Sonnets in Songs
Definition:
 From Latin sonus – sound; Italian - sonetto - song
 14 line verse form
 Conventional rhyme scheme
 Usually examines and juxtaposes two contrasting ideas either to resolve or reveal tensions between them
 They are a technical and accomplished form of poetry with roots in the Renaissance
 Typically they have been written about love
Shakespearean
 Iambic pentameter
 Quatrain (groups of 4 lines) - abab / cdcd / efef
 Couplet (final two lines) - gg
 Each quatrain develops specific idea
 All quatrains linked
 Placement of volta is flexible
 Couplet is usually a decisive closing statement
Petrarchan
 Iambic pentameter (unstressed – stressed syllable, repeated 5 times in line)
 Octave (first 8 lines) - abbaabba
 Sestet (remaining 6 lines) can include any of the following:
 cdcdcd
 cddcdc
 cdecde
 cdeced
 cdcedc
 poem divided into two sections offering two different rhyme groups
 octave forms ‘proposition’ or problem; sestet forms ‘resolution’
 volta (turn) at line 9 – introduction of 2 nd idea / change of subject matter
/ problem to resolution
What implication does this have for our study?
 It is a complex and elevated form of poetry – how does this link with the subject matter of the sonnets in Songs?
 A fruitful area of exploration is to look at any links between rhyming words in the sonnets
 Also, consider where the volta comes and what this introduces
 Think about the effect of the couplet (Shakespearean)
 Be aware of any disruption to the metre
 Any break of pattern is significant and worthy of comment
Further details on sonnet form: http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/sonnet.html