Using Pentameter Verse

Take for example these two lines from Shaekspeare:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
- Shakespeare, Sonnet 18

Highlighting the stresses and the feet,

Shall I | comPARE | thee TO | a SUM | mer’s DAY?
Thou ART | more LOVE | ly AND | more TEM | peRATE:

Note that each of the feet used in this example is an iamb (da-DUM). The two lines are therefore in iambic pentameter.

Traditional Usage

In very strict terms¹, the feet used in English hexameter verse should be

1. Spondee (DUM-DUM) or dactyl (DUM-da-da)
2. Spondee or dactyl
3. Single stressed syllable
4. Dactyl
5. Dactyl
6. Single stressed or unstressed syllable,

which means that a pentameter verse actually sounds like it has six feet.

References