Literary Terms:
● Sonnet-14 line lyric poem with a single theme
(love)
● Iamb- A pattern of sounds-unaccented, accented
● Pentameter-5 meters per line of poetry
● Quatrain-4 lines of poetry in a stanza
● Couplet- 2 lines of poetry in a stanza
● Iambic Pentameter- 5 Iambs per line of poetry (10
syllables)
● Turn- Change in state of mind or mood
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Usually written in a sequence (linked by common
theme or Subject)
Originated in Italy. Petrarch, a 14th c. Italian
poet, was the first to write sonnets. The subject of
his sonnets was a ladynamed Laura.
Sonnets were later refined by English poets like
Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets,
most of which were written in iambic pentameter.
Petrarchan Style
● divided into 8- line octave (raises a question)
6- line sestet (gives a response)
Shakespearean Style
● 3 quatrains-each make a point about the subject
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Sonnet ends in a couplet-sums up the main point
about the subject
His sonnets were a series of short poems
addressed to a young man, a rival poet, and a
mysterious lady.
Young man- to warn about time, old age, death, &
moral weakness* Also gave advice on marriage
and children*
25 sonnets were addressed to the mysterious lady
Universal question discussed- life, love, death,
time
Shakespeare’s Sonnet Study Guide
1. Shakespeare wrote _______ sonnets.
2. To whom are most of the sonnets written?
3. What advice does Shakespeare give this person? Cite a specific
example from one of the sonnets. Include the which sonnet and the
line number.
4.Twenty-five sonnets are addressed to whom?
5.Some of the sonnets are also addressed to another person. Who is
this person?
6.What is Shakespeare’s relationship with the person to whom the
twenty-five sonnets are addressed? (Probably)
7.What universal questions are discussed in the sonnets?
8.Define “universal question.”
Sonnet 73
1. To what three things does the speaker compare himself?
2.How does the speaker resemble each of these things?
3.What, in your opinion, is the speaker’s attitude toward death?
Why do you feel this way?
Sonnet 116
1. According to this sonnet, what is love not?
2.How long does love last?
3.Write your own definition of love.
Sonnet 130
1.Describe the appearance of the speaker’s mistress. Cite specific
lines.
2.What does the speaker think about their love?
Sonnet 18
1. Give one way the person in the poem is like a summer’s day.
2.In the last line, what is THIS?
3.How will the subject of the poem be immortalized?
Sonnet 29
1. How does the speaker feel at the beginning of the poem?
2.What does the speaker envy in other people?
3.How does the speaker change?
4.Why does the speaker change?
Sonnet 138
1.What lie does his mistress tell?
2.What lie does he pretend to believe?
3.Do the lies hurt anyone? Explain your answer.
For each sonnet, write the meaning of each quatrain and the
theme of each couplet
Sonnet
130
116
73
29
138
Quatrain 1
Quatrain 2
Quatrain 3
Quatrain 4
Couplet
18
For the sonnet(s) you have been assigned, define each of the
terms listed below, tell the line where you found an example of
the term (if one is found in the sonnet), and the meaning of the
line in the sonnet.
Term
Compare
Contrast
Simile
Metaphor
Alliteration
Consonance
Imagery
Speaker
Definition
Line
Meaning
Theme
Rhyme Scheme
Shakespeare Sonnet Project
Understanding The Sonnets
1. Match Shakespeare’s wording to the modern wording by placing
the sentence strip (modern) over Shakespeare’s wording.
2.Write the modern meaning of the word or phrase on your study
sheet (Copy of Shakespeare’s Sonnet)
Researching Shakespeare #1
1. Go to www.shakespeare.com
2. Go to Shakespeare’s World
3. Select a topic (Daily life, Medicine, etc.)
4.Click on that topic
5.On your index card, write your name, Shakespeare’s World, and
your topic
6.List 5 points you learned about your topic- include information
from the entire article
7. If you have time, select a second topic and repeat the directions
Researching Shakespeare #2
1. Go to www.shakespeare.com
2.Go to Shakespeare’s Work
3. Select a topic (Ethical, Music, Poetic, Dramatic, etc.)
4.Click on that topic
5.On your index card, write your name, Shakespeare’s World, and
your topic
6.List 5 points you learned about your topic- include information
from the entire article
7. If you have time, select a second topic and repeat the directions
Video
1. Watch the selected video
2. Write a summary of what you watched-be sure to include
important facts
Study Questions
1. Answer the study questions from your study guide.
2.Complete the sonnet charts by writing a summary of the quatrains
and the rhyming couplets
3.Complete the chart for the literary terms- complete for the
sonnet(s) your group was assigned
Independent Work
1. Select a topic for your original sonnet
2.List three points you want to make about your topic (to discuss in
quatrains)
3.Tell the main point you want to make (to discuss in the rhyming
couplet)
4.Start writing your sonnet