By the numbers...
150 The number of times the word love appears in Romeo and Juliet.
25 The age at which most couples married in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This was because it was expected that a male would have his own household in which the family unit could live and work.
18 The age at which William Shakespeare married, making Shakespeare a very young groom by the standards of the time.
26 The age of Anne Hathaway when she married William Shakespeare – possibly in a 'shotgun' wedding.
25 The age at which most couples married in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This was because it was expected that a male would have his own household in which the family unit could live and work.
18 The age at which William Shakespeare married, making Shakespeare a very young groom by the standards of the time.
26 The age of Anne Hathaway when she married William Shakespeare – possibly in a 'shotgun' wedding.
What is a sonnet? What makes it so special?
The history of this poetic form started over 700 years ago.
This simple form of poetry began in Italy and soon grew in popularity. Two hundred years later, many English poets had adopted this form of poetic writing, continuing to focus on many of the same themes, the romance of love, love at first sight, the excruxiating nature of love, among many others.
Sonnets made easy...
Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets published in 1609 are a “collection” rather than a sequence... And they are remarkably various: Shakespeare explores the same theme in different ways but never exactly repeats a pattern. Shakespeare’s Sonnets represented a kind of apogée [highest point) of the English sonnet-writing fashion, and, in fact, may have contributed to the vogue’s fading away, since no one could outdo him or even come close to matching his skill and versatility.
The sonnet has proved to be a remarkably durable and adaptable form —a “fixed form” that is, paradoxically, enormously flexible. Although no one has ever equaled Shakespeare’s sonnets, nearly every notable poet writing in English has had a go at a sonnet or two. (from goodmenproject.com)
Sonnets made easy...
Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets published in 1609 are a “collection” rather than a sequence... And they are remarkably various: Shakespeare explores the same theme in different ways but never exactly repeats a pattern. Shakespeare’s Sonnets represented a kind of apogée [highest point) of the English sonnet-writing fashion, and, in fact, may have contributed to the vogue’s fading away, since no one could outdo him or even come close to matching his skill and versatility.
The sonnet has proved to be a remarkably durable and adaptable form —a “fixed form” that is, paradoxically, enormously flexible. Although no one has ever equaled Shakespeare’s sonnets, nearly every notable poet writing in English has had a go at a sonnet or two. (from goodmenproject.com)
Living Iambic Pentameter
Watch along as students learn about this type of poetic writing used by Shakespeare and so many others.
More about Sonnets...
In Shakespeare's time, theaters were often being closed as a result of
the black plague, the Puritans, or the government. Whenever theaters
were closed, writers had to make livings in other ways. Sonnets were
one of those ways. Sonnets were considered to be a high art form through
which artists showed off their talents. Shakespeare was paid to write
sonnets for patrons, who are wealthy people who pay for artwork.
Link for more about Sonnet 130
Here are some definitions you need to know about
Shakespearean sonnets:
Important Poetic Definitions
Stanza- A grouping of lines in a poem (think like a paragraph in prose),
which has two or more lines and might have a common pattern of meter,
rhyme, number of lines, and/or meaning within the poem.
Quatrain- A stanza or poem containing four (4) lines.
Octave- A stanza or poem containing eight (8) lines.
Sestet- A stanza or poem containing six (6) lines.
Couplet- two (2) paired, consecutive lines that rhyme (Ex. g g);
they usually have the same meter and relate to the same topic.
Iambic Pentameter – five iambic FEET per line.
Foot – two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit
of rhythm in a poem (Ex. iamb – a foot that has two syllables, one
unstressed followed by one stressed)
Iambic foot- an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable,
usually denoted as [ ^ / ] or [ - / ].
Shakespearean Sonnet- A type of sonnet made famous by William
Shakespeare, which is composed of three quatrains and an ending couplet.
The meter of a Shakespearean sonnet is iambic pentameter and it has a
rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg. This type of sonnet may also be called
an Elizabethan sonnet or an English sonnet. Petrarchan or Spenserian
sonnets are two popular sonnet forms other than the Shakespearean sonnet.
Qualities of a Shakespearean Sonnet
Now that you have the important definitions, let's look at the
important qualities of a Shakespearean sonnet:
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? A
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: B
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A
And summer's lease hath all too short a date: B
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, C
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; D
And every fair from fair sometime declines, C
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; D
* But thy eternal summer shall not fade E
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; F
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, E
When in eternal lines to time thou growest: F
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, G
So long lives this and this gives life to thee. G
Red= Quatrain 1
Green= Quatrain 2
Purple= Quatrain 3. * marks the volta
Pink= Rhyming couplet
COMPOSITION- A Shakespearean sonnet
contains 14 lines. Sonnets contain 3 quatrains and 1 couplet.
RHYME SCHEME- The 14 lines follow an
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. **The rhymes may
be end rhymes or eye rhymes. An end rhyme is one that
rhymes in sound, e.g. “shines” and “declines”; an eye rhyme
is one that rhymes by sight, e.g. “compare” and “are”
(not in sonnet above).
