Altogether, every line has ten syllables – five iambs times two syllables per iamb = ten syllables total. Each of these feet is one of the 'da- dum' – the dum is stressed. This is a fancy way of explaining the consistent da- dum, da- dum, da- dum rhythm of the lines every line has five two-syllable 'feet' (yes, that’s what they’re actually called), or iambs. This sonnet, like all of the other sonnets, and like Shakespeare’s plays, is written in iambic pentameter. Let’s tackle the simpler part first: the meter. Elizabethan (Shakespearean) Sonnet, Iambic Pentameter
