a couplet consisting of two rhymed lines of iambic pentamenter and written in an elevated style
a couplet written in rhymed iambic pentameter
an iambic pentamenter and a closed couplet is two lines in which a complete unit of thought is formed
Two rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter. The term “heroic” comes from the fact that English poems having heroic themes and elevated style have often been written in iambic pentameter. See Iambic pentameter, Poetry, Meter
Two successive lines of rhymed poetry in iambic pentameter, so called for its use in the composition of epic poetry in the 17th and 18th centuries. In neo-classical usage the two lines were required to express a complete thought, thus a closed couplet, with a subordinate pause at the end of the first line. Heroic couplets, which are well-suited to antithesis and parallelism, are also often used for epigrams, such as Pope's: You beat your pate, and fancy wit will come. Knock as you please--there's nobody at home. Sidelight: Poems written in heroic couplets, such as Pope's The Rape of the Lock, are especially subject to the danger of metrical monotony, which poets avoid by variations in their placement of caesuras.(See also Couplet, Distich, Open Couplet)
Two consecutive lines of rhyming poetry that are written in iambic pentameter and that contain a complete thought. In a heroic couplet, there is usually one pause at the end of the first line, and another heavier pause at the end of the second line.
A stanza composed of two rhymed lines in iambic pentameter.
Lines of iambic pentameter which rhyme in pairs: aa bb cc dd etc. The heroic couplet has been the most popular and durable of the couplet forms.
rhymed pairs of lines in iambic pentameter.
a pair of lines of iambic pentameter poetry, as "What dire offense from amorous causes springs! / What mighty contests rise from trivial things!" (Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock).
rhyming couplets in iambic pentameters, characterized by internal symmetry or parallelism across the couplet and, within lines, across the caesura. Historically associated with Augustan poetry.
Pair of rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter. John Dryden and Alexander Pope used Heroic Couplets extensively in their work.
A rhyming couplet written in iambic pentameter (a Verse with five iambic feet). The following lines by Alexander Pope are an example: "Truth guards the Poet, sanctifies the line,/ And makes Immortal, Verse as mean as mine." (See also Foot.)
A heroic couplet is a traditional form for English poetry, commonly used for epic and narrative poetry; it refers to poems constructed from a sequence rhyming pairs of iambic pentameter lines. The rhyme is always masculine. Use of the heroic couplet was first pioneered by Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales.
