HOW TO WRITE A
SHAKESPEAREAN
SONNET
The man who writes a good
love sonnet needs not only to
be enamored of a woman, but
also to be enamored of the
sonnet.
~C.S. Lewis~
Let’s start by brainstorming. Make sure you have a paper and
pencil handy. A good eraser is also recommended! Now, let’s
begin. What do you want to say in your sonnet? A lot of
sonnets pertain to love in some way, but yours doesn’t have
to. If you are having trouble coming up with some ideas, here
are some things to think about:
-school
-seasons
-jealousy
-forgiveness
-loving from afar
-not loving someone back
-sports
-losing a loved one
-falling in love
-a pet
-a problem
-an emotion
Now that you have your topic, think of a metaphor that you want to
use throughout your sonnet. Try to think of something that wouldn’t
normally be compared to your topic, and then figure out ways that
they are similar. Once you have your metaphor and how you want to
compare it to your topic, write it down so you don’t forget it later.
Try to avoid tired metaphors and come up with some originals!
Instead of “His eyes were black as night” try “his eyes
glittered coal”
Instead of “Her lips were red as roses” try “Heaven
painted her crimson lips”
Work on vivid words and avoid ordinary linking verbs such
as are, was, were, is, can, be, etc.
Now that you know all the different sections of the
Shakespearean sonnet and understand how each one
functions, you’re almost ready to write one of your own. We
just need to go over a few things about style and form first.
All Shakespearean sonnets require the following stylistically:
1. 3 quatrains
2. 1 couplet
3. 14 lines
4. ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
5. Iambic pentameter
Quatrain #1: These four lines introduce the main
metaphor and theme of the sonnet.
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
Here, we find out that this poem is about a man who’s
growing old. He’s comparing his life to the changing of the
seasons. The year is coming to a close as fall slowly gives way
to winter, and so too is his life. In the first line he makes it
clear that he is addressing another person, as he uses the
word “thou.” This is the first stage of the sonnet’s argument.
Quatrain #2: The metaphor and the theme are continued and a
creative illustration is usually given to further the ideas of the
first quatrain.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
We see the same theme continued here, only now the
man has shifted from comparing himself to the end of the
year to the end of a day. He has narrowed down his
argument from a year to a day. This makes the poem
seem more urgent because days pass much more quickly
than years do. The creative example we see here is the
reference to night being “death’s second self.”
Quatrain #3: This is where your turn occurs. This is where
you reflect on your topic, take it in a new direction, or
extend your metaphor in an unexpected way.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
Here, the argument continues and the metaphor shifts to
something even more fleeting than a day—a dying fire.
Couplet: These two lines summarize the entire sonnet and give
the reader something new to think about. They often act as the
“thesis” of the poem.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
Here, Shakespeare does not continue with another
metaphor. The speaker explains that the reason the other
person loves him so strongly is because he/she knows that
the speaker will soon die. They must experience all the love
they can now, before he passes away. This acts as the
thesis because he states that their love is strong, and uses
the first three quatrains to tell us why their love is strong.
Now poets. . .
 Write your own sonnet!
Congratulations! You’ve just written your own
Shakespearean sonnet! Now remember, just because
you’ve finished doesn’t mean you’re done. Good writing
is all about revision.
The next slide will give you some
ways revise it and give it that
Renaissance flair!
Write like a Shakespearean!

If you have an extra syllable in a line, do what Shakespeare does: take
out a vowel or two and replace with an apostrophe. Growest = grow’st
 Need and extra syllable? Add a diacritical mark worked = worked
 Make sure the last word in the line is easy to rhyme
Throw in some Elizabethan pronouns
 You = Thy, Thine, Thee
 Your = Thou
 My = Mine
 Add a literary apostrophe by addressing an inanimate object with `O ;
for example, `O, thy beautiful textbook!
 And if you are really creative, try to invert a sentence by changing the
order of the words. This also may help if you are stuck on trying to figure
out a rhyme.
“My heart will love you always” becomes
“Always will mine heart love thee.”
Assignment
 Write your sonnet and make sure you have the
following:
 14 lines (3 quatrains and a couplet)
 Rhyme scheme abab/cdcd/efef/gg
 10 syllables per line in an iambic pattern if
possible
 Interesting metaphor(s), vivid verbs,
Shakespearean pronouns (thy, thou, thee, etc.
 Using pencil, check your sonnet by filling it in on
the grid that is the back of your Sonnet 18
worksheet.