An Actor's Guide to Metrical Analysis for Performing Shakespeare - Prose and Blank Verse - Core Concepts

Oct 28, 2026

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An Actor's Guide to Metrical Analysis for Performing Shakespeare explains how to read Shakespeare’s rhythm for performance, contrasting prose (spoken without poetic rhythm and without line breaks) with blank verse (structured by meter and feet). It defines stressed versus unstressed syllables, introduces key foot types and stress patterns (iamb, trochee, spondee, pyrrhic, anapest, dactyl), then outlines meter as the count of feet per line. The guide also covers common irregularities, including anapests within iambic patterns, hypercatalexis, and elision.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Prose and Blank Verse

Prose

Blank Verse

Stressed and Unstressed

Feet and Foot Types

Meter (Feet per Line)

Examples of Metrical Patterns

Irregularities in Rhythm

Hypercatalexis

Elision

An Actor's Guide to Metrical Analysis for Performing Shakespeare Prose and Blank Verse Shakespeare writes in two modes: prose and blank verse. Prose is primarily the domain of comedic characters like the Gravedigger in Hamlet and has no poetic rhythm guiding it. There are no line breaks in prose. Prose is not to be discussed further in this document. Blank verse, on the other hand, does have poetic rhythm. Each line is classified by meter and feet."Blank" refers to the fact that the lines do not follow a rhyme scheme. Stressed and Unstressed To understand how poetic rhythm works, one must first understand the concept of "stressed" and"unstressed" syllables. The way to discern which syllables are stressed and which are not is done by paying attention to where the emphasis falls in a given word or phrase. Where you feel emphasis when speaking a word or phrase aloud, the syllable is stressed. Where you don't, it's unstressed. When analyzing poetic meter, it is common to notate above the text with the following: - A dash (-) for unstressed syllables. - A slash (/) for stressed syllables. Example - / - / - / - / - / - To be or not to be, that is the question Feet Every line is composed of "feet". Feet are made up of two or three syllables and contain a particular arrangement stressed and unstressed syllables. Types of Feet | Foot Type | Stress Pattern | Syllable Count | | --- | --- | --- | | Iamb/Iambic | Unstressed (-) + Stressed (/) | Two | | Trochee/Trochaic | Stressed (/) + Unstressed (-) | Two | | Spondee/Spondaic | Stressed (/) + Stressed (/) | Two | | Pyrrhic/Pyrrhic | Unstressed (-) + Unstressed (-) | Two | | Anapest/Anapestic | Unstressed (-) + Unstressed (-) + Stressed (/) | Three | | Dactyl/Dactylic | Stressed (/) + Stressed (/) + Unstressed (-) | Three | The noun and adjective versions of feet names have been included in the "Foot type" section of the above table. A single foot of iambic pentameter would be an "iamb", for instance, while two or more would be "iambs". Meter "Meter" refers to how many feet there are per line. - Monometer = One foot per line - Dimeter = Two feet per line - Trimeter = Three feet per line - Tetrameter = Three feet per line - Pentameter = Five feet per line - Hexameter = Six feet per line - Septameter = Seven feet per line - Octameter = Eight feet per line When referring to the poetic rhythm of a line or piece, you would refer to it by both its meter and its foot type. For instance: - Iambic pentameter = Five iambs (-/) per line - Dactylic tetrameter = Four dactyls (/--) per line - Trochaic octameter = Six trochees (/-) per line Examples Iambic Pentameter - / - / - / - / - / Shall I | compare | thee to | a sum|mer's day? Trochaic Tetrameter / - / - / - / - Double, | double | toil and | trouble Anapestic Tetrameter - - / - - / - - / - - /'Twas the night | before Christ |mas, when all | through the house Irregularities Often, a line will not fit perfectly into "iambic pentameter". An otherwise iambic line may have an anapest thrown in, for instance. This is why it is important to pay attention to the natural emphasis of words and not to contort one's speech to conform to what iambic pentameter "should" sound like. Metrical rules are often broken. Seeking out these irregularities can glean insight into acharacter's state of mind. For instance, one way of analyzing Juliet's famous line: - / - - / - - / - / - / - / O Ro |meo, Ro |meo, where | fore art | thou Ro |meo? In the analysis above, the two anapests towards the beginning combined with the extra foot reveals Juliet's urgency and anxiety in an otherwise lovestruck line. You could analyze it another way by choosing to stress the last syllable of all the Romeos. How would this change affect the character? Hypercataletic Occasionally, there will be a stray extra syllable at the end of the line. This would make the line"hypercataletic". Elision Sometim

FAQs

What is the difference between prose and blank verse in Shakespeare?

Prose has no poetic rhythm guiding it and is not discussed further here. Blank verse has poetic rhythm and each line is classified by meter and feet.

How do you determine stressed and unstressed syllables?

Stressed syllables are where emphasis falls when speaking a word or phrase aloud; unstressed syllables are where emphasis does not fall.

What does meter mean, and how is it related to feet?

Meter refers to how many feet there are per line. Each foot consists of a specific arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables, typically two or three syllables.

What kinds of irregularities can affect iambic pentameter?

Lines may include extra patterns like anapests, contain a stray extra syllable at the end (hypercatalexis), or use elision such as “ne’er” for “never” or omitted pronunciation like “recover'd” for “recovered”.

Oct 28, 2026

Upload by McQueen