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It's iambic pentameter because it is ten syllables long and alternates weak and strong stresses, starting with a weak one. Actually, the first line of the Prologue reads better if the first two syllables are strongly stressed, making a spondee instead of an iamb. Thus: "TWO HOUSE-holds BOTH a-LIKE in DIG-ni-TY". It is not a perfectly regular line of iambic pentameter but the second line is. Thus: "in FAIR ver-O-na WHERE we LAY our SCENE." Shakespeare wrote using this rhythm, first, because all the playwrights were doing it. It was absolutely mandatory for a Sonnet, which the Prologue is. And secondly, they had good reason for doing it: it is a rhythm which approximates the natural rhythms of the English language, but makes whatever you are saying more stately, grave, important and powerful. Therefore Shakespeare and his contemporaries used it whenever a character has something significant to say.

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This verse is an example of iambic pentameter because it consists of five iambs, which are metrical feet with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Each line in this prologue has ten syllables, alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables, creating the rhythm of iambic pentameter.

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Q: Why is this verse an example of iambic pentameter Two households both alike in dignity William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet Prologue?
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Related questions

What is shakespeare favorite meter?

The gas meter. No, actually, his verse writing is mostly in iambic pentameter.


That type of poetic meter commonly associated with William Shakespeare is?

Iambic pentameter is the type of poetic meter that is commonly associated with William Shakespeare.


A type of poetic meter commonly associated with William Shakespeare is?

iambic pentameter


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William Shakespeare is a popular poet, who wrote plays and poetry. Shakespeare's works were often written in an iambic pentameter.


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All of Shakespeare's sonnets, including Sonnet 18, are written in iambic pentameter.


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Those are the first lines of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare


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For instance, he wrote around 40 plays. He wrote sonnets in iambic pentameter.


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Poetic, dense, usually in rhythm (often iambic pentameter), using a very large vocabulary.


What is a sonnet and how many did William Shakespeare write?

A sonnet is a 14-line poem usually written in iambic pentameter. Typical rhyme schemes are abbaabbaccdccd (Petrarchian) or ababcdcdefefgg (Shakespearean). Shakespeare is credited with 154 of them.


What is the base meter of all the worlds a stage by William shakespeare?

The base meter of Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" monologue is iambic pentameter. This means each line consists of five pairs of syllables, with the stress falling on every second syllable. This meter helps create a rhythm and natural flow to the speech.


What is an example of iambic parameter?

An example of iambic pentameter is the line "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. This line consists of five iambs (unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable), making it iambic pentameter.