The original form of the Italian sonnet is therefore known as the Petrarchan sonnet. The Italian SonnetĪlthough the form of the sonnet is said to have been invented by Giacomo da Lentini in the 13th century, it was popularized by a poet from Tuscany named Francesco Petrarch, who used the form to write poems expressing his unrequited love for a woman named Laura. Below is a summary of the different types of sonnets, with brief explanations of their particular forms and how each of them arose. Since the sonnet's invention in Italy in the 13th century, new variations on the traditional form have been regularly born. Sonnets have been written all over the world and in many different languages: French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Russian, Urdu, and German poets have all made significant contributions to the evolution of the form. For example, a four-line poem in which the first line rhymes with the third, and the second line rhymes with the fourth has the rhyme scheme ABAB. Rhyme schemes are described using letters of the alphabet, so that each line of verse that corresponds to a specific type of rhyme used in the poem is assigned a letter, beginning with the letter A.
For instance, an iamb is a foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (de- fine), while a trochee has the opposite: a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable ( Po-et). Meter: A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that creates the rhythm of lines of poetry.We provide more details about these terms on their own pages, but here's a quick primer: For that reason, it's helpful to have a strong grasp of what meter and rhyme scheme are. Many (but not all) sonnets have a strict meter and a defined rhyme scheme.
Here's how to pronounce sonnet: sahn-it Sonnets, Meter, and Rhyme Scheme Sonnets are sometimes written in groups, where each individual sonnet can stand alone but are also linked with the others in the group.Sonnets have become so popular, and are written in so many places, that over time many, many variations of the sonnet form have evolved.For hundreds of years, the sonnet form was reserved for poems about unrequited love, but since the 17th century sonnets have been written about a wide variety of subjects.Some additional key details about sonnets: The main difference between the Italian and English sonnet is in the rhyme schemes they use. The two most common sonnet variations are the Italian sonnet (also called a Petrarchan sonnet), and the English sonnet (also called a Shakespearean sonnet). Within these general guidelines for what makes a sonnet, there are a wide variety of variations. Sonnets generally use a meter of iambic pentameter, and follow a set rhyme scheme. Traditionally, the fourteen lines of a sonnet consist of an octave (or two quatrains making up a stanza of 8 lines) and a sestet (a stanza of six lines). The last sestet (in Italian sonnets) or the final couplet (in English sonnets) illustrates this change in direction, thought, or emotion.What is a sonnet? Here’s a quick and simple definition:Ī sonnet is a type of fourteen-line poem. Then, there is a change in direction, thought, or emotion called a volta or a turn. Normally, the first part of the sonnet introduces a problem or question of some sort, which is developed in the first octave (in Italian sonnets) or the first three quatrains (in English sonnets). It was actually introduced by the Earl of Surrey and other English experimenters in the 1500s. Note that, though this type of sonnet is called “Shakespearean,” Shakespeare did not invent it. Sometimes, the concluding couplet after the turn is called the gemel. A concluding couplet (two rhyming lines): gg.Three quatrains (sections of four lines, also called “staves”): abab cdcd efef.The English (or Shakespearean) sonnet contains the following features:.Sir Thomas Wyatt in the early 1500s first introduced the Italian sonnet into English.A sestet (six lines) of varying rhyme patterns, such as cdecde or cdccdc.
An octave (eight lines) rhyming abbaabba.The Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet contains the following features:.