UNDERSTANDING THE FORMS, METER, RHYME, AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SONNET

1
What is a Sonnet?

• UNDERSTANDING THE FORMS, METER, RHYME, AND OTHER
  ASPECTS OF THE SONNET
• MARCH 20, 2012

2
Sonnet Form

• A Sonnet has 14 lines
• Must be written in iambic pentameter
• Each line has 10 syllables (or beats)
• They alternate in an unstressed/ stressed pattern
• A sonnet must follow a specific rhyme scheme,
  depending on the type of sonnet.
• Can be about any subject, though they are usually
  about love or nature.
• Introduces a problem or question in the
  beginning, and a resolution is revealed or
  suggested after the turn.
• The point in the sonnet where the poet changes
  perspective
• Often caused by a change of heart

3
Iambic Pentameter Stress Meter

• Consider the sound of the underlined word
• 1.) Darth Vader decided to crush rebel forces
• 2.) Luke Skywalker will rebel against his
  fathers wishes
• Even though rebel is spelled the same, the stress
  sound makes it different.
• When we talk, we stress some syllables and leave
  others unstressed.
• Stressed Syllables with long or heavy stress
• Unstressed Syllables with short or light
  stress

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Stress Meter

• In example 1 the pattern of the word rebel is
  stressed then unstressed
• DARTH Vader deCIDed to CRUSH the REBel SOLDier.
• In example 2 the pattern of the word rebel is
  unstressed then stressed
• LUKE SKYWALKer WILL reBEL aGAINST his FATHers
  WISHes.
• When a poem has a recognizable but varying
  pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, the
  poetry is written in verse.

5
Italian Sonnet

• Introduced in the 13th Century, means little
  song
• Also called a Petrarchan Sonnet after Francesco
  Petrarch
• Most of his sonnets are about love, specifically
  love from afar
• Emotionally powerful through the use of metaphors
• 14-line lyric poem Contains an octave (8 lines)
  and a sestet (6 lines)
• The turn generally occurs after the octave.
• The rhyme scheme must begin with abbaabba, and
  end with either cdcdcd OR cdecde

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Sonnet 90By Francesco Petrarch

• Upon the breeze she spread her golden hair
• That in a thousand gentle knots was turned,
• And the sweet light beyond all measure burned
• In eyes where now that radius is rare
• And in her face there seemed to come an air
• Of pity, true or false, that I discerned
• I had loves tinder in my breast unburned,
• Was it a wonder if it kindled there?
• She moved not like a mortal, but as though
• She bore an angels form, her words had then
• A sound that simple human voices lack
• A heavenly spirit, a living sun
• Was what I saw now, if it is not so,
• The wounds not healed because the bow grows
  slack

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Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374)

• 1.) Read P. 334 335 for more background
  information on Francesco Petrarch, one of the
  most famous Italian sonnet writers
• Take notes on
• Biographical/ Cultural Background info
• 1. Ex. Composed over 300 poems to a woman whom he
  never had a relationship with. His Petrarchan
  Sonnets immortalized her.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.
• 6.
• 2.) Read Sonnet 292 and answer questions 1-6
  on
• P. 338.

8
Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)

• The Spenserian Sonnet
• Three quatrains (3 groups of four-lines)
• Each quatrain addresses the poems central idea,
  thought, or question
• The couplet provides the answer
• Variation on the English Sonnet
• Ends in a rhyming couplet (2 rhyming lines)
• Rhyme Scheme abab bcbc cdcd ee

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Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)

• 1.) Read P. 318 319 for more background
  information on Edmund Spencer
• Biographical/ Cultural Background info
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.
• 6.
• 2.) Read Sonnet 30 and Sonnet 75

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Spenserean Sonnets

• 2.) Read Sonnet 30 and Sonnet 75 on P.
  320-321
• Create a chart as you read similar to the example
  on P. 319.
• Ex. Sonnet 75

Part of Poem Central Idea
1st Quatrain Whenever I write my significant others name in the sand, the waves wash it away.
2nd Quatrain
3rd Quatrain
Couplet
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English vs. Italian

• English (Petrarchan) Italian

A B A B 3 Quatrains C D C D E F E F ---------gt The Turn G G Rhyming Couplet A B B A Octave (8) A B B A ---------gt The Turn C D E Sestet (6) C D E
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English Sonnet or Italian Sonnet?

• I find no peace, and have no arms for war, ?and
  fear and hope, and burn and yet I freeze, ?and
  fly to heaven, lying on earth's floor, ?and
  nothing hold, and all the world I seize.
• My jailer opens not, nor locks the door, ?nor
  binds me to hear, nor will loose my ties ?Love
  kills me not, nor breaks the chains I wear, ?nor
  wants me living, nor will grant me ease.
• I have no tongue, and shout eyeless, I see?I
  long to perish, and I beg for aid?I love
  another, and myself I hate.
• Weeping I laugh, I feed on misery,?by death and
  life so equally dismayed?for you, my lady, am I
  in this state.

13
English Sonnet or Italian Sonnet?

• Lines are in the octave (8 lines) and the sestet
  (6 lines)
• I find no peace, and have no arms for war, ?and
  fear and hope, and burn and yet I freeze, ?and
  fly to heaven, lying on earth's floor, ?and
  nothing hold, and all the world I seize.
• My jailer opens not, nor locks the door, ?nor
  binds me to hear, nor will loose my ties ?Love
  kills me not, nor breaks the chains I wear, ?nor
  wants me living, nor will grant me ease.
• I have no tongue, and shout eyeless, I see?I
  long to perish, and I beg for aid?I love
  another, and myself I hate.
• Weeping I laugh, I feed on misery,?by death and
  life so equally dismayed?for you, my lady, am I
  in this state.

