Question

Why does iambic pentameter feature in Shakespeare's plays?

A. It is very formal and sounds sophisticated.
B. It is a meter that Shakespeare invented.
C. It copies the natural rhythms of human speech.
D. It was required by law at the time of Shakespeare's writing.

Answer 1

I think the answer is B.
Hope this helped!

Answer 2

A. It is very formal and sounds sophisticated.

Step-by-step explanation:

Shakespeare's works follow a metric called “iambic pentameter”, the name is strange but the effect is simple, organic. The metric, the rhythm of the words in each verse, is constructed with groups of syllables called "feet." On the “iambic” foot each of these groups is a “iambo”, a brief unit of time, a faint sound, followed by a long one, a loud sound, such as heartbeat, tumTUM, tumTUM. The foot can be made of two syllables, can but does not need, the important thing is the sound: tumTUM, tumTUM, tumTUM.

Shakespeare used the iambic pentameter because it was common at the time because it gave literary works a very formal tone and made a sophisticated sound.