Shakespearean Sonnets “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Shakespeare, Sonnet XVIII

Sonnet: Definition  A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem usually written in iambic pentameter with a specific rhyme scheme.  We will examine the Shakespearean Sonnet form in this lesson.

The Shakespearean Sonnet  The Shakespearean sonnet, unlike other sonnet forms, has three four-line stanzas (quatrains) and a two- line unit (a couplet), which is always indented. Three four- line stanzas plus one two-line couplet equals fourteen lines.  The rhyme scheme is as follows: –First stanza (quatrain): ABAB –Second stanza (quatrain): CDCD –Third stanza (quatrain): EFEF –Couplet: GG.

Shakespearean Sonnet: Origin  Shakespeare wrote most of the lines in his plays in blank verse, which is unrhymed iambic pentameter.  Shakespeare's sonnets were also written in iambic pentameter, but the lines had a rhyming scheme.

Shakespearean Sonnet: Iambs  An iamb is a unit of rhythm consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.  The words “annoy,” “fulfill,” “pretend,” “regard,” and “serene” are all examples of iambs.

Shakespearean Sonnet: Iambic Pentameter  When a line has five iambs, it is in iambic pentameter. The prefix ''pent'' means ''five.''  The suffix ''meter'' (in ''pentameter'') refers to the recurrence of a rhythmic unit (also called a ''foot'').  Because they contain five iambs (five feet) they are said to be in iambic pentameter.

Examples of Iambic Pentameter  The following line from “Romeo and Juliet” demonstrates the use of iambs. The stressed words or syllables are underlined: –But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII (18) A Shall I compare thee to a summer's DAY? B Thou art more lovely and more temperATE: A Rough winds do shake the darling buds of MAY, B And summer's lease hath all too short a DATE: C Sometime too hot the eye of heaven SHINES, D And often is his gold complexion DIMM'D; C And every fair from fair sometime deCLINES, D By chance or nature's changing course unTRIMM'D; E But thy eternal summer shall not FADE F Nor lose possession of that fair thou OWEST; E Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his SHADE, F When in eternal lines to time thou GROWEST: G So long as men can breathe or eyes can SEE, G So long lives this and this gives life to THEE.

Shakespearean Sonnet Assignment  Compose a Shakespearean sonnet modeled on Sonnet XVIII.  Follow the rhyme scheme, and check each line to ensure it’s in iambic pentameter.  Begin with the following line: “Shall I compare thee to…” –Fill in the blank. –Use the sonnet as a model for the remaining lines.