ENGLISH IV
THE SONNET
FEATURES OF THE SONNET:
• “SONNET” IS FROM THE LATIN “SONETTO,” WHICH MEANS LITTLE
SONG OR SOUND.
• SONNETS HAVE 14 LINES WRITTEN IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER.
• SONNETS HAVE A STRICT RHYME SCHEME THAT WILL DEPEND ON THE
FORM USED (MORE INFORMATION PROVIDED LATER IN THE NOTES).
• THERE ARE TWO MAIN FORMS OF SONNETS: PETRARCHAN AND
SHAKESPEAREAN.
• ALL OTHER SONNET FORMS ARE BASED ON THESE TWO FORMS.
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
• IAMBIC PENTAMETER CONSISTS OF FIVE METRICAL UNITS (FEET)
CONSISTING OF ONE UNSTRESSED SYLLABLE FOLLOWED BY ONE
STRESSED SYLLABLE.
• UNSTRESSED AND STRESSED SYLLABLES ARE MARKED LIKE THIS:
U/ U/ U/ U/ U/
• THIS MEANS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TEN TOTAL SYLLABLES.
• EXAMPLE:
U
/
U
/
U
/
U
/
U /
ALONG THE ROADSIDE SMILING WHEN I PASS
PETRARCHAN SONNET
• NAMED AFTER THE ITALIAN POET PETRARCH
• DIVIDED INTO TWO STANZAS: ONE OCTAVE (8 LINES) AND ONE SESTET (6 LINES)
• RHYME SCHEME: ABBAABBA CDECDE OR ABBAABBA CDCDCD
• THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE IS RICH WITH RHYMING WORDS, MAKING IT MORE SUITED TO
SUCH A RHYME SCHEME.
• THE OCTAVE PRESENTS A QUESTION, ARGUMENT, OR OBSERVATION.
• THERE IS A “TURN” (CALLED
A
VOLTA)
AT THE END OF THE OCTAVE IN LINES
7 OR 8.
• THE SESTET PRESENTS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, ARGUMENT, OR
OBSERVATION.
• SIR THOMAS WYATT BROUGHT THE PETRARCHAN SONNET TO ENGLAND.
SONNET 90 ~ EXAMPLE OF A PETRARCHAN SONNET
Upon the breeze she spread her golden hair
that in a thousand gentle knots was turned,
and the sweet light beyond all measure burned
in eyes where now that radiance is rare;
and in her face there seemed to come an air
of pity, true or false, that I discerned:
I had love’s tinder in my breast unburned,
was it a wonder if it kindled there?
She moved not like a mortal, but as though
she bore an angel’s form, her words had then
a sound that simple human voices lack;
a heavenly spirit, a living sun
was what I saw; now, if it is not so,
the wound’s not healed because the bow grows slack.
SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET
• NAMED AFTER SHAKESPEARE
• ALSO CALLED THE ENGLISH SONNET
• DIVIDED INTO FOUR STANZAS: THREE QUATRAINS AND A COUPLET
• RHYME SCHEME: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
• BECAUSE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE HAS FEWER RHYMES THAN THE ITALIAN
LANGUAGE, THE MODIFIED RHYME SCHEME WORKS BETTER FOR ENGLISH.
• THE THIRD QUATRAIN CONTAINS A “TURN,” AND THE FINAL
COUPLET PROVIDES A FINAL CONCLUSION OR TURN.
SPENSERIAN SONNET
• VARIANT ON THE ENGLISH FORM
• THREE QUATRAINS AND A COUPLET
• RHYME SCHEME: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
• THE ALTERED RHYME SCHEME CREATES INTERNAL COUPLETS, WHICH
CREATES AN INTERLOCKING RHYME SCHEME.
• THE SPENSERIAN SONNET PUTS LESS OF AN EMPHASIS ON THE FINAL
COUPLET BECAUSE OF THE INTERLOCKING COUPLETS AND OVERALL
FLOW CREATED BY THE INTERLOCKING RHYME.
SONNETS WE ARE COVERING:
IN THE TEXTBOOK:
P. 326 SONNET 18 (SHAKESPEARE) - TODAY
P. 330 SONNET 130 (SHAKESPEARE) - FRIDAY
P. 320 SONNET 30 (SPENSER) - TODAY
P. 321SONNET 75 (SPENSER) - FRIDAY
SONNET 18 (SHAKESPEARE) – POETRY PACKET P.4
SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?
THOU ART MORE LOVELY AND MORE TEMPERATE:
ROUGH WINDS DO SHAKE THE DARLING BUDS OF MAY,
AND SUMMER'S LEASE HATH ALL TOO SHORT A DATE:
SOMETIME TOO HOT THE EYE OF HEAVEN SHINES,
AND OFTEN IS HIS GOLD COMPLEXION DIMM'D;
AND EVERY FAIR FROM FAIR SOMETIME DECLINES,
BY CHANCE OR NATURE'S CHANGING COURSE UNTRIMM'D;
BUT THY ETERNAL SUMMER SHALL NOT FADE
NOR LOSE POSSESSION OF THAT FAIR THOU OWEST;
NOR SHALL DEATH BRAG THOU WANDER'ST IN HIS SHADE,
WHEN IN ETERNAL LINES TO TIME THOU GROWEST:
SO LONG AS MEN CAN BREATHE OR EYES CAN SEE,
SO LONG LIVES THIS AND THIS GIVES LIFE TO THEE.
SONNET 30 (SPENSER) – POETRY PACKET P.1&3
MY LOVE IS LIKE TO ICE, AND I TO FIRE:
HOW COMES IT THEN THAT THIS HER COLD SO GREAT
IS NOT DISSOLV'D THROUGH MY SO HOT DESIRE,
BUT HARDER GROWS, THE MORE I HER ENTREAT?
OR HOW COMES IT THAT MY EXCEEDING HEAT
IS NOT DELAYED BY HER HEART FROZEN COLD,
BUT THAT I BURN MUCH MORE IN BOILING SWEAT,
AND FEEL MY FLAMES AUGMENTED MANIFOLD?
WHAT MORE MIRACULOUS THING MAY BE TOLD
THAT FIRE, WHICH ALL THING MELTS, SHOULD HARDEN ICE:
AND ICE WHICH IS CONGEALED WITH SENSELESS COLD,
SHOULD KINDLE FIRE BY WONDERFUL DEVICE?
SUCH IS THE POW'R
OF LOVE IN GENTLE MIND
THAT IT CAN ALTER ALL THE COURSE OF KIND.