Epistrophe is a rhetorical and poetic device characterized by the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses, lines, or sentences, creating a resonant, incantatory effect that emphasizes key ideas and builds emotional intensity; unlike anaphora (which repeats at the beginning), epistrophe anchors meaning through terminal recurrence—such as Lincoln’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people” or Shakespeare’s “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! / It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night / Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear”—thereby forging cohesion, urgency, or solemnity through rhythmic closure.

Epistrophe is the repetition of a word or phrase at the ends of successive clauses or lines (e.g., “...government of the people, by the people, for the people”); it builds rhythm and emphasis, often in rhetorical or lyrical climaxes.