Writing a sonnet

  Shakespeare sonnets

Task:

Write your own sonnet in groups. Remember to use the rules .

• 14 lines long

• Three quatrains (4 lines) and a couplet (2 lines)

• 10 syllables per line

• iambic pentameter (dee DUM dee DUM dee DUM dee DUM dee DUM)

• Rhyme: abab cdcd efef gg

• All about one topic of your choice (making sense)

• Correct grammar

• No red lines unless you know the reason why(make sure you change your document language to English: Arkiv-Språk)

You can find help with rhymes on Rhyme zone. (don’t trust the site completely and say the words aloud yourself)

Check your stress by writing in the word on Cambridge dictionary. The stressed syllable has an apostrophe in front of it. 

eg: away =  /əˈweɪ/ (second syllable stressed)

Alternatively, use the site How many syllables

We are going to read and analyse some of Shakespeare’s sonnets. You are then going to write your own (modern) sonnet following the rules you have learnt. 

Shakespearean sonnet: 

a 14 line stanza written in iambic pentameter, that employs the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, gg, and can be divided into three quatrains and a couplet.

Iambic Pentameter: 

lines of poetry that can be divided into 5 metric feet with alternately unstressed and stressed syllables.

When your group sonnet is finished (but not until then), you may go into a group room and experiment with beats. 

Remember, the final sonnet is not graded as a group but I am looking at how you communicate in your group and making notes on your contributions.