ALEXANDRINE

LITERARY TERMS RELATED TO POETRY

ALEXANDRINE

·       In English, a line of verse consisting of six iambs (i.e. iambic hexameter), totaling 12 syllables. The Spenserian stanza (consisting of 9 lines) ends with an alexandrine.

·       The name of the line is derived from a 12^th century French romance about Alexander the great, written in this form.

·       It become the standard line of French epic and dramatic poetry after being revived by Ronsard and others in the 16^th century.

·       After being perfected by Racine and other dramatists in the 17^th century, it became the predominant of all serious French poetry.

·       Spenser handled it skillfully for both emphasis and stanzaic continuity.

·       In general alexandrine has proved too unwieldy for continuous use in a long work.

·       Pope vividly demonstrated the reasons for its relative unpopularity among the English poets:

“A needless Alexandrine ends the song

That like a wounded snake drags its slow length along.”