PoetryBase/Poetry Gnosis Home   Mission Statement   Frequently Asked Questions   Poetic Forms Listing   Poetic Tips Listing   The Gnostic Poet's Discourses   Poetry-Related Reviews   Letters to a Young Writer   Site Change Log

Classical Heroic Line

Type:  

Line, Metrical Requirement

 
Description: 

A classical hexameter: First four feet either dactyls (Xxx) or spondees (XX), fifth foot dactyl, sixth spondee.

From a quantitative perspective, a dactyl and spondee are pretty well interchangeable to give the same length of four beats. In English with its accentual-syllabic bent, this doesn’t work as well.

 
Origin: 

Greek

 
Schematic: 
Xxx Xxx Xxx Xxx Xxx XX,
XX XX XX XX Xxx XX,
etc.
 
Rhythm/Stanza Length: 

4

 
Line/Poem Length: 

6

 
See Also:  

Accentual-Syllabic Verse, Classical Pentameter, Dactyl, Elegiacs, Heroic Couplets, Heroic Octave, Heroic Stanza, Quantitative Verse, Spondee

 
Status: 

Incomplete

 

To contact us, e-mail thegnosticpoet@poetrybase.info.
Copyright © 2001-2015 by Charles L. Weatherford. All rights reserved.