language used by Shakespeare in his plays is in one of three forms: prose, rhymed verse or blank verse, each of which he uses to achieve specific effects (more on the functions of prose, rhyme and blank verse below). To recognize these types of language and understand how Shakespeare uses them in his plays, you need to be familiar with a number of technical terms.

Meter: a recognizable rhythm in a line of verse consisting of a pattern of regularly recurring stressed and unstressed syllables.

Foot/feet: a metric “foot” refers to the combination of a strong stress and the associated weak stress (or stresses) that make up the recurrent metric unit of a line of verse.

Iamb: a particular type of metric “foot” consisting of two syllables, an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (“da DUM”); the opposite of a “troche.” An unstressed syllable is conventionally represented by a curved line resembling a smile (a U is as close as I can get here). A stressed syllable is conventionally represented by a / . Thus, an iamb is conventionally represented U / .
Iambic pentameter: A ten-syllable line consisting of five iambs is said to be in iambic pentameter (“penta” = five). Its stress pattern (five pairs of unstressed/stressed syllables) is conventionally represented U /U / U /U / U / Example: “The course of true love never did run true” . As you read this line aloud, listen for the stress pattern: da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM (i.e. the COURSE of TRUE love NEver DID run TRUE).

Troche: the opposite of an iamb; a particular type of metric “foot” consisting of two syllables, a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (“DA dum”). An unstressed syllable is conventionally represented by a curved line resembling a smile (a U is as close as I can get here). A stressed syllable is conventionally represented by a / . Thus, a troche is conventionally represented / U .
Trochaic rhythm: made up of troches. The opposite of iambic, a trochaic rhythm has a pattern of stressed/unstressed accent conventionally represented/U /U / U / U . . . Example: “Double, double, toil and trouble;/ Fire burn and caldron bubble” . As you read these lines aloud, listen for the stress pattern: DA dum DA dum DA dum DA dum (i.e. DOUble DOUble TOIL and TROUble).

he language used by Shakespeare in his plays is in one of three forms: prose, rhymed verse or blank verse, each of which he uses to achieve specific effects (more on the functions of prose, rhyme and blank verse below). To recognize these types of language and understand how Shakespeare uses them in his plays, you need to be familiar with a number of technical terms.

source of meanings from online dictionary