The Iambic trimeter is a meter of poetry consisting of three iambic units (each of two feet) per line. In ancient Greek poetry and Latin poetry, an iambic trimeter is a quantitative meter, in which a line consists of three iambic metra. Each metron consists of the pattern | x – u – |, where "–" represents a long syllable, "u" a short one, and "x" an anceps (either long or short). Resolution was common, especially in the first two metra of the line, so that any long or anceps syllable except the last could be replaced by two short syllables (see for example Euripides#Chronology), making a total of 13 or more syllables. It is the most common meter used for the spoken parts (as opposed to the sung parts) of Ancient Greek tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays. It is also common in iambus or 'blame poetry', although it is not the only meter for that genre. In the accentual-syllabic verse of English, German, and other languages, however, the iambic trimeter is a meter consisting of three iambs (disyllabic units with rising stress) per line, making a line of six syllables. Greek Basic form The iambic trimeter derives its name from its essential shape, which is three metrical units (hence "trimeter") which are each basically iambic in form. The iambic metron has the following shape (where "x" is an anceps, which may be either long or short, "–" is a long syllable, and "u" is a short one): | x – u – | The trimeter simply repeats this structure three times, with the resulting shape as follows: | x – u – | x – u – | x – u – | As always, the last syllable of a verse is counted as long even if naturally short (brevis in longo). An example of the structure: | u – u – | – – u – | u – u – | (Euripides, Hippolytus 1053) Caesura and bridge A caesura (break between words) is usually found after the fifth or seventh element of the line. In the example above, it is found after the fifth element, as so (with￤representing the caesura): | x – u – | x￤– u – | x – u – | Finally, Porson's Law is observed, which means here that if the anceps of the third metron is long, there cannot be a