Name: __________________ Period: __
1. How many lines are in a sonnet?
2. How are the lines divided?
3. What meter is used?
4. What is an iamb?
5. What does iambic pentameter mean?
6. What is the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet?
7. The Shakespearean sonnet begins with what?
8. What is a “turn” in a sonnet?
9. What is the chief topic of all 154 Shakespearean sonnets?
EXAMPLE of a Shakespearean Sonnet:
Shakespearean Sonnet
Sonnet # 19
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 ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Now, it’s your turn to become Shakespeare!
Now, you are to write an original sonnet. Here are the requirements:
 14 lines
 Iambic pentameter
 ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme
 Subject is romantic love
 Starts with a question or problem
 Contains a turn (indicated by “but” or “so”)
 Ends with a strong conclusion
Use the grid below as a workplace to devise your sonnet. When you have worked out the
correct number of syllables per line, type your final copy.
U
/
U
/
U
/
U
/
U
/
1
A
2
B
3
A
4
B
5
C
6
D
7
C
8
D
9
E
10
F
11
E
12
F
13
G
14
G
Name: _______________________ Grade You Earned: __________
Sonnet Evaluation: I can grade myself!
Complete the following form and hand in with your sonnet.
Does your sonnet have:
____ 1. 14 lines
____ 2. iambic pentameter
____ 3. rhyme scheme (show me)
A.
B.
A.
B.
C.
D.
C.
D.
E.
F.
E.
F.
G.
G.
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_____________
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____ 4. Subject Matter about Love (explain it): ________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
___ 5. A turn or a twist (explain): ___________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
___ 6. Verbal cleverness (Give the example and identify type, e.g., pun, personification, oxymoron, hyperbole, etc.)
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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If you have done the above, give yourself a “B.” For each of the following, add half a letter grade. For
example, B +1 = B+; B + 2 = A- ; B + 3 = A.
___ 7. Surprising Opening (tell me how it’s “catchy”) ___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
___ 8. An example of imagery (point it out)_______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
___ 9. A sound device other than rhythm or rhyme (name by type and example. For instance: alliteration- sweet smelling.):
_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________