Heroic Couplet

Heroic couplets are a form of poem that has an essential place in English literary history. Throughout literary history, the meaning of a heroic couplet has changed. However, many examples of heroic couplets show that they are used to describe the heroic exploits of the protagonist of the poem, prose or play. Join us on this poetic journey as we explore the elegance and versatility of heroic couplets in the rich tapestry of English literature!

Heroic couplet meaning

Heroic couplets are a poetic form consisting of pairs of rhymed lines in iambic pentameter. Popularized by English poets such as Alexander Pope and John Dryden, heroic couplets are characterized by their rhythmic and balanced structure, often used to convey wit, satire, and moralistic themes. With their concise and structured form, heroic couplets have been employed in various genres of poetry, including epics, satires, and philosophical poems.

Fig. 1 - Heroic couplets are often used to convey moral and ethical messages, exploring concepts such as righteousness, virtue, and the consequences of one's actions.

Definition of heroic couplets

History of heroic couplets

After Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales (1400), a text following a group of pilgrims, who travelled from London to Canterbury and exchanged stories on their journey, the heroic couplet became popular in English literature during the Elizabethan period. Poets used this form to translate texts written by Virgil and Homer. These translated epics featured heroes and their heroic deeds, after whom the couplet is named.

In the 17th century, the heroic couplet became popular because it was used commonly in Restoration theatre. In 1649, the British monarchy was abolished, and England was instead ruled by a Commonwealth (or Parliament) until the restoration of monarchy in 1660. During the reign of King Charles II, there was a resurgence in the popularity of theatre and literature. William Shakespeare used heroic couplets in both his plays and his poetry. The most famous use of the heroic couplet in this period was by John Dryden, Alexander Pope.

During the 20th and 21st centuries, the heroic couplet maintained its importance in English literature, with many writers and poets using the form to this day. Poets such as Seamus Heaney used heroic couplets both in his poetry and translations, and the form can also be found in the poetry of Claude McKay.

Examples of heroic couplets

We can find many examples of heroic couplets in both poetry and plays. One of the earliest examples of heroic couplets is the Greek poet Virgil’s ‘The Aeneid’ (19BC), translated into English in heroic couplets. We can find examples of the heroic couplet in the theatre in Shakespeare’s plays, including ‘Romeo and Juilet’ (1597) and ‘Macbeth’ (1606). Heroic couplets can also be found in poetry, including Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’ (1400), John Dryden’s ‘Absalom and Achitophel’ (1681) and Alexander Pope’s ‘Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady’ (1717).

Features of heroic couplets

What are the characteristics of a heroic couplet?

Number of lines

A vital trait of the heroic couplet is that it consists of two lines. Couplets can occur within larger poems but will still be linked together by their rhyme. Look at the example below by Alexander Pope's ‘Rape of the Lock: Canto 1’ (1712), and try to count the number of heroic couplets you see.

There are three heroic couplets in this excerpt – lines 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6, but what other features show that these are heroic couplets?

Meter

All heroic couplets must be written in iambic pentameter. It is a common meter used in poetry and plays and occurs in lines with five metrical feet (or iambs). An iamb will consist of one unstressed syllable, followed by one stressed syllable.

In the example above, the stressed syllables are marked in bold - try and count how many are in each line.

Rhyme scheme

Heroic couplets are linked together by their rhyme scheme. They follow a masculine rhyme scheme, as only the words at the end of the sentences rhyme. The rhyme in a heroic couplet must be full, meaning that words must rhyme perfectly together.

In this extract, the stanza has a rhyme scheme of AABBCC, as there are three heroic couplets within the sestet. For example, rhyme A occurs in lines 1 and 2, where ‘springs’ rhymes with ‘things’ – can you spot where rhymes B and C occur?

Closed vs open couplets

What is the difference between closed and open couplets?

Closed heroic couplets

Many heroic couplets are also written to be closed couplets. Closed couplets occur when each couplet line is written as individual sentences.

Alexander Pope - ‘Eloisa to Abelard’ (1717)

Each line ends with a question mark, meaning that the sentence has ended (closing it off).

Open heroic couplets

Heroic couplets can also be written as open couplets. The first line will flow into the second line in open couplets, and the sentence will end following this.

The first line of this couplet by Pope ('Eloisa to Abelard') ends with a comma, leaving the sentence open to flow into the following line, where it finishes with a full stop.

Heroic couplets in poetry and plays

How are heroic couplets used in poetry and plays?

Heroic couplets in poetry

During the 17th century, it became popular to use heroic couplets in narrative poetry (poems that tell a story and use the voices of both a narrator and characters). Many narrative poems were long, so heroic couplets made the poetry easier to read.

Heroic couplets have only two lines linked together by a masculine rhyme, meaning they can deliver a short idea or thought (from a character, for example). The iambic pentameter can also help hold the reader’s attention, replicating everyday speech. The cadence of iambic pentameter follows the same structure as speech, so it can have a reader's attention as it is more easily accessible.

Heroic couples in plays

Heroic couplets were also used in plays during the late 16th and 17th centuries, notably in the works of William Shakespeare. He commonly placed heroic couplets at the end of scenes and acts to leave a strong impact on the audience. Look at the following extract from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (1597):

Shakespeare used the heroic couplet to finish the interaction between Romeo and Juliet shortly and concisely for a greater emphasis on sentiment.