Meter & Rhythm
Iambic Pentameter
Introduced into English by Surrey (c.1540) from Italian endecasillabo. The metre of Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Browning, and Frost.
Definition
A line of five iambic feet — the fundamental metre of the English sonnet, dramatic verse, and blank verse epic.
Example
Shakespeare: 'But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?' — five iambic feet.