Ottava rima

Ottava rima is a stanza of eight lines of iambic pentameter rhyming ABABABCC, often used for long narrative and comic poems.

The first four lines of Byron's Don Juan show the alternating rhymes that the stanza runs on.

I want a hero: an uncommon want,
When every year and month sends forth a new one,
Till, after cloying the gazettes with cant,
The age discovers he is not the true one;

George Gordon, Lord Byron, "Don Juan", 1819

What it is

The first six lines alternate two rhymes, ABABAB, and the last two lines are a couplet that rhymes on a new sound. The form came from Italy and was used for long epics there. In English it has been a favorite for storytelling with a wink.

Why it matters to a writer or editor

The couplet at the end gives each stanza a place to land a joke or a summary. That is useful for narrative, and tiring if every stanza lands the same way.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Byron like ottava rima?

The closing couplet gives a built-in punchline, which suited the jokes and asides of his long comic poem Don Juan.