In Shakespearean sonnets, what is the name of the pair of final lines that rhyme?

In Shakespearean sonnets, what is the name of the pair of final lines that rhyme?

• A. Couplet
• B. Octave
• C. Sestet
• D. Quatrain

Answer: (A)

The idea here is recognizing the unit of two rhyming lines at the end of a Shakespearean sonnet. That paired ending is a couplet. In this form, the poem is built from three four-line blocks (quatrains) followed by a final two-line block, which rhymes as a pair: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The final couplet often delivers a punchy closing thought or twist. Other terms refer to different structures: an octave is the first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet, a sestet is the last six lines of a Petrarchan, and a quatrain is simply any four-line unit.

The idea here is recognizing the unit of two rhyming lines at the end of a Shakespearean sonnet. That paired ending is a couplet. In this form, the poem is built from three four-line blocks (quatrains) followed by a final two-line block, which rhymes as a pair: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The final couplet often delivers a punchy closing thought or twist.

Other terms refer to different structures: an octave is the first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet, a sestet is the last six lines of a Petrarchan, and a quatrain is simply any four-line unit.