octava real

Ottava rima is an Italian poetic stanza form consisting of eight lines. Typically, these lines are 11 syllables long and follow an abababcc rhyme scheme. This form originated in the late 13th and early 14th centuries and was developed by Tuscan poets.12

Giovanni Boccaccio established ottava rima as the standard for epic and narrative verse in Italy with works like Il filostrato and Teseida. The form later gained flexibility and variety in the hands of poets like Ludovico Ariosto and Torquato Tasso. In English poetry, ottava rima was adapted, often with 10-syllable lines, and achieved notable effectiveness in the satirical and mock-heroic works of Lord Byron. The Italian term translates to "eighth rhyme".13