METER- Each line is written in iambic
pentameter- which means is composed of five iambic feet.
(An iambic foot contains one unstressed syllable followed
by a stressed syllable, (^ -). You can see this happens in words
like divine (di VINE), caress (ca RESS), bizarre (bi ZARRE), and
delight (de LIGHT) [the capitalized letters are the syllable that
is stressed or emphasized when pronounced]. It sounds sort
of like a heartbeat: daDUM, daDUM, daDUM. The "pentameter"
part means that this iambic rhythm is repeated five times.
VOLTA- The turning point of a sonnet.
The volta signals when the meaning of the poem changes
or a solution or resolution to the problem in the poem is
given. Every sonnet has one. A volta is often signaled with
the words “But” or “Yet." In a Shakespearean Sonnet, the
volta is mostly (but not always) found at the beginning of
the 9th or 13th lines.
THEMES- Containing some of the greatest lyric poems in English literature, Shake-speares Sonnets are not just the easy love sentiments of "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day." Many are bleak cries of emotional distress and spiritual exhaustion. They describe the struggle of love and forgiveness against anguish and despair. It is this tragic portrait of human existence that makes the sonnets immortal.
This section was written and created by Jessica E. Mularski, a FairfieldUniversity Graduate student.
the black plague, the Puritans, or the government. Whenever theaters
were closed, writers had to make livings in other ways. Sonnets were
one of those ways. Sonnets were considered to be a high art form through
which artists showed off their talents. Shakespeare was paid to write
sonnets for patrons, who are wealthy people who pay for artwork.
Link for more about Sonnet 130
Here are some definitions you need to know about
Shakespearean sonnets:
Important Poetic Definitions
Stanza- A grouping of lines in a poem (think like a paragraph in prose),
which has two or more lines and might have a common pattern of meter,
rhyme, number of lines, and/or meaning within the poem.
Quatrain- A stanza or poem containing four (4) lines.
Octave- A stanza or poem containing eight (8) lines.
Sestet- A stanza or poem containing six (6) lines.
Couplet- two (2) paired, consecutive lines that rhyme (Ex. g g);
they usually have the same meter and relate to the same topic.
Iambic Pentameter – five iambic FEET per line.
Foot – two or more syllables that together make up the smallest unit
of rhythm in a poem (Ex. iamb – a foot that has two syllables, one
unstressed followed by one stressed)
Iambic foot- an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable,
usually denoted as [ ^ / ] or [ - / ].
Shakespearean Sonnet- A type of sonnet made famous by William
Shakespeare, which is composed of three quatrains and an ending couplet.
The meter of a Shakespearean sonnet is iambic pentameter and it has a
rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg. This type of sonnet may also be called
an Elizabethan sonnet or an English sonnet. Petrarchan or Spenserian
sonnets are two popular sonnet forms other than the Shakespearean sonnet.
Qualities of a Shakespearean Sonnet
Now that you have the important definitions, let's look at the
important qualities of a Shakespearean sonnet:
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? A
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: B
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A
And summer's lease hath all too short a date: B
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, C
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; D
And every fair from fair sometime declines, C
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; D
* But thy eternal summer shall not fade E
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; F
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, E
When in eternal lines to time thou growest: F
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, G
So long lives this and this gives life to thee. G
Red= Quatrain 1
Green= Quatrain 2
Purple= Quatrain 3. * marks the volta
Pink= Rhyming couplet
COMPOSITION- A Shakespearean sonnet
contains 14 lines. Sonnets contain 3 quatrains and 1 couplet.
RHYME SCHEME- The 14 lines follow an
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. **The rhymes may
be end rhymes or eye rhymes. An end rhyme is one that
rhymes in sound, e.g. “shines” and “declines”; an eye rhyme
is one that rhymes by sight, e.g. “compare” and “are”
(not in sonnet above).
METER- Each line is written in iambic
pentameter- which means is composed of five iambic feet.
(An iambic foot contains one unstressed syllable followed
by a stressed syllable, (^ -). You can see this happens in words
like divine (di VINE), caress (ca RESS), bizarre (bi ZARRE), and
delight (de LIGHT) [the capitalized letters are the syllable that
is stressed or emphasized when pronounced]. It sounds sort
of like a heartbeat: daDUM, daDUM, daDUM. The "pentameter"
part means that this iambic rhythm is repeated five times.
VOLTA- The turning point of a sonnet.
The volta signals when the meaning of the poem changes
or a solution or resolution to the problem in the poem is
given. Every sonnet has one. A volta is often signaled with
the words “But” or “Yet." In a Shakespearean Sonnet, the
volta is mostly (but not always) found at the beginning of
the 9th or 13th lines.
THEMES- Containing some of the greatest lyric poems in English literature, Shake-speares Sonnets are not just the easy love sentiments of "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day." Many are bleak cries of emotional distress and spiritual exhaustion. They describe the struggle of love and forgiveness against anguish and despair. It is this tragic portrait of human existence that makes the sonnets immortal.
This section was written and created by Jessica E. Mularski, a FairfieldUniversity Graduate student.