Octave

An octave is a group of eight lines of poetry, most often the first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet.

Wordsworth's octave opens with the complaint that the poem will answer after the turn.

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

William Wordsworth, 1807

What it is

The octave sets out a problem, a question or a mood. In a Petrarchan sonnet it is the first part, and the sestet answers it after the volta. Octave can also describe any eight-line stanza.

How to spot it

Count eight lines at the start of a sonnet, then look for the change. If the first eight lines work as a single unit, often sharing one pair of rhyme sounds, and the ninth line shifts the tone with words like "But" or "Yet", you have found the octave and the turn. A sonnet that goes straight through without any change is a fine poem, but it is not working the octave and sestet pattern in full.

Why it matters to a writer or editor

The octave has to build enough pressure that the sestet can release it. A weak octave leaves the turn with nothing to turn against.

Frequently asked questions

What is the rhyme scheme of an octave?

In a Petrarchan sonnet it is ABBAABBA. The same two rhyme sounds carry all eight lines.