuirez

[@josephsdelarmente5080]

Thanks for this Delarmente joseph

[@OttoNomicus]

It would sound more natural if it went; unstressed-stressed 4 times and then the last foot went stressed-unstressed. You naturally expect the last syllable of a sentence to drop. If the last syllable is stressed it sounds more like a question than a statement.

[@litedaya7657]

but isn't that when a poet is supposed to rhyme.