Blank Verse: GCSE English Definition

What is blank verse?

In GCSE English Literature, blank verse is an unrhyming form of poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is a rhythm in which each line contains ten syllables and emphasis is placed on every second syllable. Each pair of syllables (or iamb) has an unstressed/stressed pattern that suggests the beating of a heart and echoes the natural rhythms of speech. 

Why do writers use blank verse?

Blank verse is commonly used in poetry and Shakespearean drama. It is used in scenes and speeches to create the feeling of a real conversation or a sense of intimacy, so writers might use blank verse to establish relationships between characters.

In drama, blank verse can also imply a character’s status: blank verse is usually reserved for important or higher-status characters, while lower-status characters tend to speak in prose (normal written language, not in poetry).

Examples of blank verse

If ever you disturb our streets again,

Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the Prince breaks up a fight between the Montagues and the Capulets with a memorable speech written in blank verse, which reflects the Prince’s high status, while the rhythm of the iambic pentameter adds emotion and emphasis to words such as “you”, “lives” and “peace”.

No more to build on there. And they, since they

Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.

In the poem ‘Out, Out-’, the poet Robert Frost uses blank verse to juxtapose the tragic death of a young boy at a sawmill with the cold actions of the dead boy’s coworkers as they return to their jobs, as if the tragedy is unremarkable or unimportant.

Revision resources to ace your exams

For study guides on how to analyse blank verse in literary texts, check out our detailed revision notes. All our notes are course-specific, so everything you’ll need to ace your exams is in one place!

GCSE English Literature Revision Notes 

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