An end-stopped, rhymed couplet that contains a complete thought. Such couplets were usual ways of closing and resuming Renaissance sonnets, although they are found elsewhere as well. Here is one which ends Shakespeares Sonnet 94:
For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; Lillies that fester smell far worse than weeds.
For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; Lillies that fester smell far worse than weeds.
Please log in to
consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing
institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on
campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we
offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If
you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal
subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.
50 words
Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Closed Couplet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=196, accessed 22 November 2024.]
