Definition

Noun: * Unrhymed verse (usually in iambic pentameter): A type of poetry that has a regular meter, most commonly iambic pentameter (five iambs per line, where an iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one), but does not use a rhyme scheme.

Usage

• Blank verse is a formal and flexible poetic structure, often used for dramatic and narrative poetry because its lack of rhyme can sound more like natural speech.
• It is frequently employed in English literature for plays and long poems.

Examples

• Much of William Shakespeare's plays, like and , are written in blank verse.
• John Milton's epic poem is composed in blank verse.
• The poet chose blank verse for the monologue to give it a dignified yet conversational tone.

Advanced Usage

• "To write in blank verse": To compose poetry using this specific metrical but unrhymed form.
  • The playwright decided to write the entire soliloquy in blank verse.

Variants and Related Words

• Free verse (n): Poetry that does not use a consistent meter or rhyme scheme. (This is distinct from blank verse, which has a regular meter).
• Iambic pentameter (n): The specific metrical pattern of a line with five iambs, which is the most common meter for blank verse in English.

Synonyms

• Unrhymed iambic pentameter
• Unrhymed verse

Related Phrases

• "A line of blank verse": A single metrical line from a blank verse poem.
  • She analyzed the iambic pattern in a line of blank verse.

Noun

1. unrhymed verse (usually in iambic pentameter)