We'll also go over all the major types of sonnets, give you examples, and offer a handful of tips for writing your very own sonnet poem. In addition, sonnets have something called a volta twist or turn , in which the rhyme scheme and the subject of the poem suddenly change, often to indicate a response to a question, a solution to a problem, or the resolving of some sort of tension established at the beginning of the poem.
This turn normally happens closer to the end of the sonnet, though precisely when it appears varies depending on the particular sonnet form. Originating in Italy, the sonnet comes from the Italian word sonetto , meaning "little song" or "little sound. Called the Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, this sonnet structure consists of first an octave eight lines of verse in iambic pentameter and then a sestet six lines.
The rhyme scheme is abba abba ; the rhyme scheme in the sestet can vary a little but is typically cde cde or cdc dcd. But it is perhaps famed 16th-century English poet and playwright William Shakespeare who came up with the most well-known and easily recognizable sonnet form. In the Shakespearean or English sonnet, each line is 10 syllables long written in iambic pentameter.
The structure can be divided into three quatrains four-line stanzas plus a final rhyming couplet two-line stanza. The Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.
In terms of themes, these days sonnets are most often associated with themes of love and romance, though topics such as death, time, and faith are not uncommon. As I explained above, the two main types of sonnets are the Petrarchan or Italian sonnet and the Shakespearean or English sonnet. Portrait of Francesco Petrarch. The Petrarchan sonnet is the original sonnet structure developed by Italian poet Francesco Petrarch. To reiterate, here are the main characteristics of this sonnet form:.
The following poem was written by famed 19th-century English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In this highly romantic Petrarchan sonnet, the speaker is enumerating the many ways she loves someone. Title page for Shakespeare's sonnet collection, first published in The Shakespearean sonnet is arguably the most famous sonnet form and was developed by William Shakespeare , who wrote more than sonnets using this structure. This eloquently written poem perhaps best encapsulates the Shakespearean sonnet form.
Here, Shakespeare compares the transient beauty of a young man to a tranquil, warm summer day. While the Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnet forms are indisputably the most famous and most popular kinds of sonnets, several other sonnet structure types do exist.
Portrait of Edmund Spenser. The Spenserian sonnet is a sonnet form named for 16th-century English poet Edmund Spenser , who introduced this structure in his collection of sonnets titled Amoretti. The Spenserian sonnet is extremely similar to the Shakespearean sonnet. The main difference is the rhyme scheme: whereas the Shakespearean rhyme scheme introduces a new rhyme in each quatrain, the Spenserian sonnet carries over the latter rhyme from the previous quatrain in a chain rhyme: abab bcbc cdcd ee.
Like both the Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets, Spenserian sonnets are normally written in iambic pentameter. Here is an example of a Spenserian sonnet, written by Edmund Spenser himself. Portrait of a young John Milton. The Miltonic sonnet was named for 17th-century English poet John Milton , who is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. While this sonnet form is mostly the same as that of the Petrarchan sonnet it uses the Petrarchan rhyme scheme of abba abba cde cde , Miltonic sonnets use enjambment to offer a more compact, interconnected presentation of the thoughts being expressed.
Enjambment is when a sentence, thought, or phrase continues beyond a line in poetry without pause. The terza rima sonnet is named for a poetic convention called terza rima, which is a three-line stanza that uses a chain rhyme the carrying over of the rhyme used in a previous stanza.
The rhyme scheme of the terza rima sonnet is aba bcb cdc ded followed by a rhyming couplet that usually echoes the first rhyme of the poem: aa.
Here is an example of a terza rima sonnet written by renowned American poet Robert Frost. From the earliest sonnets of 14th-century Italy to sonnets written today, every sonnet is a part of this great tradition. Whether obediently following the rules for rhythm and rhyme scheme or flouting those rules to break new ground and shake things up, every sonneteer has to, in some measure, reckon with the poets who have come before him.
Shakespeare's famous Sonnet , for example, plays on and against the tradition of love sonnets that idealize the women they take as their subjects. Like all traditions, the demands of the sonnet can be both limiting and liberating, but they can never be ignored.
Anita Weingarten holds a Master's Degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh, and has been writing professionally since Her writing experience ranges from technical manuals and marketing materials to guides designed to help young people understand classic literature. What Kind of Poem Is "Sonnet "? Four Forms of Chinese Poetry. I enjoy the extra challenge of picking three or four words and trying to use them over and over again in my poem.
The title comes last. Usually I pick a line from poem that conveys the right feeling but you can pick anything you want for your title. If you prefer to linger over language and paint the page purple, you may want to stick to free verse. Either way writing a sonnet may prove to be the challenge, exercise or game that your looking for to enliven your writing, reinvigorate your poetry or just brighten your afternoon. There is so much to writing a sonnet that this is acutally a brief explanation.
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