Home › Glossary › Letter R

Rondeau Redoublé

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A 24-line poem of four six-line stanzas (ABABA B) where the lines of the first quatrain are used as the last line of the following three stanzas

Detailed Definition
Rondeau Redoublé is an intricate French fixed form consisting of five quatrains and a final quintain (25 lines total), in which the four lines of the first stanza are repeated as refrains in a strict rotational pattern throughout the poem, with the final stanza composed entirely of these refrains in a new sequence; requiring exceptional control of rhyme and thematic development, the form creates a mesmerizing echo chamber of recurring phrases that evolve in meaning with each repetition, as demonstrated in the works of 15th-century poet Christine de Pizan or modern practitioners who use its constraints to explore obsession, memory, or cyclical time.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “Rondeau Redoublé,” each line of the first quatrain becomes a refrain in subsequent stanzas, as in works by John Payne; Contemporary poet Marilyn Hacker adapts the form to explore queer identity with intricate repetition; The form demands 25 lines where lines 1–4 reappear as line 5 in stanzas 2–5, then all four conclude the poem; Student example: a Rondeau Redoublé on climate grief where “The ice is gone” echoes structurally; Another: using the form to cycle through stages of love and loss.
Additional Notes
Rondeau Redoublé is a complex French form with repeating refrains, 25 lines total, demanding strict structure and rhyme.
Also Known As
Doubled rondeau Extended circle form Repeated round Amplified rondeau
Skip to main content