Home › Glossary › Letter J

Jacobean verse

Movement
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

Poetry written during the reign of James I of England (1603-1625)

Detailed Definition
Jacobean verse refers to poetry written during the reign of James I of England (1603–1625), marked by darker themes, metaphysical complexity, and stylistic transition from Elizabethan idealism to Baroque introspection; characterized by poets like John Donne, George Herbert, and Ben Jonson, it blends intellectual conceits, religious doubt, and courtly satire, using intricate syntax and paradox to explore power, mortality, and divine mystery.
Example
Example in poetry:
Jacobean verse: John Donne’s metaphysical conceits: “Busy old fool, unruly sun”; Ben Jonson’s satires on court corruption; “The Duchess of Malfi” blends lyric and tragedy; Jacobean revenge tragedy in poetic monologues; Contemporary verse mimicking Jacobean density and darkness; Eco-poetry using Jacobean gloom for climate dread
Additional Notes
Poetry characteristic of Jacobean period—metaphysical complexity, classical learning, dramatic intensity. Donne's influence strong. More intellectually challenging than Elizabethan. Compare with Metaphysical poetry.
Also Known As
Seventeenth-century verse Stuart-era poetry Jacobean meter Early baroque verse Pre-Caroline
Skip to main content