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AnotherWeirdLemur t1_jbdmn09 wrote

The trick for this is simple once you see / it’s all about conforming to the flow / of normal English speech, which has a pulse / of stressed and unstressed syllables which can, / by careful choice of words and phrases be / contained within this metric scheme for long / and drawn out passages that ebb and flow, / with sentences that never seem to end.

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AnotherWeirdLemur t1_jbdnb1i wrote

In all seriousness though, the “de-dum, de-dum, de-dum, de-dum” is supposed to act like the background pulse while the more dramatic emphases and variations cause the musical flow that makes writers like Milton and Shakespeare masters of iambic pentameter. The best way to improve your appreciation is to read them aloud or to find a high quality audiobook to listen to while you’re reading. Older texts can take a little more effort to get into but are really rewarding as well, so best of luck in your reading and enjoy!

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EarthFreq t1_jbe8cvt wrote

Iambic pentameter is not originally English.

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