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

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/why-shakesp...
Shakespeare sometimes gets a bad rap in high schools for his complex plots and antiquated language. But a quick peek into the rhythm of his words reveals a poet deeply rooted in the way people spoke in his time - and still speak today. Why do Shakespeare’s words have such staying power? David T. Freeman and Gregory Taylor uncover the power of iambic pentameter.
Lesson by David T. Freeman and Gregory Taylor, animation by Brad Purnell.

[@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...

[@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.

[@turbolightniing8878]

Me getting an assignment to research shakespear and his style

[@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.

[@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

[@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!

[@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

[@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.

[@gjugany]

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.

[@andrewkirkland8888]

I read this with iambic pentameter

[@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!

[@datfancygaming4971]

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

[@quekrt5381]

lol

[@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.

[@gayliedelgado9039]

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

[@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.

[@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!!!

[@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!

[@pstrowlministries6109]

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

[@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.

[@ggbliss8121]

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

[@12345saoma]

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

[@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 .

[@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

[@nathanfernandes7085]

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

[@MichaelSHartman]

Thank you for the explanation.

[@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.

[@kaje01]

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

[@AD-tc9tn]

Awesome video, it explained a lot!

[@arshalanbeg6252]

what a beautiful explanation!

[@Gustolfo]

Maravilloso. Gracias por subirlo.

[@joachimluchterhand311]

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

[@denisoshea1089]

I can` t tell how useful this lesson was.

[@practicalpen1990]

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

[@loszhor]

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

[@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

[@charlychips]

Excellent explanation. Thank you very much.

[@megan7108]

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

[@shizyninjarocks]

Perfect explanation!

[@halihorror]

The pirate illustration was so good! Thanks a bunch!

[@aliahicks7402]

Cool video,explained a lot, thanks!!

[@advikasadasivan3274]

Wow! This is so intuitively explained.

[@AnnaClaraGB]

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

[@koleta666]

Beautiful!!

[@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

[@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! :)

[@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.

[@peterkovic2241]

Awesome video and super helpful. Thanks!

[@pratibhapunnuri4172]

Superb explanation

[@Sarahjayne08]

Brilliant. Thank you!

[@aokay720]

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

[@dirmfe2]

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

[@Suranjan_Malik]

Greatly explained. Thank you

[@annamonza9376]

Beautiful !

[@amanwearingsuspenders7390]

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

[@Zernebogus]

Brilliant video. Thank you.

[@TypicalUnderscore]

thank you so much ted-ed

[@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.

[@vibinabalan239]

It's really helpful. Thank you so much.

[@eleaalyxsonmasibay3138]

Poetric is really the rhythm of the heart❤️ Thank you for this! - Elea Alyx Masibay

[@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

[@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?

[@seanfranks2628]

excellent explanation!

[@englishrose4388]

This was excellent.

[@angelopusta205]

Thank you very much for your videos - Angelo Rey Pusta

[@soupmaknae1006]

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

[@jaytettehquarshie1522]

This is the most subtle TedEd i have seen this year

[@sum1414]

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

[@tamaraallaineparenas6402]

So easy to understand, love this video!! ❤️ Thank youuu so much for this. - Tamara Allaine M. Pareñas

[@lmvdam]

This was awesome!

[@yujia2667]

tis IS the BEST adVICE i HAVE reCEIVED!

[@o7pacifica]

This is awesome!

[@stevelerch27]

This is EXCELLENT!

[@jl7487]

Great video. Thanks a lot.

[@sharonaguillon4376]

I loved it! thank you!

[@Cameron-ue7lu]

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

[@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

[@zarahsantoshernandez9122]

Love you, TED Ed

[@alyonaborbot8853]

this is so good for lessons

[@fitsgeraldalmendral1152]

Thank you for educating us Fitsgerald Almendral

[@jahanvisharma274]

This is so informative!!

[@theredghostman9279]

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

[@KarunMalhotra]

thanks for the information

[@emilee9888]

thank you so much❕❕

[@bassbymichele]

beautiful

[@cem6676]

Amazing

[@adrianpelenio4575]

Thank you for uploading this, this helps me understand more about the topic :)) -Adrian Pelenio

[@mariarouces]

Very good explained 👌👌

[@sushmitadey9779]

That's so insightful n beautiful.

[@user-yl1lg3wp1g]

This video is soooo great

[@demos.darkenburg]

PLEASE ANOTHER VIDEO ABOUT SHAKESPEARE😭❤❤❤❤❤

[@someguy1653]

Excellent video👍

[@koukilambino3762]

This video helped me a lot. -Kouki Lambino

[@priyasoni4262]

Thanks a lot

[@dr.nowsnurse6353]

Great video!

[@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."

[@ivizeino]

Loved it!

[@kleintv5102]

Thank you for this video! Much appreciated! -Hazel P. Burdeos

[@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

[@medelinejayasaputra2852]

Arghhh thx TedEd I am a sucker for Sonnets 😊 especially iambic pentameter 💕👍🏻

[@najeesimmons6648]

Awesome!