Hero and Leander

The poem is written in iambic pentameter, one of the most common forms of versification in English. An iambic foot comprises an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. A pentameter consists of five iambic feet. The iambic meter can be seen in the following examples: “And there for honey, bees have sought in vain / And, beat from hence, have lighted there again” (Lines 23-34); “But heal the heart that thou hast wounded thus / Nor stain thy youthful tears with avarice” (Lines 324-25).

As many poets do when writing in iambic pentameter, Marlowe varies the metrical base by use of substitutions. A common substitution is the use of a trochee or a spondee in the first foot, which may emphasize a particular word against the expected metrical rhythm. A trochee is a reversed iamb—a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one. A spondee consists of two stressed syllables. Examples of trochees include “Glistered” (Line 98) “Frighted” (Line 99), “Wretched” (Line 114), and “Strove to” (Line 364). Examples of spondees include “Rose-cheeked” (Line 93), “Blood-quaffing” (Line 151), Chaste Hero (Line 178), “Heaved up” (Line 190), and “Breathed darkness” (Line 191).