Shakespeare used a metrical pattern consisting of lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter, called blank verse. His plays were composed using blank verse, although there are passages in all the plays that deviate from the norm and are composed of other forms of poetry and/or simple prose.
Shakespeare’s sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, with the exception of Sonnet 145, which is written in iambic tetrameter. Shakespeare’s style of writing and metre choice were typical of the day, and other writings of the time influenced how he structured his compositions.
For a detailed look at iambic pentameter with examples, please see Shakespearean Sonnet Basics: Iambic Pentameter and the English Sonnet Style.
For more information on blank verse and rhyme in the plays, please see Blank Verse and Diction in Julius Caesar.
For more information on the origin and history of blank verse, please see the beginning of the article Blank Verse, Alexandrines and Rhyme in Romeo and Juliet.
