1. Understanding Sonnets
Mrs. Cutler

2. Sonnets: History and Purpose
As we discussed, sonnets were first made popular by Petrarch in Italy. Imitations of Petrarch’s famous sonnets became the rage.
The sonnet came to England from Italy in the late sixteenth century.
Purpose
Thousands upon thousands of sonnets were written, often in sequences.
The sequences explore the many moods of love. Most often, they recounted love affairs between the male poets and their female lovers
(Who were generally golden-haired, beautiful, disdainful, and inaccessible.)

3. The Rules of Engagement
What is a sonnet?
A sonnet is a highly structured 14 line poem.
The 14 lines are generally grouped in
English or Italian or
Shakespearean Form Petrarchan Form
3 quatrains (4 lines) 1 octet (8 lines)
(presents problem in first quatrain (sets up problem/situation)
or present three different examples)
1 couplet (2 lines) 1 sestet (6 lines)
(contradict or summarize) (comments on or resolves the problem)

4. Structure and Argument
The two different sonnet structures lend themselves to making two different types of arguments.
1. The English sonnet works best for a poem striving to make a three step argument, with a quick summary or resolution at the end OR
setting up brief , cumulative images
2. While the Italian sonnet lends itself to poems that have two points to make
to make one point and then illustrate it.

5. More about Sonnet Structure
Ordinarily, the rhyme scheme reflects the structure.
Thus, the sonnet usually has the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg
And the 8-6 sonnet follows the abbaabba cdecde rhyme scheme.
Each line is also written in iambic pentameter
Iambic means the stress is on the second syllable, an example is the word good-bye.
Pentameter shows us that a line has 5 feet or clusters of two syllables adding up to 10 syllables
An unstressed syllable followed by stressed syllable
Ex. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

6. Today’s Focus
Tone – the apparent emotional state, or “attitude,” of the speaker/narrative voice, as conveyed through the language of the piece.
Examples of Tone:
caustic, light, humorous, violent, somber, serious, thoughtful, condescending, or surreal.
Turn – shift in the poem’s thought or tone.
Where can the turn take place?
5, 9 or 13