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English Sonnets

• AKA Shakespearean Sonnet
• Three quatrains (3 groups of four-lines) and ends
  in a rhyming couplet (2 lines)
• Rhyme Scheme abab cdcd efef gg
• The turn is either after 8 lines or 10 lines.
• Example P. 326 Sonnet 18
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v1ZbAic4R83U

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• 1.) Create a Venn Diagram to Compare and Contrast
  Shakespeares Sonnet 18 with Spencers Sonnet
  75 (P. 321)
• Take notes about
• How does each promise to immortalize his beloved?
• How is each speakers promise connected to the
  imagry of the poem?
• Is it ironic that in each sonnet the speaker
  doesnt actually name their beloved?

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William Shakespeare 1564-1616

• Humble Beginnings born in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Known as the Bard
• Attended Stratford Grammar School until he was 14
• Then he married Anne Hathaway and entered the
  lost years.
• Wrote about 37 plays and 154 sonnets
• Shakespeares sonnets all featured a male speaker
  and focused on the theme of love. Other common
  themes time, death, and poetry itself.

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More about Shakespeare!

• Left his family to arrive in London and joined
  the theater company, Lord Chamberlains Men.
• Earned his money by doing the following
• 1.) Part owner of the Globe Theater
• 2.) An Actor
• 3.) A Playwright
• Generally wrote 3 types of plays
• 1.) Tragedy- Ex. Romeo Juliet
• 2.) Comedy- Ex. The Taming of the Shrew
• 3.) Historical- Ex. Henry VIII

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Shakespearean Sonnets Recap

• Shakespearean sonnets were divided into three
  quatrains and one couplet.
• Shakespearean sonnets featured a turn, or volta,
  often around lines 9-11.
• The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet was
  abab cdcd efef gg
• The English sonnet, or Shakespearean sonnet,
  featured 14 lines of iambic pentameter

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The Globe Theater

• Roofless Open Air
• No Artificial Lighting
• Plays were performed in the afternoon to take
  advantage of the sunlight.
• Plays were written/produced for the general
  audience
• Courtyard surrounded by 3 levels of galleries
• Spectators
• Wealthy- got benches
• Groundlings- poorer people stood and watched
  from the ground (the pit)
• All except for the wealthy were uneducated/ poor
• Burned down during a production of Henry VIII in
  1613. Rebuilt the following year.

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The Globe Theater

• Differences to todays theater productions
• No Scenery
• Settings were all referenced through dialogue
• Elaborate Costumes
• Plenty of props
• Fast-paced productions
• Only MALE actors
• would perform

21
Shakespeare in Love

• Most characters in the film are based off of real
  people
• Ned and the Admirals Men
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vYg_6JZLUrRc
• John Webster - went on to become a well-known
  playwright himself in which gore plays a
  prominent part.
• Christopher Marlowe
• A writer who offered a great deal of competition
  to Shakespeares plays. Marlowe's early, untimely
  death opened up the scene for Shakespeare.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vfoOquPn1L60

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Shakespeare in Love

• Henslowe and other producers hired playwrights to
  write their plays.
• Censorship The Master of the Revels
• power to censor writing what content appeared
  on the stage
• In the 1590s this was a man called Edmund Tilney
• The Plague
• It was immoral for a woman to appear on the stage
• Alternate Ending
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vwxxw5bBKvUo
• Do you think that there really was a muse such as
  Viola for all of Shakespeares works?
• In the film, do you think that Violas boat
  really sank? Or was he just writing his next play
  as it appears in the deleted scene?

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Key Terms to Know!

• Iambic Pentameter
• Meter
• Rhyme Scheme
• Couplet
• Petrarchan Sonnet
• Shakespearean Sonnet
• Octave
• Sestet

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In-Class Activity

• With a Partner (or on your own if you rather)
  read the four sonnets on pp. 326-330 and respond
  to each using the organizer on the board.
• For only ONE of the 4 sonnets do the following
  (instead of the organizer)
• Write the complete text of the sonnet
• Number each line of the sonnet in the margin. On
  the other side, note the rhyme scheme after every
  line.
• Dissect the iambic pentameter (10 syllables) for
  one of the quatrains
• Indicate where the VOLTA is
• List any themes after reading the sonnet
• Answer questions 1-9 on p. 332 on the back. This
  is due Wednesday for an assignment grade.

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Sonnet Organizer
Line Key Words Imagery Summary



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Hallmarkean Sonnet Card- Honors

• Create a Hallmarkean sonnet card that
  demonstrates your knowledge of sonnet structure.
• Turn this in by Friday, April 12th for a Quiz
  grade
• Requirements
• 14 line sonnet 3 quatrains that introduce and
  extend the poems meaning
• 1 couplet that either summarizes or concludes the
  poem
• You will also be graded on your creativity and
  artwork

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Hallmarkean Sonnet Grade Rubric
Quatrain 2 _______/15 Quatrain 2 _______/15 Quatrain 3 _______/15 Couplet _______/10
Introduces theme Abab rhyme Iambic pentameter Introduces theme Abab rhyme Iambic pentameter Introduces theme Abab rhyme Iambic pentameter -Summarizes or reverses the theme -gg rhyme scheme -Iambic Pentameter
Overall Effectiveness of poem _______/10 Use of Artwork _______/10 Total _______/75