Iambic pentameter is a meter in poetry that consists of five iambs per line, where an iamb is a metrical foot made up of two syllables with the stress pattern of unstressed followed by stressed.
This creates a rhythmic pattern of five beats in each line, with each beat made up of two syllables. In iambic pentameter, the five iambs per line create a musical, rhythmic quality that is often used in traditional English poetry, such as sonnets and Elizabethan drama.