In Shakespeare, it can offer the primitive force of incantation, as when the witches ask, “When shall we three meet again / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” And it can also offer the lulling reassurance of stylized speech, as when Juliet tells Romeo, “Good night, good night. Rhyme turns language into ritual, and rituals tend to be either levelling and egalitarian, bringing different kinds together to be brethren, as in churches, or exclusive and exalting, advancing a narrow set to elect status, as in clubs. It is the material of a greeting card-“Roses are red / Violets are blue / Sugar is sweet / And so are you”-and the high-tragic language of Racine.
Rhyme thrives at both poles of literature. This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.