SONNETS
how meaning is revealed through structure
AND an easy introduction to Shakespeare
What is the purpose & goal
of this lesson?
PURPOSE:
To learn about the styles, rhyme scheme, meter
and format of various types of sonnets and HOW these
features contribute to the meaning of the sonnet.
GOAL:
At the completion of this lesson,
you will be able to recognize and identify
the styles, rhyme scheme, and format of
Shakespearean, Spenserian, and Petrarchan sonnets.
Sonnet means “little song.”
• It is made up of 14 lines of rhymed verse in
iambic pentameter.
• Rhyme scheme is the pattern of end rhyme in
a poem.
• It is charted by assigning a letter of the
alphabet, beginning with the letter A, to
each line.
The rhyme scheme and arrangement of those 14
lines determine the type of sonnet.
Sonnets are rhymed verses written in
iambic pentameter.
• “Iambic” describes the foot of poetry.
• An iamb is a foot, or measure, that has two
syllables.
• Of those two syllables, the first syllable is
unstressed (not emphasized) while the second
syllable is stressed (emphasized).
• “Pentameter” means that there are five feet in
each line of poetry.
• Do the math:
• 2 syllables per foot X 5 feet per line =
10 syllables per line
English Sonnets
•Shakespeare wrote over 150
sonnets!
•English Sonnets are also known as
Shakespearean, or Elizabethan, sonnets because
he was such a prolific writer of the form, and he
wrote during the age of Queen Elizabeth. We
will use these words interchangeably.
Shakespearean, or English, sonnets are made up of
3 QUATRAINS AND 1 COUPLET:
• A QUATRAIN has 4 lines
• (You know, the root QUAT means FOUR)
• A COUPLET is 2 lines
• (Same idea, a COUPLE is made of TWO)
• Do the math: 3 quatrains x 4 lines each quatrain
+2 lines = 14 !
Each verse has a different purpose for revealing the meaning
of the sonnet:
•
•
•
•
1st Quatrain—introduces the situation
2nd Quatrain—explores the situation
3rd Quatrain—a shift of thought or a turn
Couplet—resolves the situation
In addition to its structure, a Shakespearean sonnet has
a unique rhyme scheme.
Check out the poem below, paying attention to rhyme scheme.
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone besmear'd with sluttish time.
A
B
A
B
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
C
D
C
D
'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
E
F
E
F
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lover’s eyes.
G
G
Try to identify the rhyme scheme and characteristics
of a Shakespearean sonnet.
Look at this poem, which was not actually written by Shakespeare
but was composed by a student.
There are times I look at you and I see,
All our fights and times of unhappiness,
At times I see love between you and me,
and them I wonder what caused such a mess.
I love you more than you will ever know,
You took my heart and opened up my eyes,
You helped me to put away my sorrow,
Your love helped me to spread my wings and fly.
If you only knew how you make me feel,
You stole my heart and I gave you my soul,
Wrapped in your arms it feels so surreal,
It is this love that makes my life feel full.
I now know how it feels to be in love,
You are my angel sent from high above.
Do you see why it can still be considered an English sonnet, even though it wasn’t
written by Shakespeare?
Did you recognize that Shakespearean sonnets
have a rhyme scheme of
ABABCDCDEFEFGG?
Did you also notice that these letters show that there are 3
quatrains
ABAB ~ CDCD ~ EFEF
and one couplet ~ GG?
What about the iambic pentameter?
Did you see how all lines consisted of 10 syllables?
FEEL FREE TO GO BACK TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN
Are you ready for a question to test your skill?
Feel free to take a moment to review the characteristics of a
Shakespearean sonnet one more time.
If not, you can move on.
EITHER WAY, YOU CAN DO THIS!
Directions: Read the question carefully, choose the best answer,
then click on the arrow that indicates your choice.
Which best describes the characteristics of a Shakespearean
sonnet?
An English sonnet with an ABABBCBCCDCDEE rhyme scheme
A English sonnet with 3 quatrains & and couplet
with an ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
An English sonnet with an octave and a sestet
and an ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
An English sonnet with an ABABCDCDFFFFGG rhyme scheme
A Shakespearean sonnet is an English
sonnet that has 3 quatrains and a
couplet, and it also has an
ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme!
Click here to go to the next slide.
Sorry, you are incorrect.
