The Ottava Rima
The Ottava Rima The Ottava Rima is an Italian stanza form. It was introduced into England by Sir Thomas Wyatt in the 16th century. It is a stanza of eight lines iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is ab abb cc. It is a narrative measure similar to Chaucerian Stanza. Byron used it for satire in The Vision of Judgement and for mock-heroic effects in Don Juan . Shelley and Keats used it for pure narrative in The Pot of Basil and The Witch of Atlas. The isolated couplet of the Ottava Rima ( ab abb cc ) provides a convenient opportunity for transitions of mood.