Questions & Cues
Notes
Types of poetry continued
What is a sonnet?
Sonnet
What are sonnets about?
A sonnet is a 14-line poem that began in Europe as early
as the sixteenth century (1500’s). Sonnets were used by
men to court or woo ladies. They are generally about
love.
What are the various types
of sonnets?
Two types of sonnets:
What is a rhyme scheme?
Summary
DATE
Italian (or Petrarchan)
This sonnet falls into two main parts, an octave (the first
eight lines) and a sestet (the last six lines). The rhyme
scheme for a Petrarchan Sonnet is as follows:
a
b
b
a
b
b
a
c
d
c
c
d
c
Questions & Cues
Notes
Sonnets continued…
DATE
Shakespearean (or English) Sonnet
Is this similar to the
Petrarchan Sonnet?
What is a quatrain?
What is the rhyme scheme?
What is a couplet?
Summary
Like the Petrarchan Sonnet, these sonnets are generally
about love.
This sonnet contains three quatrains (four lines with
similar rhyming pattern) and ends with a rhyming couplet
(two lines that rhyme together).
The rhyme scheme for a Shakespearean Sonnet is as
follows:
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g