Sonnet

1. Sonnet • Sonnet--- a short poem of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter with a fixed rhyme scheme.

2. Sonnet • Originated in Italy in 13th C; came to perfection in the hands of Dante and Petrarch; introduced into England by Thomas Wyatt in 16th c. • Traditional themes: love, friendship, poetry

3. Two main types of sonnet • 1. The Petrarchan or Italian sonnet; containing two parts, an octave ( 8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). Rhyme scheme: abbaabba cdecde. • 2. The Shakespearean or English sonnet; consisting 3 quatrains and a couplet, with the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg

4. Shakespeare’s sonnets • 154 sonnets: • Shakespeare’s sonnets tell the story of his troubled relationships with two deeply flawed lovers: a young man and a dark lady.

5. Shakespeare’s sonnets 1-126 addressed to a young man, beloved of the poet, of superior beauty and rank but of somewhat questionable morals and constancy . love, admiration, jealousy

6. Shakespeare’s sonnets • 127-152 to a mysterious “Dark Lady”, who is sensual, promiscuous, and irresistible • Love, contempt, disgust • 153-154 translation or adaptations of some Greek epigram

7. Texts study 2. Sonnet 18 of Shakespeare “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” • Meter and Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg

8. Sonnet 18 of Shakespeare Theme : Beautiful things can be made eternal by poetry.

9. Sonnet 18 of Shakespeare Structure • proposal (1-2) • argument (3-12) • conclusion(13-14)

10. Sonnet 29 of Shakespeare Quatrain 1 describes the poet’s despair; Quatrain 2 tells what the poet envies in others that he does not have himself. Quatrain 3 indicates how the poet relieves his despair by remembering his friend’s love. The couplet summarizes the sonnet and best expresses the theme: I realize how lucky I am when I remember I have your love. Love is a compensation for the poet’s lack of status and success.