Since there’s no metrical pattern in free verse one is free to put the emphasis (ictus) wherever one wishes (within reason), depending on ones subjective interpretation of the poem. This reading would be acceptable if this were a free verse poem. These days, I suspect most readers, without a knowledge of meter, would read the poem as follows: I’ll look at other poets and poems, because it’s fun to do, like sleuthing, but I wanted to start with Sonnet 116 because it’s so famous and so frequently misread. In the hands of a skilled poet (Shakespeare, Keats, Wilbur, Frost, Browning), the tension between language and meter is an art form. And to readers of metered poetry, knowing that there’s an underlying pattern informs the language and meaning of the poem. But to poet’s writing meter, it provides a tool, an extra layer of meaning, counterpoint and play. Meter is of no use to free verse poets or reader’s of free verse. In Shakespeare’s hands, the meter tells us about the writer, the speaker of the sonnet – something we might easily miss. :-)Ī masterfully written metrical poem has two stories to tell – two tales: one in its words the other in its meter. It’s interesting to me to see where readers are coming from and why they are reading these posts.
If you’re a student, just leave a comment with the name of your high school or college. April 23 2009: One Last Request! I love comments.To find all the posts I’ve written on Robert Frost, click here. Febru– If you enjoy Frost, you might like reading Birches along with a c o l o r c o d e d scansion of Birches included in my post on Frost’s Mending Wall.(Further links on other Sonnets are at the bottom of this post.) According to my Stats page, this has become one of my most popular posts and no one is commenting! Just say hello or thanks – I like hearing from readers.
I’ve also written a detailed guide to Haiku (if you’re interested). I just completed a guide to Shakespearean, Petrarchan and Spenserian Sonnets.
I have written other posts on Iambic Pentameter including guides to the scansion of Iambic Pentameter (with more examples from Shakespeare) and a look at Chaucer’s Iambic Pentameter. And let me know if this was helpful or if, especially, there’s a question you would like answered. Don’t forget to check out some of my poetry while you’re picking my brains – I do write some good stuff.
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