Little Song Basic Construction of the Sonnet Lets

“Little Song” Basic Construction of the Sonnet

Let’s take a look: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries And look upon myself and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd, Desiring this man's art and that man's scope, With what I most enjoy contented least; Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate; For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

So, what is this…thing? l l l Sonnet comes from Italian and literally translates “Little Song”. Though the sonnet is a short poem, the specific demands of this form make it a challenging type of poem to write. There are two primary forms of the sonnet: the Italian form and the English (or Shakespearian) form. We will be looking primarily at the English form.

Key Terms l l l Couplet: grouping of two lines Tercet: grouping of three lines Quatrain: grouping of four lines Sestet: grouping of six lines Octave: two quatrains; grouping of eight lines Iambic Pentameter: a line of poetry made up of five iambs. An iamb contains one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

Specifics of the English Sonnet l l l 14 lines (3 Quatrains and One Couplet) Each line consists of 5 feet of iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line) End rhyme as follows – – ABAB (first quatrain) CDCD (second quatrain) EFEF (third quatrain) GG (couplet)

Take another look: stanza setup When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries And look upon myself and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd, Desiring this man's art and that man's scope, With what I most enjoy contented least; Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate; For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Take another look: Iambic Pentameter When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 • Remember, Iambic Pentameter is a line of poetry made up of five iambs. An iamb contains one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. • Above, you can see the first line of the poem. It contains 10 syllables. Stressed syllables have been boldfaced. • Each of the following lines in the poem follows this same rhythm.

Take another look: rhyme scheme l First Quatrain When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Take another look: rhyme scheme l Second Quatrain Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd, Desiring this man's art and that man's scope, With what I most enjoy contented least;

Take another look: rhyme scheme l Third Quatrain Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

Take another look: rhyme scheme l Couplet For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Content Structure l l 1 st Quatrain: Introduces the problem (dissatisfaction with life/frustrated with God) 2 nd Quatrain: Elaborates on theme given in the opening stanza (jealous of the success he sees others enjoying) 3 rd Quatrain: Continues theme, but provides a turn (as he approaches the lowest point, he remembers his love) Couplet: Provides resolution, a final thought that brings the topic to a close (because of love in his life, he considers himself more wealthy than royalty)