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Full five-epitrite line

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A metrical line composed of five complete epitrite feet (– ◡ ◡ ◡), maintaining full length without truncation or omission of syllables.

Detailed Definition
A complete classical pentameter line containing five epitrites without catalexis or truncation, representing full realization of this complex metrical pattern. Combining technical precision with substantial line length, this construction demonstrates the sophisticated metrical systems of classical prosody. The "full" designation indicates all metrical positions are filled, contrasting with shortened or cataleptic variations of the same basic pattern.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Greek tragedy, the five-epitrite line (four epitrites + one iamb) appears in choral odes; In Ben Jonson’s “Ode to Himself,” epitrite rhythms support classical revival; A.E. Housman adapts epitrite meter in “More Poems” for stoic elegy; Contemporary poet James Merrill uses epitrite lines in “The Book of Ephraim” for mystical dialogue; W.H. Auden’s “In Memory of W.B. Yeats” echoes epitrite rhythms in its second section; In Derek Mahon’s “A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford,” epitrite undertones frame forgotten lives.
Additional Notes
Highly specific classical metrical construction. Combines technical precision with substantial line length. More relevant for classical prosody than contemporary English verse.
Also Known As
Complete epitrite pentameter Full five-epitrite Unreduced classical line Epitritic pentameter acatalectic
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