.JPG)
The Sonnet
Overview
© https://poets.org/glossary/sonnet Retrieved on 27 February 2024 FOR CLASSROOM USE ONLY.
The sonnet is a popular classical form that has compelled poets for centuries. Traditionally, the sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter, employing one of several rhyme schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization. The name is taken from the Italian sonetto, which means “a little sound or song.” Two sonnet forms provide the models from which all other sonnets are formed: the Petrarchan and the Shakespearean.
Petrarchan Sonnet The first and most common sonnet is the Petrarchan, or Italian. Named after one of its greatest practitioners, the Italian poet Petrarch, the Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two stanzas, the octave (the first eight lines) followed by the answering sestet (the final six lines). The tightly woven rhyme scheme, abba, abba, cdecde, or cdcdcd, is suited for the rhyme-rich Italian language, though there are many fine examples in English. Since the Petrarchan presents an argument, observation, question, or some other answerable charge in the octave, a turn, or volta, occurs between the eighth and ninth lines. This turn marks a shift in the direction of the foregoing argument or narrative, turning the sestet into the vehicle for the counterargument, clarification, or whatever answer the octave demands. Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced the Petrarchan sonnet to England in the early sixteenth century. His famed translations of Petrarch’s sonnets, as well as his own sonnets, drew fast attention to the form. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, a contemporary of Wyatt’s, whose own translations of Petrarch are considered more faithful to the original though less fine to the ear, modified the Petrarchan, thus establishing the structure that became known as the Shakespearean sonnet. This structure has been noted to lend itself much better to the comparatively rhyme-poor English language.
Shakespearean Sonnet The second major type of sonnet, the Shakespearean, or English sonnet, follows a different set of rules. Here, three quatrains and a couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The couplet plays a pivotal role, usually arriving in the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even refutation of the previous three stanzas, often creating an epiphanic quality to the end. In Sonnet 130 of William Shakespeare’s epic sonnet cycle, the first twelve lines compare the speaker’s mistress unfavorably with nature’s beauties, but the concluding couplet swerves in a surprising direction. Variations on the Sonnet Form John Milton’s Italian-patterned sonnets (later known as “Miltonic” sonnets) added several important refinements to the form. Milton freed the sonnet from its typical incarnation in a sequence of sonnets, writing the occasional sonnet that often expressed interior, self-directed concerns. He also took liberties with the turn, allowing the octave to run into the sestet as needed. Both of these qualities can be seen in “When I Consider How My Light is Spent.” The Spenserian sonnet, invented by sixteenth-century English poet Edmund Spenser, cribs its structure from the Shakespearean—three quatrains and a couplet—but employs a series of “couplet links” between quatrains, as revealed in the rhyme scheme: abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee. The Spenserian sonnet, through the interweaving of the quatrains, implicitly reorganized the Shakespearean sonnet into couplets, reminiscent of the Petrarchan. One reason was to reduce the often excessive final couplet of the Shakespearean sonnet, putting less pressure on it to resolve the foregoing argument, observation, or question.
Petrarchan Sonnet The first and most common sonnet is the Petrarchan, or Italian. Named after one of its greatest practitioners, the Italian poet Petrarch, the Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two stanzas, the octave (the first eight lines) followed by the answering sestet (the final six lines). The tightly woven rhyme scheme, abba, abba, cdecde, or cdcdcd, is suited for the rhyme-rich Italian language, though there are many fine examples in English. Since the Petrarchan presents an argument, observation, question, or some other answerable charge in the octave, a turn, or volta, occurs between the eighth and ninth lines. This turn marks a shift in the direction of the foregoing argument or narrative, turning the sestet into the vehicle for the counterargument, clarification, or whatever answer the octave demands. Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced the Petrarchan sonnet to England in the early sixteenth century. His famed translations of Petrarch’s sonnets, as well as his own sonnets, drew fast attention to the form. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, a contemporary of Wyatt’s, whose own translations of Petrarch are considered more faithful to the original though less fine to the ear, modified the Petrarchan, thus establishing the structure that became known as the Shakespearean sonnet. This structure has been noted to lend itself much better to the comparatively rhyme-poor English language.
