Arts & Culture
How Meter and Rhythm Structure a Poem
Quick fact
The most famous meter in English poetry, iambic pentameter, mimics the natural rhythm of English speech—it's why Shakespeare's lines sound so fluid and memorable.
Why this is interesting
You can feel the beat of a poem before you fully understand its words. Why does a line like 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' naturally rise and fall like a song?