THINK AND TRY AGAIN.
To go back to the beginning of the
Shakespearean section to review, click here
Click here to go right back to the question.
Spenserian sonnets are another type of English sonnets;
however, these are named for Edmund Spenser, who is
considered the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse
and one of the greatest poets in the English language.
Spenserian sonnets, too, are made up of
3 QUATRAINS AND 1 COUPLET
and written in iambic pentameter.
His rhyme scheme was different he created
ABABBCBCCDCDEE.
This sonnet was more difficult to write.
The 4 B’s and 3 C’s meant that he had to find four words that
rhymed together, made sense, and went with the flow of the
poem.
Definitely not an easy task!
Check out the poem below.
Look closely to the last word in each line. See the difference?
Of this worlds theatre in which we stay,
A
My love like the spectator idly sits
B
Beholding me that all the pageants play,
A
Disguising diversely my troubled wits.
B
Sometimes I joy when glad occasion fits,
B
And mask in mirth like to a comedy:
C
Soon after when my joy to sorrow flits,
B
I wail and make my woes a tragedy.
C
Yet she, beholding me with constant eye,
C
Delights not in my mirth nor rues my smart:
D
But when I laugh she mocks, and when I cry
C
She laughs and hardens evermore her heart.
D
What then can move her? If nor mirth nor moan,E
She is no woman, but a senseless stone.
E
Even though this was not written by Edmund Spenser,
it is still considered a Spenserian poem!
To be in heaven for one more moment
With my sweetest angel of desire.
To be fused in his wings on an ascent
From reality and earthly ire.
I long to flee the eternal fire
That blazes and combusts deep within me….
And get lost in his orbs of sapphire
And find my wand’ring soul where it should beOn a still cloud on the edge of the sea
Where I escape the cold, incessant rain…
A place where I can finally run free,
Where passion and unconditional love reigns.
How I long to lie in my paradise
With my wondrous angel, my guiding light.
A
B
A
B
B
C
B
C
C
D
C
D
E
E
Do you see the rhyme scheme, iambic pentameter,
the 3 quatrains and the couplet?
Did you recognize that Spenserian sonnets
have a rhyme scheme of
ABABBCBCCDCDEE?
Did you also notice that these letters show that there are 3
quatrains
ABAB ~ BCBC ~ CDCD
and one couplet ~ EE?
What about the iambic pentameter?
FEEL FREE TO PRESS THE BACK ARROW TO LOOK AT IT
AGAIN IF YOU NEED TO BECAUSE WE ARE READY FOR
ANOTHER SKILLS QUESTION!
Directions: Read the question carefully, choose the best answer,
then click on the arrow that indicates your choice.
Which best describes the characteristics of a Spenserian sonnet?
An English sonnet with 3 quatrains and a couplet and
ABABBCBCCDCDEE rhyme scheme
A English sonnet with 3 quatrains & and couplet
with an ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
An English sonnet with an octave and a sestet
and an ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
An English sonnet with an ABABCDCDEEFFGG rhyme scheme
CORRECT!
A Spenserian sonnet:
•is an English sonnet
•has 3 quatrains and a couplet
•has an ABABBCBCCDCDEE rhyme scheme
Let’s go to the next slide…
Sorry, you are incorrect…
WHY DON’T YOU TRY AGAIN?
To go back to the beginning of the
Spenserian section to review, click here
Click here to go right back to the question.
Petrarchan sonnets are Italian sonnets because
Francesco Petrarch, an Italian poet, modified
the English sonnet and created his own. His
sonnet differ in both structure and rhyme
scheme from Shakespearean sonnets.
English vs. Italian Sonnets
•The Italian sonnet contains 1 OCTAVE and 1 SESTET
• Remember, an OCTopus has EIGHT legs
• SES is similar to the Spanish word seis for 6
•Do the math: 8 + 6 = 14!
•And, the rhyme scheme is very different:
• ABBAABBA CDECDE (or some variation of CDE
rhymes)
The Petrarchan rhyme scheme is very different:
Doth any maiden seek the glorious fame
Of chastity, of strength, of courtesy?
Gaze in the eyes of that sweet enemy
Whom all the world doth as my lady name!
