Why did John Dryden use rhymed couplets in his early heroic tragedies?

John Dryden utilized rhymed couplets in his early heroic tragedies as part of a popular genre that emerged during the Restoration period. Following the Civil War, the English audience was eager for works that celebrated heroism, and these plays were designed to "raise admiration" for virtues such as valour, beauty, and love.12

The use of rhymed couplets—specifically heroic couplets—helped define this style of drama, which focused on conflicts between love and honour. Dryden successfully exploited this genre, catering to audiences who were drawn to the extravagance, rich costumes, and emotional intensity of these productions. While he eventually abandoned rhymed couplets for blank verse in his later, more critically acclaimed tragedy All for Love, his earlier use of rhyme was instrumental in establishing the "heroic play" as a prominent, if temporary, feature of the late 17th-century English stage.314