Shakespearean Sonnets:
A How-To Guide
The man who writes a good
love sonnet needs not only to
be enamored of a woman, but
also to be enamored of the
sonnet.
~C.S. Lewis~
Sonnet 73
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.
On first glance, this might just seem like a regular old
poem, but we would be doing the sonnet a great injustice
if we thought that.
The sonnet is actually a carefully crafted argument that
builds in a very particular way.
There are 3 types of sonnets: Shakespearean, Petrarcan,
and Scottish
We Will focus on Shakespearean sonnets
Structure
• 14 lines
• Each line contains 10 syllables and is written
in iambic pentameter (duh-DUH-duh-DUHduh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH)
– That means 5 iambs per line!
• A-B-A-B C-D-C-D E-F-E-F G-G
• Sections:
– 3 Quatrains: 4 lines each (ABAB CDCD EFEF)
– Couplet: 2 lines (GG)
Quatrain #1: These four lines introduce the main
metaphor and theme of the sonnet.
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.
Here, we find out that this poem is about a man who’s
growing old. He’s comparing his life to the changing of the
seasons. The year is coming to a close as fall slowly gives way
to winter, and so too is his life. In the first line he makes it
clear that he is addressing another person, as he uses the
word “thou.” This is the first stage of the sonnet’s argument.
Quatrain #2: The metaphor and the theme are continued and a
creative illustration is usually given to further the ideas of the
first quatrain.
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.
We see the same theme continued here, only now the
man has shifted from comparing himself to the end of the
year to the end of a day. He has narrowed down his
argument from a year to a day. This makes the poem
seem more urgent because days pass much more quickly
than years do. The creative example we see here is the
reference to night being “death’s second self.”
Quatrain #3: Here, one of two things occurs: the metaphor is
extended, or a twist or conflict is brought into the sonnet,
known as the volta. This turn is vital and must be in the
sonnet, though some writers prefer to place this in the
closing couplet.
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.
Here, the argument continues and the metaphor shifts to
something even more fleeting than a day—a dying fire.
Shakespeare chooses not to include the volta here; he
decides to keep it for the last two lines of the poem. Let’s
take a look at it that so you can see how it functions in
the sonnet.
Couplet: These two lines summarize the entire sonnet and give
the reader something new to think about. They often act as the
“thesis” of the poem.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
Here, Shakespeare does not continue with another
metaphor. Rather, he gives us the volta that must be in the
sonnet. The speaker explains that the reason the other
person loves him so strongly is because he/she knows that
the speaker will soon die. They must experience all the love
they can now, before he passes away. This acts as the
thesis because he states that their love is strong, and uses
the first three quatrains to tell us why their love is strong.
Now that you know all the different sections of the
Shakespearean sonnet and understand how each one
functions, you’re almost ready to write one of your own.
To recap - All sonnets require the following stylistically:
1. 3 quatrains
2. 1 couplet
3. 14 lines
4. ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
5. Iambic pentameter
Let’s take one more look at Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 so that
you can see how each of these are included.
Sonnet 73
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.
Clear your desks of everything but
your notes, a pen/pencil and a sheet of paper
Time for a (sort of) pop quiz!
• What type of sonnet are we focusing on?
• How many lines are in a sonnet?
• What is the line/meter scheme in which sonnets are
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•
•
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•
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written?
How many lines are in a quatrain?
How many quatrains are in a sonnet?
In a sonnet, how many “iambs” are there in each line?
What is the rhyme scheme of a sonnet?
What is the turn or twist in a sonnet called?
The last two lines of a sonnet are called:
What is the function of the last two lines?
• EXTRA CREDIT: Name one other type of sonnet
Let’s start by brainstorming. Make sure you have a paper and
pencil handy. A good eraser is also recommended! Now, let’s
begin. What do you want to say in your sonnet? A lot of
sonnets pertain to love in some way, but yours doesn’t have
to. If you are having trouble coming up with some ideas, here
are some things to think about:
-school
-sports
-losing a loved one
-falling in love
-a pet
-a problem
-an emotion
Now that you have your topic, think of a
metaphor that you want to use throughout
your sonnet. Try to think of something that
wouldn’t normally be compared to your topic,
and then figure out ways that they are similar.
Once you have your metaphor and how you
want to compare it to your topic, write it down
so you don’t forget it later.
Now you are ready to begin composing. Make sure that you use
only 10 syllables in each line, and do your best to keep them all in
iambic pentameter. Also, choose your words that come at the
end of each line carefully; remember that another word will need
to rhyme with it. Also remember that you want to introduce your
topic and your metaphor here.
Hint: If you’re having trouble with iambic pentameter, go back to
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 and read each line to this beat: duhDUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH.
Quatrain 1:
1. ___________________________________________________________ a
2. ___________________________________________________________ b
3. ___________________________________________________________ a
4. ___________________________________________________________ b
Here, you want to continue your metaphor and your argument,
but you want to build on what you wrote in the first quatrain.
Remember that you are setting up for an eventual turn that
will come either in the next quatrain or in the couplet, so be
preparing for that.
Quatrain 2:
5. ___________________________________________________________ c
6. ___________________________________________________________ d
7. ___________________________________________________________ c
8. ___________________________________________________________ d
Here is where it starts getting even more exciting! Hang
tough; it’s hard to write a sonnet and you may be feeling
frustrated, but you can do it. This is where a lot of
Shakespearean sonnets bring in the volta, or the turn. How
can you shift your argument through the use of your
metaphor? Do that here in this quatrain. Or, if you wish, save
the twist for the final couplet, and build up your metaphor
some more here.
Quatrain 3:
9. ___________________________________________________________ e
10. ___________________________________________________________ f
11. ___________________________________________________________ e
12. ___________________________________________________________ f
Okay, we’ve come to the final couplet. Make sure to put your
turn here if you haven’t done so yet. This is where you need
to summarize your argument—remember to think of it as
your thesis. Why do the previous twelve lines matter? Also
remember that this is a couplet, so both lines will rhyme at
the end.
Couplet:
13. ___________________________________________________________ g
14. ___________________________________________________________ g
Now put your sonnet together. All of your lines should come together
in the following manner:
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