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A Iambic Pentameter couplet
| Critical Analysis #2 |
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A Iambic Pentameter couplet |
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senecan New Member
since 2006-05-07
Posts 3 |
Hi folks, Im new here on these boards and Im taking Introduction to Literature in college. My professor is giving a final exam next week, and he is asking us to write our own rhyming couplet in Iambic Pentameter. I understand that Pentamer has five feet and Iambic is unaccented followed by accented. The problem I am having is I can't seem to put two lines together to form this. Could someone please guide me in the write direction...thanks. ~Keith |
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Les Gartner Junior Member
since 2006-04-10
Posts 37MD |
Here are a few lines in iambic pentameter from the Master of Iambic Pentameter: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely, more temperate, Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May And Summer's lease hath all too short a stay..." |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
Those lines are iambic pentameter but a quatrain, not a couplet. The couplet is 2 lines. Try the couplet from the same sonnet for a better example. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Of course this is out of context and seems to leave something missing. Well, you couldn't use it anyway as your professor would certainly recognize it. It is a good example though. |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
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Les Gartner Junior Member
since 2006-04-10
Posts 37MD |
Yes these are out of context, but at least they demonstrate beautiful examples of iambic pentameter. Sort of good Will hunting. Les |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Actually, Les, that's not a great example of iambic pentameter. Thou art more lovely, more temperate This line has only nine syllables, unless one wants to try to stretch lovely into three syllables. One of the things one must take into consideration is how a line will be read to validate its iambic status. In this line, for example, one would read it as... thou art MORE LOVE-ly, MORE TEMP-er-ate ...or, if I grant you the claim that it is intended to be thou ART more LOVE-ly then you are still stuck with MORE TEMP , unless you try to claim it is MORE tem-PER-ate which would be off the wall. Not good iambic at all, with respect to the Master. |
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senecan New Member
since 2006-05-07
Posts 3 |
yes, I see where you guys are going with this. Maybe if I have a example of a couplet in modern literature... |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
Of course, Mr. Balladeer is right. The quote, as given, is not properly iambic. I recognized the lines right off and didn't really read the above submission. In fact, the original was instead, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate" which is actually perfect iambic pentameter. Every source I have found shows it this way, with the and instead of the comma. |
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Les Gartner Junior Member
since 2006-04-10
Posts 37MD |
Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I relied on my memory rather than looking up the quote and that silly little coordinating conjunction made its grand escape. Thank you for keeping me honest "and" I will try to restrain from committing errors in the future. Ah, if it were just that easy. Les |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Thanks, Pete. That little word makes all the difference in the world Les, if you ever find a way not to err please let us know....we ALL need that info!  |
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Les Gartner Junior Member
since 2006-04-10
Posts 37MD |
Balladeer: It would be divine not to err. |
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Sasasha New Member
since 2006-06-02
Posts 5Sheffield, England |
I don't know about modern literature, but stuff off the top of my head: In every window there's a midnight light The shadows flit and fly and hide from sight... Not the best poetry, but each line has five iambic feet (two-syllable pairs with the second unit stressed) and it's a rhyming couplet. If that helps. |
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cynicsRus Senior Member
since 2003-06-06
Posts 591So Cal So Cool! |
Considering the thousands of references within thousands of virtual libraries these days, each literally at our fingertips, it’s amazing: Just how many otherwise, well meaning people will go out of their way to do someone’s homework for him, simply because he’s a bit too lazy to research a few of those libraries on his own. Besides, this thread should have been started on a discussion forum. If you must carp: Carpe diem! ICSoria My poetry forum. [This message has been edited by cynicsRus (06-04-2006 04:08 PM).] |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
I thought I would bump this up, since Critical Analysis has now been deemed a workshop, and the topic applies to recent discussions here. I found it helpful, since I was just discussing with a friend how to write to ensure that proper meter can't be read out of one's poem. Nodding at Balladeer, about the stretching of words that sometimes do just that--variances of pronounciation can do just that. |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
You mean like any good southerner can make damn come out as 3 syllables?  |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
hmmm... I must be a bad southerner. I could only count two syllables.  and there's anuthah undignified smilie *laughing* |
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