Shakespearean Sonnet The second major type of sonnet, the Shakespearean, or English sonnet, follows a different set of rules. Here, three quatrains and a couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The couplet plays a pivotal role, usually arriving in the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even refutation of the previous three stanzas, often creating an epiphanic quality to the end. In Sonnet 130 of William Shakespeare’s epic sonnet cycle, the first twelve lines compare the speaker’s mistress unfavorably with nature’s beauties, but the concluding couplet swerves in a surprising direction. Variations on the Sonnet Form John Milton’s Italian-patterned sonnets (later known as “Miltonic” sonnets) added several important refinements to the form. Milton freed the sonnet from its typical incarnation in a sequence of sonnets, writing the occasional sonnet that often expressed interior, self-directed concerns. He also took liberties with the turn, allowing the octave to run into the sestet as needed. Both of these qualities can be seen in “When I Consider How My Light is Spent.” The Spenserian sonnet, invented by sixteenth-century English poet Edmund Spenser, cribs its structure from the Shakespearean—three quatrains and a couplet—but employs a series of “couplet links” between quatrains, as revealed in the rhyme scheme: abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee. The Spenserian sonnet, through the interweaving of the quatrains, implicitly reorganized the Shakespearean sonnet into couplets, reminiscent of the Petrarchan. One reason was to reduce the often excessive final couplet of the Shakespearean sonnet, putting less pressure on it to resolve the foregoing argument, observation, or question.
Recommended Reading
General Web Resources: Print
SONNET: https://poets.org/glossary/sonnetSONNET: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/sonnetSONNET STRUCTURE: https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-sonnet-poem-form SONNET STRUCTURE (with video): https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-sonnet
Petrarch
Shakespeare
Spenser
General Web Resources: Video
SONNET OVERVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cd60K0uiDY SONNET OVERVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmrKmL06J9g SONNET HISTORY (Panel Presentation 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsA5xZ4V7dQ
Wordsworth
E. B. Browning
Individual Poets: Print
PETRARCH: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PetrarchPETRARCH: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/petrarchPETRARCH AND LAURA: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Laura-literary-subjectSHAKESPEARE POETRY: https://poets.org/poet/william-shakespeare SHAKESPEARE POETRY: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-poems/SPENSER: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Spenser SPENSER: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edmund-Spenser MILTON: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Milton MILTON: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-milton WORDSWORTH: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-wordsworthWORDSWORTH: https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/William-Wordsworth/ E. B. BROWNING: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning E. B. BROWNING: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/elizabeth-barrett-browning LONGFELLOW: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/henry-wadsworth-longfellowLONGFELLOW: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_LongfellowROBINSON: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Arlington_Robinson ROBINSON: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edwin-arlington-robinson FROST: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-frost FROST: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/robert-frost WYLIE: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/elinor-wylie WYLIE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_Wylie MILLAY: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edna_St._Vincent_Millay MILLAY: https://millay.org/millays-life/ LAZARUS: https://jwa.org/womenofvalor/lazarusLAZARUS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Lazarus
Longfellow
E. A. Robinson
Frost
Individual Poets: Video
PETRARCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVxDwAl-pj4 SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS (With author John Green): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDpW1sHrBaU SHAKESPEARE SONNET 29 (Judi Dench): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_X1dbO-quI SPENSER SONNET 75: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCeL8L7xUAU M ILTON SONNET 19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ7CdlKNPTI WORDSWORTH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d1Wlzco16I&t=58s E. B. BROWNING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFOuwUxAdbI LONGFELLOW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtPnqhtWFKAROBINSON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtPnqhtWFKA FROST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2stTH-rtq8&t=1s WYLIE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WblyotGUys MILLAY (90 minute biography): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9ItdEiBR-o LAZARUS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChhnZLO32mo
.jpg)
William Mulready (1786--1863) The Sonnet (1839)
Twelve Sonnets
- Petrarch SONNET 131 https://poets.org/poem/sonnet-131-id-sing-love-such-novel-fashion
- Shakespeare SONNET 29 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45090/sonnet-29-when-in-disgrace-with-fortune-and-mens-eyes
