* Meter and Rhyme: Heroic couplets consist of rhyming pairs of iambic pentameter lines. This means each line has five iambs (unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable), creating a rhythm often described as elegant and stately. The rhyming pairs create a sense of closure and neatness at the end of each couplet.
* Origin and Development: The form developed in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, gaining popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in England. Chaucer experimented with it, but its true flourishing came later.
* Association with Epic and Didactic Poetry: Initially favored for epic and serious poems, heroic couplets lent themselves to grand narratives and weighty themes. They were also frequently used in didactic poetry, aiming to teach or instruct the reader.
* Flexibility and Precision: Despite its formal structure, the heroic couplet is surprisingly flexible. Skilled poets could use it to express a wide range of emotions and ideas, with great precision and control over language. The rhyming structure encouraged wit and pointed expression.
* Key Figures: Many significant English poets utilized heroic couplets, including Chaucer (in early examples), Edmund Spenser (though he often used Spenserian stanzas as well), John Dryden (who helped establish its dominance), Alexander Pope (perhaps its most celebrated master), and Samuel Johnson. Its use declined in the Romantic period, with poets favoring more flexible forms.
* Closed Couplet vs. Open Couplet: A distinction exists between *closed* and *open* couplets. Closed couplets are self-contained; each couplet completes a thought. Open couplets run on, continuing the thought into the next couplet, creating a more flowing effect.
In short, the heroic couplet is a significant form in English literature, notable for its distinct structure, its association with certain genres and themes, and the skill of the poets who mastered its use.