Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme , and a volta , or a specific turn.
Generally, sonnets are divided into different groups based on the rhyme scheme they follow. The rhymes of a sonnet are arranged according to a certain rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme in English is usually abab—cdcd—efef—gg, and in Italian abba—abba—cde—cde. Let us take a look at the examples of sonnets in literature, based on the various categories:.
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Of which the one was blacke, the other white: With deadly force so in their cruell race They pincht the haunches of that gentle beast, That at the last, and in short time, I spide, Under a rocke, where she alas, opprest, Fell to the ground, and there untimely dide. Cruell death vanquishing so noble beautie Oft makes me wayle so hard a desire. The rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet features the first eight lines, called an octet, which rhymes as abba—abba—cdc—dcd.
The remaining six lines are called a sestet , and might have a range of rhyme schemes. A Shakespearean sonnet is generally written in iambic pentameter , in which there are 10 syllables in each line. The sonnet was introduced to England, along with other Italian verse forms, by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, earl of Surrey , in the 16th century.
The Sonnet: Poetic Form | Academy of American Poets
In the course of adapting the Italian form to a language less rich in rhymes, the Elizabethans gradually arrived at the distinctive English sonnet, which is composed of three quatrains, each having an independent rhyme scheme, and is ended with a rhymed couplet. The rhyme scheme of the English sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg. Its greater number of rhymes makes it a less demanding form than the Petrarchan sonnet, but this is offset by the difficulty presented by the couplet, which must summarize the impact of the preceding quatrains with the compressed force of a Greek epigram. The typical Elizabethan use of the sonnet was in a sequence of love poems in the manner of Petrarch.
The Sonnet: Poetic Form
Although each sonnet was an independent poem, partly conventional in content and partly self-revelatory, the sequence had the added interest of providing something of a narrative development. The last-named work uses a common variant of the sonnet known as Spenserian that follows the English quatrain and couplet pattern but resembles the Italian in using a linked rhyme scheme: In its subsequent development the sonnet was to depart even further from themes of love. By the time John Donne wrote his religious sonnets c. Even during the Romantic era, in spite of the emphasis on freedom and spontaneity, the sonnet forms continued to challenge major poets.
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Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Learn More in these related Britannica articles: The sonnet was the most important of the fixed stanzaic forms.
The Sonnets
The iambic pentameter rhyming couplet later known as the heroic couplet was used by Christopher Marlowe for his narrative poem Hero and Leander and by…. Especially identified with the lyrical forms of poetry in the late 18th and 19th centuries were the Romantic poets, including such diverse figures as Robert Burns, William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Percy….
His own early sonnets, collected in Verzen , show his mastery of the form. The sonnet sequence English prosody In prosody: Prosodic style lyric In lyric poetry In poetry: Poetry as a mode of thought: Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
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