Sonnet Notes sonnet n What is a sonnet

Sonnet Notes

sonnet n What is a sonnet? n n Means “little song” in Italian 14 -line lyric poem Complicated rhyme scheme Defined structure

n History of the sonnet n n Introduced almost 500 years ago Originated in Italy in 13 th century

n Italian sonnet n n Often called the Petrarchan sonnet to honor the famous poet Petrarch Used sonnets as love poems to a woman he couldn’t have: Laura

Petrarchan Structure 2 parts: an octave (8 lines) followed by a sestet (6 lines) n Rhyme scheme: abba cdcdcd or cdecde n Octave: speaker’s situation n Sestet: resolution, response, conclusion n

n English sonnet n n Often called the Shakespearean sonnet Usually about “real” women, or deep philosophical issues and perplexing ironies

Shakespearean Structure 4 parts: 3 quatrains (4 lines each) followed by a couplet (2 lines) n Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg n Each quatrain sets up an image, then the couplet gives meaning to the whole work. n

n Spenserian sonnet Named after Edmund Spenser n A variation of the English sonnet n Rhyme scheme links the quatrains together abab bcbc cdcd ee n

Assignment n For each sonnet: – Identify the type of sonnet – Label the rhyme scheme – Break into parts depending on type of sonnet

Assignment Read the poem and annotate n Personal thoughts on left n Summaries on right n

Assignment Answer the following questions for each poem on a separate sheet of paper: n Sonnet Title n What is the situation? n What is the resolution? n What is the speaker trying to say about life? n

homework n Write a pastoral poem in sonnet form.