Poetry Introduction Sonnets Italian Petrarchan Sonnet Created by

Poetry Introduction: Sonnets

Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet Created by Giacomo de Lentini. Includes two parts: octave and sestet. A-b-b-a, a-b-b-a, c-d-e-c-d-e and sometimes cd-c-c-d-c rhyme scheme. Poets like John Milton and William Wordsworth used this sonnet form.

Edmund Spenser Born in London in 1552. Most famous for “The Faerie Queen. ” Created the Spenserian sonnet form.

Spenserian Sonnet Rhyme scheme a-b-a-b, b-c-b-c, c-d-c-d, e-e. No requirement for the problem the octave sets up like in the Italian sonnet. Three quatrains connected my interlocking rhyme scheme and followed by a couplet. Example- “Amoretti” by Edmund Spenser.

William Shakespeare Born in England in 1564. Created 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems, and others. Most known sonnet is Sonnet 18. Compares his beloved to the summer season and believes she will live on forever.

English (Shakespearean) Sonnet Rhyme scheme a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g Shakespeare not the first, but most famous practitioner Usually uses iambic pentameter

John Milton Born in London, England in 1608. Best known for his epic poem “Paradise Lost. ” Had a great impact on the Romantic period.

Christopher Marlowe Born in 1564 in England Known for his use of blank verse, overreaching protagonist, and mysterious deaths Famous piece of literature- The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

Sir Walter Raleigh Born in England in 1552 Most known for introducing tobacco to Europe Expresses contemptus mundi (contempt of the world) in his poems Wrote "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd"

Andrew Marvell Born in England in 1621 His poems are often witty and full of elaborate conceits Many poems were inspired by events of the time, public or personal The Picture of Little TC in a Prospect of Flowers was written about the daughter of one of Marvell's friends

John Donne Born in London, England in 1572. Sonnets notable for their realistic and sensual style. His early satires dealt with common Elizabethan topics, such as corruption in the legal system, mediocre poets, and pompous courtiers. Later poems dealt with death and sickness.

Bibliography Miller, Nelson. "Basic Sonnet Forms. " Cayuse Press Writers Exchange Board, n. d. Web. 12 May 2010. <http: //www. sonnets. org/basicforms. htm>.