“Howl, howl, howl, howl!”
— William Shakespeare, King Lear (1606)
Context
Lear's first words on entering the final scene, carrying the dead body of Cordelia. The command "howl" is addressed to everyone present — courtiers, soldiers, the audience — demanding that the universe itself respond to what has happened.
How the repetition works
Four identical imperatives at the opening of a speech. Lear is past articulation and reaches for the only sound that fits — an animal call given as a command. The repetition makes language audibly fail, which is the most precise way Shakespeare could have written grief at this magnitude.