1. Sounds BIG and SCARY, BUT what DOES it MEAN?
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Sounds BIG and SCARY, BUT what DOES it MEAN?

2. PENTAgon = Numerical Prefixes UNIcycle = BIcycle = TRIangle =
QUADrilateral =
PENTAgon =
HEXAgon =

3. Iambic Pentameter IAMB = metrical FOOT with one unstressed
syllable and a 2nd STRESSED syllable.
PENTA = FIVE!

4. 1 2 3
Ta-TUM
Five Feet! 4 5

5. Shall I
com PARE
thee TO
a SUM-
mer’s DAY?

6. How sweet
the moon
light sleeps
upon
this bank!

7. WHY did Shakespeare use iambic pentameter?
To show emotion or importance
Shakespeare was meant to be heard! It made it easier for the audience to follow the lines.
It helped the actors to memorize their lines.
It made sure that the actors emphasized the words Shakespeare wanted to emphasize.

8. Watch where your stressed syllables fall…
As YOU can SEE it’s NOT that HARD to LEARN.
You CAN see it’s not THAT hard TO learn THIS.
Which sounds better??
But I am GIV ing YOU a BET ter CAR.
I AM giv ING you A bet TER car TOO.

9. Living iambic pentameter
DO!
Living iambic pentameter

10. In sooth I know not why I am so sad.

11. It wearies me, you say it wearies you

12. And such a want-wit sadness makes of me

13. That I have much ado to know myself.

14. Five (PENTA) feet (IAMBS) = IAMBIC PENTAMETER!
As YOU can SEE it’s NOT that HARD to LEARN.
You CAN see it’s not THAT hard TO learn THIS.
You CAN write JUST like SHAKE speare DID back THEN.
Did YOU know THAT I’m WRITing LIKE that NOW?
And IT gets EA si ER the MORE you TRY.
I AMB ic PEN ta ME ter’s NOT that BAD!

15. Homework
Write 5 lines in iambic pentameter about yourself – ON YOUR INDEX CARD!
Write your name on your card to be collected, but DO NOT include your name IN the poem so we can guess who wrote it. 