The
Shakespearean
Sonnet
English I Honors
Mrs. Groomer
What is the purpose and
goal of this lesson?
PURPOSE:
To learn about the style, rhyme scheme, and
meter of the Shakespearian Sonnet.
GOAL:
At completion, you will be able to recognize and identify
the style, rhyme scheme, and format of the
Shakespearian Sonnet, and – wait for it –
YOU WILL WRITE YOUR OWN SONNET!
Pretty Cool, huh?
…but why do I have to
learn this stuff?
IT’S SIMPLE…
Sonnets are full of romantic language and
emotion.
Writing sonnets forces us to use words in ways we never
imagined – it helps us develop better thinking and
communication skills.
Besides, there are lots of references to sonnets in our
society today, like music.
At any rate, HERE WE GO!!!
Our first objective is to learn what
a sonnet is and how many lines of
verse it contains.
YOU CAN DO THIS!
Sonnet means “little song.”
It has 14 lines of rhymed verse,
so it really is like a “little song.”
Those 14 lines, however, are
arranged in a specific way.
In a Shakespearean Sonnet, the 14 lines
are arranged as follows:
3 quatrains
+
1 couplet
What is a quatrain, you ask…
A QUATRAIN has 4 lines
(The root QUAD means FOUR- Get it?)
A COUPLET has 2 lines
(That’s right - COUPLE means TWO. Boy, you’re fast)
Let’s do the math!
A sonnet has 3 quatrains and 1 couplet.
A quatrain is four lines and a couplet is two lines.
3 x 4 + 2 = 14
A sonnet is 14 lines long.
Our next objective is to define
iambic pentameter
First, it is pronounced
EYE-AM-BICK PEN-TA-ME-TER
Basically, it is a line of poetry that is 10 syllables long.
All sonnets are written in
iambic pentameter
This means that each of the 14 lines in a
sonnet has exactly 10 syllables.
For example…
“I waked, she fled
And day brought back my night.”
Which of the following is NOT
written in iambic pentameter?
 My lover’s eyes are of the deepest blue.
 Filled with sad tales of true love once denied.
 All shaded and shadowed with different hues.
 Of desire once free that is now confined.
Which of the following is NOT
written in iambic pentameter?
 My lover’s eyes are of the deepest blue.
 Filled with sad tales of true love once denied.
 All shaded and shadowed with different hues.
 Of desire once free that is now confined.
GOOD JOB!
Our final objective is to
recognize the rhyme scheme
of a Shakespearean Sonnet.
Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets.
All Shakespearean sonnets follow a
specific rhyme scheme.
Let’s take a look…
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
A
A
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
B
B
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
C
C
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
D
D
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
E
E
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
F
F
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
G
G
Below is the prologue to
“Romeo & Juliet”
See if you can identify the rhyme scheme…
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
Did you recognize
the rhyme scheme?
ABABCDCDEFEFGG
Did you notice the arrangement of 3 quatrains…
ABAB – CDCD – EFEF
and 1 couplet?
GG
Did you catch the iambic pentameter of 10
syllables per line?
AWESOME, RIGHT?
Are you ready to write
your own sonnet?
GREAT!
Your group will work together to write a sonnet.
You must follow all the rules of the
Shakespearean Sonnet.
You must present your sonnet to the class
using the medium of your choice.
GOOD LUCK!