Question

“sonnet 29”
by william shakespeare
when in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes
i all alone beweep my outcast state,
and trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
and look upon myself, and curse my fate,
wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
with what i most enjoy contented least;
yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
haply i think on thee, and then my state,
like to the lark at break of day arising
from sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
for thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
that then i scorn to change my state with kings.
which is one characteristic of iambic pentameter, which is used in “sonnet 29”?
each line contains
eight syllables.
each line contains
six syllables.
each line contains
twelve syllables.
each line contains
ten syllables.

Explanation:

Iambic pentameter is a metrical pattern in poetry where each line consists of five iambs (a metrical foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable). Since each iamb has 2 syllables, five iambs give \( 5\times2 = 10 \) syllables per line. Looking at the lines of "Sonnet 29", for example, "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes" has 10 syllables (when - in - dis - grace - with - for - tune - and - men's - eyes). So the characteristic of iambic pentameter used here is that each line contains ten syllables.

Answer:

Each line contains ten syllables.