How honor grows, and pure devotion's flame,
How truth is joined with graceful dignity,
There thou may'st learn, and what the path may be B
To that high heaven which doth her spirit claim;
There learn soft speech, beyond all poet's skill,
And softer silence, and those holy ways
Unutterable, untold by human heart.
But the infinite beauty that all eyes doth fill,
This none can copy! since its lovely rays
Are given by God's pure grace, and not by art.
A
B
B
A
A
B
A
C
D
E
C
D
E
Do you see how this could also be very difficult to write?
Petrarchan sonnets have a completely different rhyme scheme:
ABBAABBACDECDE
The structure & division of stanzas is also very different:
•One octave (8 lines) of ABBAABBA
•and one sestet (6 lines) of CDECDE
An OCTAVE is 8 lines
•The OCTAVE establishes the speaker’s situation
A SESTET has 6 lines
•SES is similar to the Spanish word seis for 6
•The SESTET resolves, draws conclusions about, or reacts to
Italian sonnets are still written in iambic pentameter, but did you notice
that some lines did not have exactly 10 syllables?
•The sonnet was written in iambic pentameter in the Italian language,
but when it was translated into English, it did not maintain the exact
syllable count.
HERE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE TO HELP YOU…
Hear is a more familiar example of a Petrarchan sonnet:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. A
I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightB
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight B
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. A
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old grief, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,C
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,D
I shall but love thee better after death.
A
A
B
B
C
D
E
E
Though this is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning,
it is still considered to be a Petrarchan sonnet.
Why?
Petrarchan or Italian Sonnet
•Did you see the rhyme scheme?
ABBAABBACDECDE?
•Did you identify the octave and the sestet?
•What is the speaker’s situation that is established
in the octave?
•What is the response to that situation in the sestet?
Now, are you ready for a skills question?
If so, move forward.
If not, you can go back and take a better look.
Directions: Read the question carefully, choose the best answer,
YOU MUST click on the arrow that indicates your choice.
Which of the following best describes the characteristics of a
Petrarchan sonnet, based on what you learned?
An English sonnet with 3 quatrains and a couplet and
ABABBCBCCDCDEE rhyme scheme
A Italian sonnet with 3 quatrains & and couplet
with an ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
An Italian sonnet with an octave and a sestet
and an ABBAABBACDECDE rhyme scheme
An Italian sonnet with an ABBAACCACDECDE rhyme scheme
with an octave and a sestet
RIGHT!
A Petrarchan sonnet is an Italian
sonnet that has 1 octave and 1 sestet
and also has an ABBAABBACDECDE
rhyme scheme!
Let’s go to the next slide…
Incorrect…
LET’S TRY AGAIN…
Here is a hint:
Petrarchan sonnets are vastly different from
Shakespearean and Spenserian sonnets.
To go back to the beginning of the
Petrarchan section to review, click here
Click here to go right back to the question.
Test your knowledge again?;
This is an easy one.
If you are unsure, you can go back and review.
If you are ready, go to the next screen.
Directions: Read the question carefully. Choose the
best answer, then click on the arrow
that indicates your choice.
Which is NOT a possible combination of lines in a sonnet?
an octave and a sestet
an octave and a couplet
three quatrains and a couplet
An octave (8 lines) and a couplet (2 lines) would only
equal 10 lines.
And we know a sonnet contains 14!
Now that you have mastered this, let’s move on…
Sorry, you are incorrect.
It’s okay. Let’s try again.
HERE’S A HINT:
Remember, the combination of lines
in a sonnet must equal 14.
Click here to go back to the question.
How do the sonnets compare/contrast?
Let me count the ways!
Shakespearean Sonnet
Rhyme Scheme:
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
•Composed of 3 quatrains &
1 couplet
•Known as English sonnets
• Written in iambic pentameter
(10 syllables per line)
•Contains 14 lines
•Contains connotation
•Composed of an octave and
sestet
•Known as an Italian sonnet
Rhyme Scheme:
ABBAABBACDECDE
Petrarchan Sonnet
Spenserian Sonnet
Rhyme Scheme:
A
B
A
B
B
C
B
C
C
D
C
D
E
E
Now, use the notes you’ve taken to
analyze the poems in your flipbook.
For each of the 3 poems, annotate
to show evidence of:
1) form
2) structure (couplet, octave,
quatrains, sestet)
3) rhyme scheme
4) meaning