How to Read a Sonnet What is a

How to Read a Sonnet

What is a sonnet…. • short poem with a specific point or message • 14 lines • 3 quatrains (4 lines) + rhyming couplet • meter & rhyme scheme

Meter- • Regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables • (the beat of a poem)

Meter continued- • • • Dimeter- 2 feet per line = 4 syllables Trimeter- 3 feet = 6 syllables Tetrameter- 4 feet = 8 syllables Pentameter- 5 feet = 10 syllables Hexameter- 6 feet = 12 syllables

Meter • Foot- one stressed followed by one or more unstressed syllables • Iamb- unstressed followed by a stressed syllable making a foot

Rhyme Scheme • • • Last word of particular lines rhyme First sound = a 2 nd sound = b c, d, e, f, g, …. . Matching rhymes get the same letter

Couplet • 2 rhyming lines back to back • Usually end a sonnet & make a main point

Old Wording • Thee, thou =me, you • Thy = your • ‘ = used to help meter, part of word is omitted • st or t = delete off the end

Shakespearean sonnets 154 sonnets 14 lines of iambic pentameter 5 feet= 10 syllables unstressed/stressed Rhyme scheme: ababcdcdefefgg Turn- shift in focus in the 3 rd quatrian

SONNET 73 - Shakespeare 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. Do you see what I see? ? ? ?

1. See it as parts- 3 quatrains + rhyming couplet 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.

Green=go Yellow= pause Red=stop 2. Follow Punctuation That time of year thou mayst in me behold (none) When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang (none) Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, (pause) Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. (stop) In me thou seest the twilight of such day (none) As after sunset fadeth in the west, (pause) Which by and by black night doth take away, (pause) Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. (stop) In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire (none) That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, (pause) As the death-bed whereon it must expire (none) Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by. (stop) This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, (pause) To love that well which thou must leave ere long. (stop)

3. Identifying rhyme scheme That time of year thou mayst in me behold a When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang b Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, a Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. b In me thou seest the twilight of such day c As after sunset fadeth in the west, d Which by and by black night doth take away, c Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. d In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire e That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, f As the death-bed whereon it must expire e Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by. f This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, g To love that well which thou must leave ere long. g

4. Identifying meter * * * * =10 • That time of year thou mayst in me behold * * * * * =10 • In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire * * * * * * • This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more * = 10 strong, 10 syllables= pentameter penta= 5 feet

As you read: Look for the image & Sentence parts you recognize (subject) (you) (may) That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang verb Upon those *boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. thou mayst in me behold- reword ► image: You may in me see- reorder ► you may see in me Define…… tree branches old ruined churches

As you read: Look for the image & Sentence parts you recognize In me thou seest the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, comparison Which by and by black night doth take away, does Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. What is the repeated theme or comparison?

As you read: Look for the image & Sentence parts you recognize In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, does As the death-bed whereon it must expire comparison Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by. What is the repeated theme or comparison?

Theme- in your own words: (you) (your) This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long. (you) (filler) Paraphrase & reorder. This you understand- it makes you love stronger When you have to leave forever what you love a lot.