Poetry Hacks

Rhyming Couplet

What is it? Two consecutive lines that rhyme.

What effect does it usually have? A couplet will create a strong sense of closure at the end of a stanza or poem using a different rhyme scheme; the rhyme tends to be more noticeable than where cross-rhyming is used (since the rhymes are closer together) creating a sense of wit or polish. What else should I look out for? An heroic couplet is a rhyming couplet written in iambic pentameter; these tend to call to mind the poetry of Dryden and Pope, much of which was written in imitation of classical models.

An example of how it works … ‘Sonnet 29’ by William Shakespeare:

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings

These two lines bring the sonnet to a satisfying conclusion, conveying love's power to exalt with a fresh and powerful metaphor.

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