couplet

A couplet is a unit of verse consisting of two consecutive lines that usually form a complete thought and, in many traditions, end with a rhyme. The term derives from the French word couplet, meaning a pair or two lines.

Forms and types

Most commonly, a couplet is a rhymed pair, with patterns such as aa bb cc, in which the end sounds correspond. In classical poetry there is the elegiac couplet, a distinctive pair of lines in different meters: a long hexameter followed by a shorter pentameter. In English poetry, the heroic couplet refers to two consecutive lines of iambic pentameter that rhyme, often used as a self-contained unit of meaning or argument. Couplets may be closed (end-stopped, presenting a complete sentence or idea at the end) or open (enjambed, with the sense continuing into the next line).

Historical context

Couplets have ancient roots in Latin and Greek verse, notably in the elegiac tradition. In medieval and early modern Europe they appear in rhymed pairs as a flexible narrative and didactic device. The English heroic couplet became a dominant form in the 17th and 18th centuries, associated with poets such as Dryden and Pope, and used to deliver satire, moral reflection, and formal wit.

Usage and function

Couplets compress thought and deliver emphasis, closure, or a witty or moralizing punch. They can advance narrative, punctuate arguments, or provide a reflective close. In contemporary poetry, writers continue to employ couplets singly or in sequences, sometimes blending them with other metrical forms or free verse.