Meter

The measured pattern of rhythmic accents in poems.

Learning Outcomes:• To have an understanding of how to identify

metrical patterns.• To be able to evaluate the effect of verse

form and meter.

FootA metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Anapest (anapestic)Two unaccented syllables followed by an accented one, as in:duh-duh-DUH, as in but of COURSE! com-pre-HEND or in-ter-VENE Dactyl (Dactylic)A stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones, as in: DUH-duh-duh, as in HONestly, FLUT-ter-ing or BLUE-ber-ry.

Iamb (Iambic)An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, as in:duh-DUH, as in collAPSE or to-DAY.

Trochee (trochaic)An accented syllable followed by an unaccented one, as in:DUH-duh, as in PIZza or FOOT-ball.

Some Important terms

1 foot: monometer2 feet: dimeter3 feet: trimeter4 feet: tetrameter5 feet: pentameter6 feet: hexameter

Joining the Two….

Iamb + 5 feet (pentameter) = iambic pentameter

Which means…5 unstressed syllables, each followed by a stressed

syllable.E.g. in Christopher Marlowe's line from Dr. Faustus:

“Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?”

And again…..

Dactyl + 2 feet (Dimeter) = Dactylic DimeterWhich means

Two lots of stressed syllables, each followed by two unstressed syllables.

E.g.“Battering hurricanes”

Get Poetic!

Write me a poem about WAR.

• The first stanza should use trochaic trimeter.• The second verse should use anapestic

hexameter.• The third verse should use iambic tetrameter.

Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,

It's with O'Leary in the grave.

1. What poem are these lines from?

2. Describe the meter.

ANSWER: Iambic tetrameter

How could you build this into an evaluative comment?

The use of iambic tetrameter in these repeated lines gives

the verse a lyrical and prayer-like quality,

reinforcing the plaintive nature of the words.

Remember….

1. Identifying the meter and rhyme scheme of a poem is pointless if you do not evaluate its effect.

2. Don’t sweat blood trying to work out the metrical pattern of every poem. Instead, get a feel for the rhythm and its regularity or irregularity and consider how this reflects the tone or ideas of the poem.