Shakespearean Sonnets

The Fair Youth 1-126 (Rumored to be to a handsome, young man) London’s theaters were closed from 1592-1594 because of a plague. Shakespeare spent his time writing 154 Sonnets: The Fair Youth 1-126 (Rumored to be to a handsome, young man) The Dark Lady 127- 152(153,154) (Rumored to be one of Shakespeare’s lovers) The Rival Poet 78-86 (Rumored to be written to his competition)

What is a sonnet? Iambic what? Oh dear, this is going to be a weird lesson! Sonnet mean is derived from the Italian Word Sonetto which means “little sound;song” It has to be about love A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter.

Iambic Pentameter  Iambic Pentameter is the rhythm and metre in which poets and playwrights wrote in Elizabethan England. It is a metre that Shakespeare uses.

Heartbeat. Quite simply, it sounds like this: dee DUM, dee DUM, dee DUM, dee DUM, dee DUM. It consists of a line of five iambic feet, ten syllables with five unstressed and five stressed syllables. It is the first and last sound we ever hear, it is the rhythm of the human heart beat.

Pentameter? Penta is from the Greek for five. Well an ‘iamb’ is ‘dee Dum’ – it is the heart beat. Penta is from the Greek for five. Meter is really the pattern So, there are five iambs per line! (Iambic penta meter )

Pentameter cont’d It is percussive and attractive to the ear and has an effect on the listener's central nervous system. An Example of Pentameter from Shakespeare: but SOFT what LIGHT through YONder WINdow BREAKS

Syllables WRITE THIS DOWN: A Syllables are phonological "building blocks" of words. They can influence the rhythm of a language, its poetic meter, its stress patterns, etc. Well, there are three syllables (separate sounds) in the word syllable! WRITE THIS DOWN: “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks.” How many syllables are there in that quotation? Draw a line to separate each syllable.

It should look like this…… “But / soft, / what / light /through / yon / der / win / dow / breaks / There are TEN syllables. NOW, underline the stressed syllables. Remember it’s the heartbeat. Dee DUM dee DUM dee DUM

It should look like this…… “But / soft, / what / light /through / yon / der / win / dow / breaks / There you have it, this rhythm is iambic pentameter! Well done!

Back to sonnets…… Well, it is a poetic form. But it has a certain structure as well as a rhyming pattern.

STRUCTURE & SCHEME Structure: three quatrains followed by a couplet Rhyme Scheme: abab cdcd efef gg.

Shakespearean Sonnet Structure Quatrains are four line stanzas Presents three growing views of perspectives on a problem or scenario. (3) Couplet is a couple (two) lines with the same rhyme scheme The couplet in a sonnet changes the direction of the poem, transforming the view to something else. (at end) Now, separate each quatrain and couplet with a line. Label each section.

Sonnet 116 1 Let me not to the marriage of true minds 2 Admit impediments. Love is not love 3 Which alters when it alteration finds 4 Or bends with the remover to remove: 5 O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark, 6 That looks on tempests and is never shaken; 7 It is the star to every wandering bark, 8 Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. 9 Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks 10 Within his bending sickle's compass come; 11 Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, 12 But bears it out even to the edge of doom. 13 If this be error and upon me proved, 14 I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Sonnet 116 1 Let me not to the marriage of true minds 2 Admit impediments. Love is not love 3 Which alters when it alteration finds 4 Or bends with the remover to remove: 5 O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark, 6 That looks on tempests and is never shaken; 7 It is the star to every wandering bark, 8 Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. 9 Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks 10 Within his bending sickle's compass come; 11 Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, 12 But bears it out even to the edge of doom. 13 If this be error and upon me proved, 14 I never writ, nor no man ever loved. Quatrain 1 Quatrain 2 Quatrain 3 Couplet 1

Sonnet 116 Rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. In other words, it is the pattern of end rhymes or lines (END WORD)

There once was a big brown cat, That liked to eat a lot of mice. FAT CAT There once was a big brown cat, That liked to eat a lot of mice.       He got all round and fat,                 Because they tasted so nice.    The fat cat ran very slow As slow as a cat can go (A) (B) (A) (B) (C) (C)

Sonnet 116: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG 1 Let me not to the marriage of true minds (a) 2 Admit impediments. Love is not love (b) 3 Which alters when it alteration finds (a) 4 Or bends with the remover to remove: (b) 5 O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark, © 6 That looks on tempests and is never shaken; (d) 7 It is the star to every wandering bark, © 8 Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. (d) 9 Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks (e) 10 Within his bending sickle's compass come; (f) 11 Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, (e) 12 But bears it out even to the edge of doom. (f) 13 If this be error and upon me proved, (g) 14 I never writ, nor no man ever loved. (g)

Sonnet 116 Close Reading describes the careful, sustained interpretation of a brief passage of text. Such a reading places great emphasis on the particular over the general, paying close attention to individual words, syntax, and the order in which sentences and ideas unfold as they are read.

Unit Benchmarks I can use context to analyze figurative language and determine its impact on the text. I can describe how an author’s use of words create meaning and tone in a literary text.

SOAPSTone S: Speaker - Who is talking in the poem? O: Occasion - What is the time and place of the poem? A: Audience - To whom was the poem written? P: Purpose - Why was the poem written? S: Subject - What is the poem about? TONE: Tone - What is the attitude in the poem?

Sample Tone Words 1. accusatory-charging of wrong doing 2. apathetic-indifferent due to lack of energy or concern 3. awe-solemn wonder 4. bitter-exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or grief 5. cynical-questions the basic sincerity and goodness of people 6. condescension; condescending-a feeling of superiority 7. callous-unfeeling, insensitive to feelings of others 8. contemplative-studying, thinking, reflecting on an issue 9. critical-finding fault 10.choleric-hot-tempered, easily angered 11. contemptuous-showing or feeling that something is worthless or lacks respect 12. caustic-intense use of sarcasm; stinging, biting 13. conventional-lacking spontaneity, originality, and individuality 14. disdainful-scornful 15. didactic-author attempts to educate or instruct the reader 16. derisive-ridiculing, mocking 17. earnest-intense, a sincere state of mind 18. erudite-learned, polished, scholarly 19. fanciful-using the imagination 20. forthright-directly frank without hesitation

Sonnet 116 1 Let me not to the marriage of true minds 2 Admit impediments. Love is not love 3 Which alters when it alteration finds 4 Or bends with the remover to remove: 5 O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark, 6 That looks on tempests and is never shaken; 7 It is the star to every wandering bark, 8 Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. 9 Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks 10 Within his bending sickle's compass come; 11 Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, 12 But bears it out even to the edge of doom. 13 If this be error and upon me proved, 14 I never writ, nor no man ever loved.