Repetition & Refrain
Epizeuxis
Repeating a word immediately, with nothing in between: “words, words, words.” The repetition can express insistence, excitement, grief, or other strong feeling.
"O horror, horror, horror!" — Macbeth
Don't confuse it with Diacope. Diacope repeats with a word or two intervening ("O villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain"); epizeuxis allows no gap.
Examples
Run, run, run!
“Run” is repeated immediately, with no intervening words.
Romeo, Romeo
The name is repeated immediately without intervening words. In the surrounding speech it is also part of Juliet’s apostrophe.
Tyger Tyger
“Tyger” is repeated immediately; the speaker is also addressing the animal.
Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as epizeuxis.
Antithesis 3 Paradox 3 Polysyndeton 3 Anaphora 3 Simile 3
The rest of the family
Anaphora Epistrophe Symploce Epanalepsis Anadiplosis Gradatio / Climax Diacope Conduplicatio Polyptoton