Is there iambic meter in Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath??

Question

or any iambic-ness?!

thanks in advance :D

Answer 1

Find the 10-syllable lines in that poem and read them aloud to hear the five iambic beats:

da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM

Bear in mind that that rendition of iambic pentameter isn't completely accurate. Good poetry doesn't sound as singsong or mechanical as that. When you hear good actors speaking Shakespeare's lines, they don't sound like robots, hitting each stressed syllable with the same amount of emphasis. The meter is there, but it's subtle and varied.

Here are some sample lines of Shakespeare's iambic pentameter:

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

The quality of mercy is not strained.

If music be the food of love, play on.

If you read those aloud, you'll hear the meter in all three of them, but they won't all sound identical. Now try it with Plath's 10-syllable lines.

Answer 2

Iambic is short-long (as in "i AM"). You figure it out.