Octave (poetry)

An octave is a verse form consisting of eight lines, typically in iambic pentameter. It is often part of a larger poetic structure, such as the sonnet, where it serves as the first eight lines, establishing a theme, question, or narrative.

The most common rhyme scheme for an octave is ABABABCC, known as the ottava rima. Other rhyme schemes are possible, but this one is particularly associated with the form. The ottava rima originated in Italy and was notably used by Italian poets such as Boccaccio and Ariosto. It was later adopted and adapted by English poets, including Lord Byron and W.B. Yeats.

The octave generally presents a problem, observation, or narrative, which is then resolved or commented upon in the subsequent sestet (the final six lines) of a sonnet, or elsewhere in the poem if the octave stands alone or introduces a larger work. In an Italian or Petrarchan sonnet, the transition between the octave and sestet, often marked by a shift in tone or subject matter, is called the volta or turn.