The Sonnet

ENG3U

What is a Sonnet?
O A sonnet is a poem with 14 lines that

follows one of several set rhyme schemes. O It is usually written in iambic pentameter.

Iambic Pentameter
O An iamb is a foot of an unstressed (u)

syllable and a stressed (/) syllable. O Penta refers to the number five; there are five iambs in one line of iambic pentameter; in other words, there are 10 syllables. O For example
O Shall I compare thee to a summers day?

Scansion
O When you analyze a poem by counting its

lines, feet, and syllables, it is called scansion.

Two Basic Sonnet Types

O Italian or Petrarchan
O Petrarch was an Italian (c. 1300). Wyatt

translated Petrarchs sonnets into English and introduced the sonnet form to England.
O English or Shakespearean
O Who do you think this sonnet type was

named for?

The Italian Sonnet

O The Italian Sonnet is divided into an
O O O O O O

octave and a sestet. The octave rhymes abbaabba. The sestet rhymes cdecde, cdcdcd, or cdedce. The octave presents a narrative. The sestet makes an abstract comment. A volta (=turn) occurs at line 9. Iambic pentameter is usual.

Doth any maiden seek the glorious fame (Petrarch)

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 honour grows, and pure devotion's flame, How truth is joined with graceful dignity, There thou may'st learn, and what the path may be 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.

The English Sonnet

O The English sonnet is divided into four

sections:
O Three quatrains (each with a rhyme

scheme of its own, usually alternating lines) O A rhymed concluding couplet

O Iambic pentameter is usual. O The typical rhyme scheme is

ababcdcdefefgg.

How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shame (Shakespeare)
How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shame Which, like a canker in the fragrant rose, Doth spot the beauty of thy budding name! O! in what sweets dost thou thy sins enclose. That tongue that tells the story of thy days, Making lascivious comments on thy sport, Cannot dispraise, but in a kind of praise; Naming thy name blesses an ill report. O! what a mansion have those vices got Which for their habitation chose out thee, Where beauty's veil doth cover every blot And all things turns to fair that eyes can see! Take heed, dear heart, of this large privilege; The hardest knife ill-used doth lose his edge.

In Progress by Christina Rossetti

O Not all sonnets fit the pattern of the Italian

or the English sonnet perfectly, if at all. O Old poets made the rules. O Modern poets break the rules. O Open ViewPoints to page 221.
O Is In Progress an Italian or an English

sonnet? O What is the rhyme scheme? O List all the poetic devices used in the poem.

In Progress Contd
O Is In Progress an Italian or an English

sonnet?
O It is neither, but it is closest to the Italian

sonnet.
O What is the rhyme scheme?
O Abbccdecfghhgf O List all of the poetic devices used in the poem. O Alliteration, assonance, enjambment,

metaphor, simile

Assignment
O Interpreting a Sonnet (2%) Total: 18
O Choose one of the sonnets on your Sonnets 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

handout and answer the following questions about it. What is the subject or situation of the poem? (3) Who is speaking (the persona, not the author)? (3) If the speaker were reading this aloud, what tone of voice would you hear? (3) What images stand out in your mind? (3) In your own words, briefly summarize the theme or purpose of the sonnet. (3) What is the rhyme scheme? What sonnet type is it, or if it is neither, to which is it closest? (3)