The Iambic Pentameter of Shakespeare

I studied Shakespeare, poetry and drama, each, for a year at Northwestern University, and I am thankful for being well-schooled in structure and rhythm, context and philosophy.  The iambic pentameter makes up, for example, the building blocks of poetry in English.  It is the characteristic meter in Shakespeare, and to grasp it well is to understand better the meaning of his plays and sonnets.  Plus, I believe it helps actors memorize their lines.

Enter:  Folger Shakespeare Library and Living Iambic Pentameter.

There is a natural rhythm to our conversations, and if we listen to it we may hear more iambs than we expect.  I like the reference to heartbeat, and its ta-tum, ta-tum, ta-tum rhythm.