A sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric poem with a single theme. Each line in a sonnet is usually in iambic pentameter—five
groups of two syllables, each with the accent on the second syllable.
Sonnets take definite forms:
The Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet is divided into:
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an eight-line octave, rhyming abba abba,
followed by a six-line sestet, rhyming cdecde.
often, the octave poses a problem that is answered in the sestet.
Example:
The Shakespearean (English) sonnet uses a variation of the sonnet form, a variation that has since been named after
him. Like other sonnets, a Shakespearean sonnet has fourteen lines, with five iambic feet to the line (an iambic foot is
an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one). Unlike Petrarchan and Spenserian sonnets,
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a Shakespearean sonnet follows the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg, giving it this structure:
three quatrains, or four-line stanzas
a rhyming couplet—often a dramatic statement that resolves, restates, or redefines the central problem of the
sonnet
notice the artful way in which Shakespeare uses the first twelve lines of each sonnet to present a problem that
he resolves or restates in the couplet.
Example:
Practice (this is what I will ask you to do on the quiz!):
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2.
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4.
Identify the type of sonnet that is found below.
Paraphrase the following sonnet (line by line)
Identify any figurative language (metaphors, similes, personification)
Write a purpose statement for the sonnet: The purpose of this sonnet is to _______. In the blank, write the
theme or lesson.
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.
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.
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.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
Paraphrase:
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
In me you can see that time of year
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
When a few yellow leaves or none at all hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
On the branches, shaking against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
Bare ruins of church choirs where lately the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
In me you can see only the dim light that remains
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
After the sun sets in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Which is soon extinguished by black night,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
The image of death that envelops all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
I am like a glowing ember
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
Lying on the dying flame of my youth,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
As on the death bed where it must finally expire,
Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.
Consumed by that which once fed it.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
This you sense, and it makes your love more determined
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
Causing you to love that which you must give up before long.
Answers:
1. Shakespearean
2. See Above
3.
black night (7): a metaphor for death itself. As 'black night' closes in around the remaining light of the day, so too does
death close in around the poet.
Autumn/Tree: the author uses the metaphor of autumn to stand for his progression in years. Just like the leaves change
and fall from the trees, the author has changed and lost his youth.
4. The purpose of this sonnet is to suggest that the speaker’s lover will love him more, the older he gets, because
his physical ageing will remind him that he will die soon.
Possible Confusion:
that (12): i.e., the poet's desires.
This (14): i.e., the demise of the poet's youth and passion.
To love that well (12): The poet is saying that the young man now is aware of the poet's imminent demise, and this knowledge
makes the young man's love for the poet stronger because he might soon lose him.