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A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter. The English sonnet, also known as the Shakespearean sonnet, consists of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and one couplet (a two-line stanza). The couplet, which concludes the sonnet, is a key feature of the English sonnet, marking a shift from the first twelve lines and serving to reinforce the poem's important idea.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of lines | 2 |
| Rhyme scheme | GG |
| Meter | Iambic pentameter |
| Position in sonnet | Last 2 lines |
| Function | Answers the implied question, resolves themes, reinforces important idea, or changes tone |
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Shakespearean sonnets
A sonnet is a type of fourteen-line poem. The English poet Thomas Wyatt introduced the sonnet to the English language in the 16th century. Wyatt's contemporary, The Earl of Surrey, then made innovations to the form by introducing a new structure and rhyme scheme, which became the defining characteristics of the English sonnet. The English sonnet is also called the Shakespearean sonnet.
Shakespeare's sonnets are not the only kind. Other sonnet forms include the Petrarchan sonnet, which uses a slightly different rhyme scheme, though still uses 14 lines. The Petrarchan sonnet is divided into an octave (first eight lines) and a sestet (final six lines). The rhyme schemes for the octave usually follow an ABBAABBA pattern, and the sestet can vary between CDECDE or CDCDCD.
Shakespeare published 154 sonnets in 1609, covering themes such as the passage of time, mortality, love, beauty, infidelity, and jealousy. The first 126 sonnets are addressed to a young man, and the last 28 to a mysterious 'dark lady'. Shakespeare's sonnets express feelings of lust, mortality, infidelity, and jealousy towards one of two characters. They are poems of expressive ideas and thoughts that are layered with multiple meanings.
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Rhyme schemes
Sonnets are a type of poem that originated in the 13th century in Sicily and became popular in Italian literature before being introduced to English literature in the 16th century by Thomas Wyatt. The sonnet form has since evolved into many variations. The two most common sonnet variations are the Italian sonnet (also called a Petrarchan sonnet) and the English sonnet (also called a Shakespearean sonnet).
Petrarchan Sonnet
Petrarchan sonnets have 14 lines, usually split into two sections: an octave (a rhyming section of eight lines) and a sestet (a rhyming section of six lines). The octave usually follows an ABBAABBA pattern, and the sestet can vary between CDECDE or CDCDCD. The octave usually introduces a problem or conflict, and the sestet provides a solution. The change between the two is called a volta, which means 'turn' in Italian.
Shakespearean Sonnet
The Shakespearean sonnet is slightly different from the Petrarchan sonnet. It consists of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a concluding couplet, with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The volta in Shakespearean sonnets usually occurs between the second and third quatrains.
Other Sonnet Forms
Other notable sonnet forms include the Miltonic sonnet, made famous by the English poet John Milton, which follows the rhyme scheme ABBAABBACDECDE. The Spenserian sonnet, made famous by Edmund Spenser, follows the rhyme scheme ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.
Modern Sonnets
Modern sonnets, including those written during the modernist period and contemporary sonnets, often do not conform to traditional rhyme schemes. Some modern sonnets are written in free verse, meaning there is no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.
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Iambic pentameter
William Shakespeare famously used iambic pentameter in his plays and sonnets, such as in the opening line of Sonnet 12: "When I do count the clock that tells the time". Shakespeare's sonnets typically consist of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final rhyming couplet.
Other poets who have used iambic pentameter include John Milton in Paradise Lost, William Wordsworth in The Prelude, and Ada Limón in "Instructions on Not Giving Up".
While iambic pentameter is a strict form, poets often vary their usage of it. For example, the first foot often changes through inversion, which reverses the order of the syllables in the foot. Another variation is the addition of a final unstressed syllable, creating a weak or feminine ending, as seen in one of Shakespeare's most famous lines: "To be or not to be, | that is the question".
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Petrarchan sonnets
A sonnet is a type of fourteen-line poem. The two most common sonnet variations are the Italian sonnet (or Petrarchan sonnet) and the English sonnet (or Shakespearean sonnet). The main difference between the two is their rhyme schemes.
The Petrarchan sonnet is named after the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch, although it was not developed by Petrarch himself but by a string of Renaissance poets. The form also gave rise to an "anti-Petrarchan" convention. The convention was mocked or adopted for alternative persuasive means by many Renaissance writers. The Petrarchan sonnet is characterised by the following:
- It contains fourteen lines of poetry.
- The lines are divided into an eight-line subsection (called an octave) and a six-line subsection (called a sestet).
- The octave follows a rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA. This means the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth lines rhyme with one another, and the second, third, sixth, and seventh lines rhyme with one another.
- The sestet can follow one of two rhyme schemes: the more common is a CDE CDE scheme (where the ninth and twelfth, tenth and thirteenth, and eleventh and fourteenth lines rhyme), or a CDCDCD scheme.
In a strict Petrarchan sonnet, the sestet does not end with a couplet, as this would divide the sestet into a quatrain and a couplet. However, the Petrarchan sonnet does contain a volta, or a 'turn' in Italian, which marks the transition to the final section.
The Shakespearean sonnet, on the other hand, consists of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and then a couplet. Shakespeare's sonnets usually change the rhyming pattern every four lines, so each sonnet is made up of three quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet.
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Volta
The volta, the Italian word for "turn", is a rhetorical shift or dramatic change in thought and/or emotion in a poem. It is a vital part of almost all poems, especially sonnets, where it is most frequently encountered at the end of the octave (the first eight lines in Petrarchan or Spenserian sonnets), or at the end of the twelfth line in Shakespearean sonnets. However, it can occur anywhere in the sonnet.
In Petrarchan sonnets, the volta occurs between the octave and the sestet, marking a change from problem to solution. In Shakespearean sonnets, the volta can be placed as a resolution or as a coda, summarising, or providing an ironic or expansive conclusion to the preceding argument.
The volta is often signalled by specific words or phrases, such as "and yet" in Shakespeare's "My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing like the Sun", which signals a sharp turn in the poem.
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Frequently asked questions
A sonnet is a type of fourteen-line poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter.
A couplet is a two-line stanza that usually ends a sonnet.
The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, with the final GG constituting the couplet.
