1. ENGLISH/SHAKESPEAREAN Sonnets
The word “sonnet” means “little song”

2. Sonnet 18 – Make some predictions!
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

3. Sonnet 18 Investigation
What do you observe about the structure of the poem?
Look at the first line. How many syllables do you see in all?
What do you notice about the word choice? Put a box around words or phrases that are unfamiliar to you.
Make a prediction about the content of each stanza on your own.

4. Sonnet Structure
English or Shakespearean sonnets are arranged as three quatrains (stanzas of four lines) followed by a couplet (a two- lined stanza that rhymes).
There are 14 lines in all.
The traditional rhyme scheme used for English sonnets is abab, cdcd, efef, gg.
Each line must be written in iambic pentameter--a line of ten syllables that follows the unstressed/stressed rhythm pattern.

5. More on Iambic Pentameter…
Rhythm: A musical quality produced by the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry. We mark unstressed syllables with u above the syllable and stressed syllables with a / above the syllable.
Stressed syllable = greater amount of force given to a syllable.
Unstressed syllable = weaker amount of force given to a syllable.
For example: eagle impact cigar precise
When stresses occur at fixed intervals, we have meter.

6. More on Iambic Pentameter…
Iamb: A foot consisting of two syllables where the first is short or unstressed and the second is long or stressed as in 'beSIDE'
Iambic pentameter: a line of TEN syllables that follows the unstressed/stressed rhythm pattern.
weakSTRONGweakSTRONGweakSTRONGweakSTRONGweakSTRONG
unstressedSTRESSEDunstressedSTRESSED

7. Content
A sonnet must present a conflict and resolve it in the couplet. Each quatrain can present a different point of view about the problem.
The third quatrain usually presents a shift or a turn, which is called a volta.
The couplet at the end is for the poet's final thoughts on the subject. The conclusion can be clever or emotionally moving. It may also be a surprise twist!
Thematically, most English sonnets are concerned with love.

8. Sonnet Word/Phrase Key
Thee/thou = you
Temperate = balanced/not excessive
Buds = flowers
Summer’s lease = summer’s existence
Eye of heaven = sun
Fair = beauty
Nature’s changing course = seasonal shift
Eternal lines to time = lines of poetry; poem
So long lives “this” = the poem

9. Sonnet 18 Partner Analysis
Mark the rhyme scheme.
Paraphrase the each quatrain and the couplet. Write your paraphrase in the paraphrase box.
Circle the literary devices. Explain their significance to the overall meaning of the sonnet in the margins.
Draw an image that clearly represents the main idea of each quatrain and the couplet. Be ready to explain the reasons for your artistic decisions.
What is the theme of sonnet 18? Write out a complete thematic statement on the line at the bottom of your paper.