English Literature GCSE
Iambic Pentameter
What Iambic Pentameter means in English Literature GCSE, as defined for Eduqas, OCR, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Iambic Pentameter
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
A line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable.
A line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable. Much of the poem is in iambic pentameter, giving it a regular, heartbeat-like rhythm.
A metrical pattern of five iambic feet per line, where each foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (da-DUM). This creates a ten-syllable line with a regular, heartbeat-like rhythm.
A line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM).
A poetic metre with 10 syllables per line, alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.
A poetic meter with 10 syllables per line, alternating unstressed and stressed beats.
Topics that use Iambic Pentameter
- Dulce et Decorum Est (Eduqas GCSE)
- Romeo and Juliet (Eduqas GCSE)
- Section A (20%) Shakespeare (Eduqas GCSE)
- Sonnet 43 (Eduqas GCSE)
- To Autumn (Eduqas GCSE)
- Death Be Not Proud (OCR GCSE)
- Exploring poetry and Shakespeare (02) (OCR GCSE)
- Poetry across time (OCR GCSE)
- Romeo and Juliet (OCR GCSE)
- Sonnet 18 (OCR GCSE)
- Macbeth (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Twelfth Night (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
Using Iambic Pentameter in the exam
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