Sonnets
SHAKESPEARE
Sonnet
 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter
 Iambic pentameter=10 syllable lines with a
stressed and then unstressed rhythm
Terms
 Sonnet- 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter
 Iambic Pentameter-10-syllable lines with a stressed
and then unstressed beat
 Stanza- a division in poetry, usually of more than
two lines
 Sestet-a stanza of six lines in poetry
 Quatrain- a stanza of four lines in poetry
 Octave- a stanza of eight lines in poetry
 Couplet- a stanza of two rhyming lines in poetry
 Heroic Couplet- a stanza of two rhyming lines in
poetry written in iambic pentameter
Form

Sonnets are divided into two sections
1. Problem/Conflict/Dilemma


Presents the theme and raises an issue or doubt.
The problem is not usually a physical problem, but
more a moral or spiritual dilemma
2. Solution/Resolution


Answers the question, resolves the problem, or
drives home the poem’s point
The transition between part 1 and part 2 is called the
TURN; it helps move forward the emotional action of
the poem quickly
Italian Sonnet
 Named the Petrarchan Sonnet after its inventor,
Francesco Petrarch
 Generally refers to a concept of unattainable
love
 Generally depicts the lady as a form of
inspiration
 Rhyme Scheme= abba abba cde cde
 the cde cde pattern varies greatly from sonnet to
sonnet; other common sestet forms are cde dce and
cdc dcd
Italian Sonnet
 The conflict or problem is developed in the
first 8 lines
 Referred to as the Octave
 The Solution/resolution is presented in the
last 6 lines
 Referred to as the Sestet
English Sonnet
 Named after William Shakespeare, the most
prolific sonnet writer of all time
 Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, a collection
called his Sonnet Sequence
Shakespeare’s Sonnet Sequence
 Shakespeare’s sonnets are divided into the
following sections:
 1-17—written to a young man, urging him to marry
and have children so he can pass his beauty on to
successive generations
 18-126—addressed to the young man, expressing his
love for him (Sonnets 1-126 are referred to as the Fair
Youth sonnets)
 127-152-written to the poet’s mistress, expressing his
love for her (referred to a the Dark Lady sonnets)
 153-154-addressed to the Rival Poet (allegorical in
nature)
Form
 Rhyme Scheme= abab cdcd efef gg
 These sonnets are divided into 3 Quatrains (4-line
stanzas) with a final couplet (2 rhyming lines of poetry)
 The final couplet is called a heroic couplet because it is
written in iambic pentameter
 Problem/Conflict/Dilemma developed in the first
12 lines
 Solution/Resolution completed in the final 2 lines
(the heroic couplet)
Themes
 Love
 Beauty
 Mortality
 Politics