What is Iambic Pentameter? | Text Detectives | Royal Shakespeare Company

RSC Voice Practitioner Nia Lynn defines what we mean by Iambic Pentameter and explores, together with RSC Actors, what it can reveal about characters and their emotions. . This film uses an extract from Juliet's speech in Act 3 Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet.

[@naya-cole_official]

My English teacher made me watch this in online school

[@haydenhudson2342]

me too

[@maerynjacobs3066]

Same

[@wizardhealer1]

Same

[@holemogaming8677]

same here

[@local_disk]

Who else was forced to watch this by their theater teacher

[@IKILLEDXIX]

me

[@ItzRooster]

Lmao

[@ffshorizon6180]

Im getting forced by my english teacher smh

[@kiwi468]

Yeah. Crying rn

[@Brinda230]

Forced?

[@juliedoolittle2269]

Iambic Pentameter and the Bard's use of language is why so few actors and actresses can actually manage to do Shakespearean acting any justice at all. I started watching these films to prepare my A Midsummer Night's Dream interactive reading journal for my middle school ESL students and now I watch because it fascinates me. I've always known that only a select few actors can manage Shakespeare with any form of skill, however, this shows the nuances and intensity that is needed for the actual role one plays. Bravo to the coaches and the actors and actresses in these videos. Bravo, indeed! Very well done!

[@NostalgiNorden]

What a dork.

[@ShelbyLovesShakespeare]

Beautiful video! What a TREAT to see actors galloping together within this breathtaking language. Fiery-footed is right! 🔥😌💖 Bravo!

[@fulachs]

Sounds like you summon a demon.

[@LeBank]

LMAO

[@gillian1639]

My mom made me watch this for school

[@ic0nicglobe297]

😂

[@louisvarney2192]

my friend here justin he’s cracked at fortnite my guy

[@End-Result]

I never understood metre when studying sixth form lit - it always seemed like an overly contrived extravagance, and maybe it is - but this demonstration helped me reassess somewhat.

[@professoraviva4628]

The scansion on the line from Romeo & Juliet is off. "Gallop" is a trochee, not an iamb. And the line starts with a strong stress. Yes, the line overall is predominantly iambic. But it's not the best representation of a line of perfect iambic pentameter. Unless it can be demonstrated that "gallop" might have been pronounced with the strong stress on "op" in the early modern period...(but I don't think that's the case).

[@canarddefer3574]

Yes, "gallop" is a trochee! And I've never heard any rendition of Elizabethan/Jacobean English that pronounces it with an emphasis anywhere but on the "ga", unless you frame it as a deliberate choice by the actor (which could also be made today).

[@bneeweenee]

She even says it that way later in the video. GALLop.

[@MauricioKnop]

Amazing

[@bellringer929]

Despite hearing so many explanations of imabic pentameter i find it difficult to spot it when actors are speaking their lines in movies or stage.

[@garrettcolon20]

Presumably because the actors do all this work and all you see is actually speaking, not designed to be seen or heard, very subtle in that way

[@bellringer929]

@@garrettcolon20 yeah makes sense

[@Besseloff]

The aural division between verse and prose was much more pronounced and obvious in performance in the original context. If actors used a similar style today, people would think it silly.

[@jessieelldee2947]

It’s subtle but listen to Lear “Blow WINDS and CRACK your CHEEKS, rage, BLOW, you CATarACTS and HURriCANEos! SPOUT…” It’s there, subtly, when done right. Assuming I even got the rhythm right🥴

[@bellringer929]

@@jessieelldee2947 haha i guess you did it fine

[@stevecallum7933]

iambic is the usual and natural rythem in which the english language is spoken.

[@ffshorizon6180]

hmm yes I understand this very well

[@philsooty5421]

Can't understand why people get so worked up about him! Though I did like Upstart Crow!

[@morethanwords]

The girl with her hair in a bun looks as though she's wondering if her agent had made a mistake in getting her to audition for this.

[@retribution999]

I still don't get it because you never hear the words being spoken like this in a play so what does it matter. Waiting for the penny to drop!

[@georgepierson4920]

Perhaps they are speaking it that way and those watching the play do not register it.

[@BenRossHorwitz]

When it’s spoken naturally for an audience it falls out in the right way if you’ve done the work on the Iambic

[@eunhyangkiko9821]

di dum di dum di dum di dum di dum

[@mygraine]

Who else is here because of Tupac?

[@mysticmouse7261]

Iamb is the natural metre of the English language

[@matanwiesner3640]

3:41
Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow'd night,
Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.

[@eggicus8506]

My entire grade depends on this video please answer these
1. Iambic pentameter is similar to what human function?
2. How many feet or in one line of iambic pentameter?
3. How can the verse help the actor understand the text?

[@petronellawhy]

Ik the 1st one is heartbeat lmao

[@hannahfenwick1920]

1 - heart 2 - 5

[@wizardhealer1]

2. Is 5 and 3 is the rythme gives structure to the language

[@TomorrowisYesterday]

Can you imagine Shakespeare living today and seeing people still doing this stuff with his work? “Why f*** has not thou come up with anything new?!?!?!?!?!?”

[@parkour_brown]

i didn’t know i was signing up to watch a cult-

[@perryrobles4750]

LOL.

[@bellalindsay5000]

What a sad little life

[@makka_pakka2373]

I am

[@gothxm]

Lmfao why are they all barefoot except the dude? I thought he had on some air force ones.

[@Tazmondo]

cringe

[@towoster886]

extra cringe

[@Tazmondo]

@@squeezy8414 super duper extra very cringe requiem

[@deadpoolblob1966]

@@squeezy8414 kioken X 100 cringe

[@gillian1639]

DeadPool Blob ♾ cringe x8,000

[@funkyfacts4175]

cringe +after 4 years.

[@angleomathias2421]

im forced to watch this and its boring a they are talking to much

[@Ben-ph3gb]

get better music at the beginning because it is awful to listen to.

[@angleomathias2421]

this is boring