Couplet: GCSE English Definition

What is a couplet?

In GCSE English Literature, a couplet is a pair of lines in a poem that form a complete thought or statement. Couplets often rhyme or share a similar rhythm and can be anywhere within a poem, depending on the poet’s purpose.

Why do writers use couplets?

Couplets are commonly found in poems as well as Shakespearean plays. The couplet is a key component of several different forms of poem, including Shakespearean sonnets, which always end in a rhyming couplet that neatly encapsulates the meaning of the entire poem. 

Couplets can suggest closeness or intimacy, which makes them particularly significant in poems about love and relationships.

In drama, dialogue written in formal verse or blank verse often ends with a rhyming couplet to conclude the final speech (and sometimes the entire scene) in a memorable and emphatic way.

Examples of couplets

JULIET    Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake.

ROMEO  Then move not while my prayer’s effect I take.

In Act 1, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare writes the first speech between Romeo and Juliet in the form of a sonnet, concluding with a rhyming couplet spoken by the two lovers. The shared sonnet form reflects their love at first sight, and the concluding couplet emphasises the instant, powerful romantic connection between them. A couplet like this, written in iambic pentameter, is sometimes referred to as a heroic couplet.

to fields which don’t explode beneath the feet 

of running children in a nightmare heat.

In ‘War Photographer’, poet Carol Ann Duffy uses a rhyming couplet to reinforce the impact of the photographer’s memories of violence and horror. 

Revision resources to ace your exams

For study guides on how to analyse a couplet in literary texts, check out our detailed revision notes. All our notes are course-specific, so everything you’ll need to ace your exams is in one place!

GCSE English Literature Revision Notes 

For a comprehensive glossary covering all the best literary techniques you could ever need, check out our list of top literary devices, complete with student-friendly definitions.