Dactylic pentameter
Encyclopedia
Dactylic pentameter is a form of meter
in poetry. It is normally found in the second line of the classical Latin or Greek elegiac
couplet, following the first line of dactylic hexameter
.
The meter consists of two halves, both shaped around the dactylic hexameter line up to the main caesura
. That is, it has two dactyls
(for which spondee
s can be substituted), following by a longum, followed by two dactyls (which must remain dactyls), followed by a longum. Thus the line most normally looks as follows (note that - is a long syllable, u a short syllable and U either one long or two shorts):
As in all classical verse forms, the phenomenon of brevis in longo
is observed, so the last syllable can actually be short or long. Also, the line manifests a diaeresis, a place where word-boundary must occur, after the first half-line, here marked with a ||.
"Pentameter" is a slightly strange term for this meter, as it seems to have six parts, but this name comes from the fact that the two halves of the line, broken here by the ||, each have two and a half feet. Two and a half plus two and a half equals five, hence pentameter (penta, "five"). The two half-lines are each called a hemiepes (half-epic), from the fact that they resemble half a line of epic dactylic hexameter.
The pentameter is notable for its very structured quality: no substitutions are allowed except in the first two feet.
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
in poetry. It is normally found in the second line of the classical Latin or Greek elegiac
Elegiac
Elegiac refers either to those compositions that are like elegies or to a specific poetic meter used in Classical elegies. The Classical elegiac meter has two lines, making it a couplet: a line of dactylic hexameter, followed by a line of dactylic pentameter...
couplet, following the first line of dactylic hexameter
Dactylic hexameter
Dactylic hexameter is a form of meter in poetry or a rhythmic scheme. It is traditionally associated with the quantitative meter of classical epic poetry in both Greek and Latin, and was consequently considered to be the Grand Style of classical poetry...
.
The meter consists of two halves, both shaped around the dactylic hexameter line up to the main caesura
Caesura
thumb|100px|An example of a caesura in modern western music notation.In meter, a caesura is a complete pause in a line of poetry or in a musical composition. The plural form of caesura is caesuras or caesurae...
. That is, it has two dactyls
Dactyl (poetry)
A dactyl is a foot in meter in poetry. In quantitative verse, such as Greek or Latin, a dactyl is a long syllable followed by two short syllables, as determined by syllable weight...
(for which spondee
Spondee
In poetry, a spondee is a metrical foot consisting of two long syllables, as determined by syllable weight in classical meters, or two stressed syllables, as determined by stress in modern meters...
s can be substituted), following by a longum, followed by two dactyls (which must remain dactyls), followed by a longum. Thus the line most normally looks as follows (note that - is a long syllable, u a short syllable and U either one long or two shorts):
- - U | - U | - || - u u | - u u | -
As in all classical verse forms, the phenomenon of brevis in longo
Brevis in longo
In Greek and Latin meter, a short syllable at the end of a line can be counted as long; this phenomenon is known as brevis in longo.The term comes from Latin, and means "a short [syllable] in place of a long [syllable]." Brevis in longo is possible in any classical meter that requires a long...
is observed, so the last syllable can actually be short or long. Also, the line manifests a diaeresis, a place where word-boundary must occur, after the first half-line, here marked with a ||.
"Pentameter" is a slightly strange term for this meter, as it seems to have six parts, but this name comes from the fact that the two halves of the line, broken here by the ||, each have two and a half feet. Two and a half plus two and a half equals five, hence pentameter (penta, "five"). The two half-lines are each called a hemiepes (half-epic), from the fact that they resemble half a line of epic dactylic hexameter.
The pentameter is notable for its very structured quality: no substitutions are allowed except in the first two feet.
External links
- Meter and Scansion with several Latin verse forms.