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Mixed five-foot verse

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

Verse composed of five-foot lines that mix different metrical feet (e.g., iambs, trochees, anapests) within a single line or stanza.

Detailed Definition
Pentameter lines incorporating varied metrical feet rather than uniform foot type, creating rhythmic sophistication within the familiar five-foot framework. Shakespeare's later plays demonstrate increasing use of such variations, with strategic substitutions creating emphasis or natural speech rhythms. The mixing of iambs with trochees, spondees, or other feet maintains pentameter length while varying rhythm for artistic effect and vocal naturalism.
Example
Example in poetry:
Longfellow’s “Evangeline” uses mixed five-foot verse (hexameter adapted to English); Anne Carson’s “Autobiography of Red” blends iambic and dactylic pentameter; Derek Walcott’s “Omeros” uses mixed five-foot verse with Creole inflection; Tennyson’s “Enoch Arden” mixes iambic and anapestic pentameter; A.E. Stallings uses mixed five-foot verse in “The Heroic Crown of Sonnets”; Alice Oswald’s “Memorial” adapts Homeric hexameter into English five-foot lines.
Additional Notes
Provides rhythmic variety while maintaining pentameter's familiar length. Shakespeare's later plays demonstrate increasing complexity. Effective substitution requires understanding of basic metrical principles.
Also Known As
Varied pentameter Mixed five-foot Heterometric pentameter Epitritic pentameter mixed pentameter
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