Sonnet - Literary Terms
Sonnet - Literary Terms
A sonnet is usually defined as a lyric of fourteen lines of iambic pentameter. Originally a stanza of Italian origin, the sonnet has developed into an independent lyric form. It was originated in the thirteenth century Italy, was developed by the Italian poet Petrarch and was brought to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt. The sonnet was greatly modified by the Earl of Surrey and by Shakespeare.
The two most important types of sonnet are the Italian or Petrarchan and the Shakespearean or English. The Italian form, also called the regular or classical sonnet, is divided into the octave (first eight lines) and the sestet (the last six lines). The rhyme-scheme of the octave is abbaabba, and that of the sestet is cdecde or cdcdcd. The English sonnet characteristically has four divisions: three quatrains and a rhymed couplet. The rhyme-scheme is ababcdcdefefgg. There is an important variant of the English type—the Spenserian sonnet, developed by Edmund Spenser. It is regarded by some as another type of sonnet. It has the rhyme-scheme: ababbcbccdcdee.
In the Petrarchan form, the octave establishes a theme or poses a problem that is developed or resolved in the sestet. In the Shakespearean or English type a problem is turned about in the three quatrains, and the couplet produces a summary statement or a witty twist.
Both these forms represent ideal models, not absolute prescriptions. Many sonnets deviate. "The Token" of Donne has 18 lines, and "On the New Forces of Conscience” of Milton 20 lines. Many of Meredith have 16 lines.
The themes of sonnets have also changed over years. Courtly love was its theme in its early days, but now it has a good many themes.
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