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The Sonnet ENG3U

The Sonnet

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Page 1: The Sonnet

The SonnetENG3U

Page 2: The Sonnet

What is a Sonnet?O A sonnet is a poem with 14 lines that

follows one of several set rhyme schemes.

O It is usually written in iambic pentameter.

Page 3: The Sonnet

Iambic PentameterO An iamb is a foot of an unstressed

(u) syllable and a stressed (/) syllable.

O “Penta” refers to the number five; there are five iambs in one line of iambic pentameter; in other words, there are 10 syllables.

O For example…O Shall I compare thee to a summer’s

day?

Page 4: The Sonnet

ScansionO When you analyze a poem by

counting its lines, feet, and syllables, it is called “scansion.”

Page 5: The Sonnet

Two Basic Sonnet Types

O Italian or PetrarchanO Petrarch was an Italian (c. 1300).

Wyatt translated Petrarch’s sonnets into English and introduced the sonnet form to England.

O English or ShakespeareanO Who do you think this sonnet type

was named for?

Page 6: The Sonnet

The Italian SonnetO The Italian Sonnet is divided into an

octave and a sestet.O The octave rhymes abbaabba.O The sestet rhymes cdecde, cdcdcd, or

cdedce.O The octave presents a narrative.O The sestet makes an abstract comment.O A volta (=turn) occurs at line 9.O Iambic pentameter is usual.

Page 7: The Sonnet

“Doth any maiden seek the glorious fame” (Petrarch)Doth any maiden seek the glorious fame Of chastity, of strength, of courtesy? Gaze in the eyes of that sweet enemy Whom all the world doth as my lady name! How honour grows, and pure devotion's flame, How truth is joined with graceful dignity, There thou may'st learn, and what the path may be To that high heaven which doth her spirit claim; There learn soft speech, beyond all poet's skill, And softer silence, and those holy ways Unutterable, untold by human heart. But the infinite beauty that all eyes doth fill, This none can copy! since its lovely rays Are given by God's pure grace, and not by art.

Page 8: The Sonnet

The English SonnetO The English sonnet is divided into

four sections:O Three quatrains (each with a rhyme

scheme of its own, usually alternating lines)

O A rhymed concluding coupletO Iambic pentameter is usual.O The typical rhyme scheme is

ababcdcdefefgg.

Page 9: The Sonnet

“How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shame” (Shakespeare)

How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shameWhich, like a canker in the fragrant rose,Doth spot the beauty of thy budding name!O! in what sweets dost thou thy sins enclose.That tongue that tells the story of thy days,Making lascivious comments on thy sport,Cannot dispraise, but in a kind of praise;Naming thy name blesses an ill report.O! what a mansion have those vices gotWhich for their habitation chose out thee,Where beauty's veil doth cover every blotAnd all things turns to fair that eyes can see!   Take heed, dear heart, of this large privilege;   The hardest knife ill-used doth lose his edge.

Page 10: The Sonnet

“In Progress” by Christina Rossetti

O Not all sonnets fit the pattern of the Italian or the English sonnet perfectly, if at all.

O Old poets made the rules.O Modern poets break the rules.O Open ViewPoints to page 221.

O Is “In Progress” an Italian or an English sonnet?

O What is the rhyme scheme?O List all the poetic devices used in the

poem.

Page 11: The Sonnet

“In Progress” Cont’dO Is “In Progress” an Italian or an

English sonnet?O It is neither, but it is closest to the

Italian sonnet.O What is the rhyme scheme?

O AbbccdecfghhgfO List all of the poetic devices used in the

poem.O Alliteration, assonance, enjambment,

metaphor, simile

Page 12: The Sonnet

AssignmentO Interpreting a Sonnet (2%) Total: 18

O Choose one of the sonnets on your Sonnets handout and answer the following questions about it.

1. What is the subject or situation of the poem? (3)2. Who is speaking (the persona, not the author)? (3)3. If the speaker were reading this aloud, what tone of

voice would you hear? (3)4. What images stand out in your mind? (3)5. In your own words, briefly summarize the theme or

purpose of the sonnet. (3)6. What is the rhyme scheme? What sonnet type is it,

or if it is neither, to which is it closest? (3)