When I was in school we were taught about Iambic Pentameter and even had a few demonstrations. But I was never able to grasp or appreciate the significance of it. To me it seems no different than the 5-7-5 rule of a Haiku. Neat, but nothing profound.

Many of us wondered why our English curriculum was so keen on Iambic Pentameter despite the fact that it doesn't really seem to have affected modern English. I say that because it's so hard to recognize, even when using fully modern vocabulary. Apparently the Gravemind in Halo 2 speaks in IP and I'm sure that fact is lost on over 99% of players.

Whereas teaching students about all the words Shakespeare introduced and just how many tropes originate from his plays seems far more valuable to know.