- Spenser SONNET 75 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45189/amoretti-lxxv-one-day-i-wrote-her-name
- Milton SONNET 19 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44750/sonnet-19-when-i-consider-how-my-light-is-spent
- Wordsworth THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45564/the-world-is-too-much-with-us
- Browning SONNET 43: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43742/sonnets-from-the-portuguese-43-how-do-i-love-thee-let-me-count-the-ways
- Longfellow MEZZO CAMMIN https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50629/mezzo-cammin
- Robinson NOT ALWAYS, SONNET 2 from Dionysus in Doubt (1925) (see photo above)
- Frost ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47548/acquainted-with-the-night
- Wiley WILD PEACHES https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48067/wild-peaches
- Wiley: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69723/elinor-wylie-wild-peaches#
- Millay SONNET 4 https://poets.org/poem/i-shall-forget-you-presently-my-dear-sonnet-iv
- Lazarus THE NEW COLOSSUS https://poets.org/poem/new-colossus
Wylie
Millay
Lazarus
Web Resources: Audio/Video
PETRARCH SONNET 131: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__-zDw7ue9wSHAKESPEARE SONNET 29 (Dench): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_X1dbO-quI SPENSER SONNET 75 (Wishaw): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvP-QojN5aEWORDSWORTH “The World is Too Much with Us”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDTnYPNxEJI FROST: “Acquainted with the Night”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYVbi-CsR4IMILLAY: “I Shall Forget you” (Millay): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYewgF7LHHE LAZARUS: “The New Colossus”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaKUuk78L1A
Poetic Devices
The following sections are a portion of the Wikipedia entry on Poetic Devices. Please visit the website for the complete entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetic_devices
Sound
- Poetic devices that have a sonic quality achieve specific effects when heard. Words with a sound-like quality can strike readers as soothing or dissonant while evoking certain thoughts and feelings associated with them.
- Alliteration–Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines. Alliteration is used as a mnemonic device to evoke feelings such as fear and suspense in poetry.
- Assonance–Repeated vowel sounds in words placed near each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines. These vowel sounds are usually accented or stressed to give musical quality to the poem. By creating an internal rhyme, this also enhances the pleasure of reading the poem.
- Consonance–Repeated 'consonant' sounds at the ending of words near each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines. These should be in sounds that are accented, or stressed, rather than in a vowel.
- Cacophony–A discordant series of harsh, unpleasant sounds to convey disorder. This is often enhanced by the combined effect of complex meanings and pronunciation. Example: My stick fingers click with a snicker And, chuckling, they knuckle the keys; Light-footed, my steel feelers flicker And pluck from these keys melodies. —“Player Piano,” John Updike.
- Euphony–A series of musically pleasant sounds that give the poem a melodious quality, conveying a sense of harmony to the reader.
- Onomatopoeia–It is used in poetry to create aural effects that mimic the visual image described. A combination of words may be used to create an onomatopoetic effect. It is, however, not imperative to use words that are onomatopoetic in and of themselves. For example, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', Coleridge uses the phrase “furrow followed free” to mimic the sound of the wake left behind a ship.
Rhythm
- Poetic rhythm is the flow of words within each meter and stanza to produce a rhythmic effect while emphasising specific parts of the poem.
- Repetition–Repetition often uses word associations to express ideas and emotions indirectly, emphasizing a point, confirming an idea, or describing a notion.
- Rhyme–Rhyme uses repeating patterns to bring out rhythm or musicality in poems. It is a repetition of similar sounds occurring in lines in a poem which gives the poem a symmetric quality.
- Caesura–A metrical pause or break in a verse where one phrase ends and another phrase begins.
- Enjambment–The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
Meaning
- The use of figurative language as a poetic device function to convey the poet's intended meaning in various ways.
- Allusion–A brief reference to a person, character, historical event, work of art, and Biblical or mythological situation.
- Analogy–Drawing a comparison or inference between two situations to convey the poet's message more effectively. Example: The plumbing took a maze of turns where even water got lost. Symbolism means to imbue objects with a certain meaning that is different from their original meaning or function. It is a representative of other aspects, concepts or traits than those visible in literal translation. Other literary devices, such as metaphor, allegory, and allusion, aid in the development of symbolism.
- Oxymoron–A combination of two words that appear to contradict each other.
- Paradox–A statement in which a contradiction may reveal an unexpected truth.
- Personification–Attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form. Example: The days crept by slowly, sorrowfully.
- Pun–a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.