What’s a Shakespearean sonnet?
Ever wondered what is a sonnet? In particular a Shakespearean sonnet?
Here you'll learn about them and then be challenged write one...
A sonnet is a 14-line poem that follows a specific rhyme scheme and meter. The most famous type of sonnet is the Shakespearean sonnet, which was popularized by William Shakespeare in the 16th century.
Structure
A Shakespearean sonnet is divided into three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a couplet (two-line stanza). The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. This means that the first and third lines of each quatrain rhyme, as do the second and fourth lines. The couplet has its own rhyme.
Meter
The meter of a Shakespearean sonnet is iambic pentameter. This means that each line of the sonnet has ten syllables, with the stress falling on every other syllable. For example, the line "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is in iambic pentameter.
Themes
Shakespearean sonnets often explore themes of love, beauty, death, and time. They are often written in a passionate and personal style, and they can be very moving and evocative.
Examples
Here are two examples of Shakespearean sonnets:
Sonnet 18
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 dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
How to Write a Shakespearean Sonnet
1. Choose a topic. What do you want to write about? Love, loss, beauty, death?
2. Brainstorm ideas. What do you want to say about your chosen topic?
3. Outline your sonnet. How will you structure your poem? What will each quatrain and the couplet be about?
4. Write your first draft. Don't worry about making it perfect at this stage. Just get your ideas down on paper.
5. Revise your sonnet. Polish your language and make sure it is clear and concise.
6. Read your sonnet aloud. This will help you to identify any problems with the rhythm or flow of the poem.
7. Get feedback from others. Ask a friend, family member, or teacher to read your sonnet and give you feedback.
8. Revise your sonnet again. Make any necessary changes based on the feedback you received.
9. Submit your sonnet. Share your sonnet with the world!
Tips
Read some Shakespearean sonnets to get a feel for the form.
Use a rhyming dictionary to help you find rhymes.
Don't be afraid to experiment. There are no hard and fast rules for writing a Shakespearean sonnet.
I hope this helps! Now it's your turn to write a Shakespearean sonnet. Let's see your sonnets in the comments.
Sources: Article written with the assistance of Bard.google AI
www.quia.com/files/quia/users/mhdaon/AP_Poetry_PPT_closed_forms_revised
books.google.com/books?id=etgUl_ZqhXEC
books.google.com/books?id=dlFFIQ8tfz4C
www.nypl.org/blog/2019/05/03/evolution-love-poem
