What Part of Speech is Stressed in Iambic Pentameter?

According to the lesson, what part of speech is often stressed in iambic pentameter?

A. Articles, such as "the" or "a" 

B. Prepositions, such as "through" or "on" 

C. Conjunctions, such as "and" or "but" 

D. Nouns, such as "love" or "truth"

Answer: 

The correct answer is D. Nouns, like "truth" or "love".

Iambic pentameter is a type of poetry that has a rhythm of alternating weak and strong syllables, creating a flow that feels natural and musical. In this structure, not every word gets the same emphasis. 

Smaller words, like articles (“the”, “a”), prepositions (“in”, “on”), and conjunctions (“and”, “but”), usually stay weak because they do not have much meaning by themselves. Instead, the strong emphasis usually falls on important words, especially nouns, which are key to the theme or message of the line. 

Nouns often show strong feelings, objects, or abstract ideas that the poet wants to emphasise. For example, in Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays, words like "love", "truth", "beauty", "heart", or "time" are often stressed, giving the verse its richness and meaning. 

This careful emphasis helps poets balance rhythm with meaning, making the poetry more powerful and easy to remember.