From the Italian sonetto, which means “a little sound or song," the sonnet is a popular classical form that has compelled poets for centuries.
- a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter
*iambic pentameter: a line of verse that consists of five iambs (an iamb being one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed, such as "before").
- employs one of several rhyme schemes
- has a tightly structured thematic organization.
Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet
- Named after one of its greatest practitioners, the Italian poet Petrarch
- is divided into two stanzas
*the octave (the first eight lines) presents an argument, observation, question
*followed by the answering sestet (the final six lines)
a turn, or volta, occurs between the eighth and ninth lines
the turn signals a shift, the sestet contains the ounterargument, clarification, or whatever answer the octave demands.
- rhyme scheme, abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd
Shakespearean (English) Sonnet
- three quatrains and a couplet
*couplet: is usually a conclusion, amplification, or even refutation of the previous three stanzas, often creating an epiphanic quality to the end
- rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg
When I Consider How My Light is Spent
John Milton, 1608 – 1674
When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest He returning chide;
“Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?”
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
Either man’s work or His own gifts. Who best
Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state
Is kingly: thousands at His bidding speed,
And post o’er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait.”