Octave (poetry)

Template:Short description Octave has been derived from the Latin word octāva, which means “eighth part.” It is a verse form that contains eight lines, which usually appear in an iambic pentameter. In simple words, it can be any stanza in a poem that has eight lines and follows a rhymed or unrhymed meter.

An octave is a verse form consisting of eight lines of iambic pentameter (in English) or of hendecasyllables (in Italian). The most common rhyme scheme for an octave is $\mathrm{A}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{A}$.

An octave is the first part of a Petrarchan sonnet, which ends with a contrasting sestet. In traditional Italian sonnets the octave always ends with a conclusion of one idea, giving way to another idea in the sestet. Some English sonnets break that rule, often to striking effect. In Milton's Sonnet 19, the sestet begins early, halfway through the last line of the octave:

See also

• Sicilian octave
• Ottava rima

External links

• Poetic Form: Sonnet - Poets.org

Template:Western medieval lyric forms