The form of Sonnet

 Definition

Traditionally, the sonnet is a fourteen line poem written in iambic pentameter, employing one of several rhythm schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization. The name is taken from the Italian sonetto, which means "a little sound or song". Petrarch is the father of the sonnet. 

Characteristics

• Fourteen lines: All sonnets have 14 lines, which can be broken down into four sections called quatrains.
• A strict rhyme scheme: The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet, for example, is ABAB / CDCD / EFEF / GG (note the four distinct sections in the rhyme scheme).
• Written in iambic pentameter: Sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, a poetic meter with 10 beats per line made up of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.

• A sonnet can be broken into four sections called quatrains. The first three quatrains contain four lines each and use an alternating rhyme scheme. The final quatrain consists of just two lines, which both rhyme. Each quatrain should progress the poem as follows:
1. First quatrain: This should establish the subject of the sonnet. Number of lines: four; rhyme scheme: ABAB
2. Second quatrain: This should develop the sonnet’s theme. Number of lines: four; rhyme scheme: CDCD
3. Third quatrain: This should round off the sonnet’s theme. Number of lines: four; rhyme scheme: EFEF
4. Fourth quatrain: This should act as a conclusion to the sonnet. Number of lines: two; rhyme scheme: GG

• What Is a Petrarchan sonnet?

  The Petrarchan Sonnet is named after the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch, a lyrical poet of fourteenth-century Italy. Petrarch did not invent the poetic form that bears his name. Rather, the commonly credited originator of the sonnet is Giacomo da Lentini, who composed poetry in the literary Sicilian dialect in the thirteenth century. They have 14 lines, divided into 2 subgroups: an octave and a sestet. The octave follows a rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA. The sestet follows one of two rhyme schemes—either CDE CDE scheme (more common) or CDC CDC.

What Is a Shakespearean sonnet?

A Shakespearean sonnet is a variation on the Italian sonnet tradition. The form evolved in England during and around the time of the Elizabethan era. These sonnets are sometimes referred to as Elizabethan sonnets or English sonnets. They have 14 lines divided into 4 subgroups: 3 quatrains and a couplet. Each line is typically ten syllables, phrased in iambic pentameter. A Shakespearean sonnet employs the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Learn more about Shakespearean sonnets here.

What Is a Spenserian sonnet?

A Spenserian sonnet is a variation on the Shakespearean sonnet, with a more challenging rhyme scheme: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.

What Is a Miltonic sonnet?

“Miltonic” sonnets are an evolution of the Shakespearean sonnet. They often examined an internal struggle or conflict rather than themes of the material world, and sometimes they would stretch beyond traditional limits on rhyme or length.

1.