Understanding Ottava Rima Poetry

The most punctual known utilization of the ottava rima poetry form goes back to the fourteenth century, when the form brought into the Italian artistic scene by poet Giovanni Boccaccio. Two of his significant works, the Teseide and the Filostrato were poems that would promote the format in epic poetry for the following two centuries—driving into the sixteenth century when Ludovico Ariosto thought of one of the most acclaimed works of Italian writing, Orlando Furioso. The format discovered its prevalence among Elizabethan poets, and its structure has been utilized in the absolute most outstanding poems ever.

There are different instances of ottava rima that shift from genuine long poems to parodic works:

“The Monks and the Giants” by John Hookham Frere: This entertaining poem mocked Arthurian stories.

“Beppo” by Lord Byron: Byron wrote this ironical poem before his most renowned counterfeit epic, “Wear Juan,” which reverses the story of the nominal character, transforming him from a womanizer into one who is effectively allured by ladies.

“Among School Children” by William Butler Yeats: This poem was a private look into Yeats’ contemplations with respect to past recollections, just like his “Cruising to Byzantium,” which was an allegorical poem intelligent of an otherworldly excursion.

“Isabella: or the Pot of Basil” by John Keats: Keats adjusted a character from one of Boccaccio’s works and transformed it into his very own ottava rima in this poem. It is a horrifying story of sentiment and pride.

“The Witch of Atlas” by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Shelley’s poem is a whimsical and conceptual idealistic story containing 78 ottava rima refrains.