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The term "sonnet" is derived from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, meaning "little song" or "little sound". It evolved into a poem consisting of 14 lines by the thirteenth century, following a strict rhyming scheme and specific structure. Basic Forms and Types of Sonnet Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet The Italian or Petrarchan sonnet is one of the oldest sonnet forms in the world of literature. This sonnet is further composed of two types of stanza forms. The group of first 8 lines is called the Octave with the rhyming structure abba abba . The remaining 6 lines is called the Sestet and can have either two or three rhyming sounds, arranged in a variety of ways. Common rhyming patterns for a sestet is abcabc or abccba. Example of Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet Poem Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee: she is a fen Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower, Have forfeited their ancient English dower Of inward happiness. We are selfish men; Oh! raise us up, return to us again; And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power. Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart; Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea: Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free, So didst thou travel on life’s common way, In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart The lowliest duties on herself did lay. -London, by Wordsworth Spenserian Sonnet The Spenserian sonnet, invented by Edmund Spenser is an outgrowth of the stanza pattern, used in his famous work The Faerie Queene (a b a b b c b c c), has the pattern: Format of a Spenserian sonnet follows a abab pattern, consisting of independent 4-line groups, each containing a specific concept. The first 12 lines consist of lines with an overlapping abcd rhyming scheme, divided into 3 separate quatrains while the last 2 lines consist of a rhyming couplet. The first 3 quatrains contain separate but loosely related idea while the last couplet professes an entirely different idea. Example of Spenserian Sonnet Poem What guile is this, that those her golden tresses She doth attire under a net of gold; And with sly skill so cunningly them dresses, That which is gold or hair, may scarce be told? Is it that men’s frail eyes, which gaze too bold, She may entangle in that golden snare; And being caught may craftily enfold Their weaker hearts, which are not yet well aware? Take heed therefore, mine eyes, how ye do stare Henceforth too rashly on that guileful net, In which if ever ye entrapped are, Out of her bands ye by no means shall get. Folly it were for any being free, To covet fetters, though they golden be. -Amoretti by Edmund Spenser (c. 1552-1599) English or Shakespearian Sonnet An English or Shakespearean is one of the simplest form in all sonnet poems and consists of 14 lines where each line contains ten syllables and is written in iambic pentameter. The format of a Shakespearian sonnet has a pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable which is repeated five times. The English sonnet is composed of 3 quatrains of alternating rhyme while the last two lines are a rhyming couplet. The rhyming scheme in a Shakespearean sonnet is abab, cdcd, efef, gg. Each quatrain in the English sonnet forms a specific concept which is closely related or follows the concept of the other quatrains. Example of English/Shakespearian Sonnet Poem Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove: O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken. Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle’s compass come: Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved. -Shakespearian Sonnet 116 This post has been posted by Editor . Visit writing tips to learn more about sonnet poem.
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