Basic Sonnet Information

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Basic Sonnet Information
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History of the sonnet

• Originally started in Italy in the 13th Century
• The word sonnet means little song
• There are two kinds Petrarchan and Shakespearean
• Shakespearean sonnets are written in iambic
  pentameter (a term for measurement), but the
  Petrarchan sonnet was not.
• William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets

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Components of a sonnet

• 14 lines
• Each line consists of 10 syllables
• Shakespeare would add or take away a syllable to
  make the word fit altering the pronunciation of
  the word sometimes he would add an 11th
  syllable, breaking the rule
• Every other syllable in the line is stressed to
  give it a rhythm that sounds like da-DUM, da-DUM
• Written in iambic pentameter (a term for a
  measurement)
• Broken into 3 quatrains
• A quatrain is a group of 4 lines
• The last 2 lines are called a couplet. These two
  lines rhyme
• Rhyme scheme for a Shakespearean sonnet
• abab, cdcd, efef, gg

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Ideas in Shakespeares sonnets

• In a sonnet, two related but differing things are
  shown to the reader in order to communicate an
  idea about them
• Relationships
• Range of emotions about love. How great love can
  be, how bad love can be, and everything in
  between!
• In his sonnets he uses vivid imagery, similes,
  metaphors etc. to convey his message about love
  and relationships
• Since he is telling a story in each sonnet, he
  employed the use of a Volta
• Volta a turn or twist
• In Shakespeares sonnets, there would be a
  turn/twist in the middle (lines 8 or 9) or at the
  couplet (the last 2 lines) that would create the
  tension of ideas it acts as a surprise ending

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A (sun) B (red) A (dun) B (head) C
(white) D (cheeks) C (delight) D (reeks) E
(know) F (sound) E (go) F (ground) G
(rare) G (compare)
Quatrain 1 (lines 1-4)
Quatrain 2 (lines 5-8)
Quatrain 3 (lines 9-12)
Couplet (lines 13-44)
Volta-look for transition words such as but,
therefore, however, yet, or, so. These words are
a good place to start.
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• Now its your turn!
• You will compose an original sonnet. And yes,
  you will share this with the class!
• Requirements
• 14 lines of your best creative writing
• 10 syllables per line however you can have one
  line with 11 syllables (iambic pentameter
  da-DUM, da-Dum, or as close as you can get!)
• Follow the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg
• Tackle it in chunks. Do two to four lines at a
  time. Dont worry about it all at once.
• Must have a Volta.

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What should you write about?
School, your boyfriend/girlfriend, art, spring,
rain, snow, a smile, how depressing/exciting the
end of the school year will be for you, missing
someone, emptiness, metacognition, love, lunch,
spaghetti, dogs, homework, water-skiing,
Shakespeare, your favorite book, a vacation,
childhoodWhatever. Everythings good. It can
be happy, sad, funny, crazy, seriousJust be
creative!
DUE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
HOUR. 20 POINTS. Typed or neatly handwritten.
No spiral notebook paper.