Assonance - GCSE English Literature Definition

What is assonance?

Assonance is the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within a group of words. This repeated vowel sound can come from the rhyming quality of repeated letters (for example, the “o” sound in “rolling stone”) or from the same sound created by different spellings (such as the “oo” sound in “room with a view”).

Why do writers use assonance?

Assonance creates a rhythm that can make writing more memorable, emphasise certain words or add to the mood and atmosphere. 

You’ll find examples of assonance in many different forms of writing, including poetry, song lyrics, newspaper headlines and persuasive speeches, as well as common phrases such as “sweet dreams” or “hit and miss”. 

Examples of assonance

Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert…Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lie

Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘Ozymandias’ is a poem about a once-powerful ruler whose kingdom eventually crumbled to dust. The assonance in “stand”, “sand” and “shattered” creates an internal rhyme that highlights the forgotten king’s fate: where he once proudly stood, he is now buried by the sand, and all memory of him is lost to time. 

If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well

It were done quickly

In these lines from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is preparing to murder King Duncan. The repetition of the assonant “i” and “e” sounds create a sense of pace and urgency, showing Macbeth’s desire to get the deadly deed done quickly.