hi

"In Julius Caesar, the noble Romans mostly speak in unrhymed "iambic pentameter," also called "blank verse." Don't let the fancy names intimidate you – it's pretty simple once you get the hang of it.

Let's start with a definition of iambic pentameter. An "iamb" is an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one (sounds like da DUM). "Penta" means "five," and "meter" refers to a regular rhythmic pattern. So "iambic pentameter" is a kind of rhythmic pattern that consist of five iambs per line. It's the most common rhythm in English poetry and sounds like five heartbeats:

da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM.

Let's try it out on this line:

to CUT the HEAD off AND then HACK the LIMBS

Every second syllable is accented (stressed), so this is classic iambic pentameter. Since the lines have no regular rhyme scheme, we call it unrhymed iambic pentameter, or blank verse.

Not everyone in the play speaks in verse. "Everyday Joes," as we've said, don't talk in a special rhythm – they just talk. Check out the Cobbler's smart-aleck response when a nobleman asks him about his profession:

[...] but withal I am indeed, sir, a surgeon to old

shoes; when they are in great danger, I recover them. (1.1.5)"

Thank y jill