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Identify the rhythmic pattern used by Chaucer in The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.​
Question

Identify the rhythmic pattern used by Chaucer in The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.​

A.

Iambic Pentameter

B.

Trochaic Trimeter

C.

Spondaic

D.

Dactyl

Correct option is A

Explanation:
Geoffrey Chaucer used iambic pentameter in The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, written in Middle English. This rhythmic pattern consists of five metrical feet per line, with each foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Chaucer’s lines are also arranged in rhymed couplets, forming a smooth and flowing verse structure.
Example from The General Prologue:
"Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote"


Information Booster:

A metrical pattern consisting of five iambs (unstressed-stressed syllables) per line.

Chaucer popularized iambic pentameter in English poetry, influencing later poets like Shakespeare and Milton.

Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is written in heroic couplets, where every two lines rhyme.

Chaucer’s verse style became the foundation for later English literature, including Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets.

This pattern mirrors natural speech rhythms, making it effective for storytelling.

Middle English Sound – While Chaucer’s pronunciation differs from modern English, the iambic pentameter rhythm remains clear.

Additional Knowledge:
Trochaic Trimeter – A metrical pattern with three trochees per line (stressed-unstressed, e.g., "TELL me NOT in MOURNful NUMbers").
Spondaic – A meter where both syllables in a foot are stressed (DUM-DUM), creating a heavy and slow rhythm, rarely used as a full structure.
Dactyl – A metrical foot with a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (DUM-da-da), common in classical Greek and Latin poetry.

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