Sonnet: History & Form

History of the Sonnet

A. Italian origins

Dante (1265-1321) La Vita Nuova, Beatrice
Petrarch (1304-1374) Rime Sparse, Laura

B. Petrarchan conventions

1. dramatic situation

introspective, autobiographical persona
conventions of courtly love (unrequited love for an unattainable beloved)
no resolution

2. arrangement and organization

not chronological, no consistent narrative
each sonnet represents a specific moment
emotional roller coster
often includes songs as well as sonnets

3. Petrarchan conceits

love as a war or a battle
love as a deadly disease or wound
love as torment or torture
love as bondage or slavery
love as a hunt
love as a ship on stormy seas
beloved as ruler or master
power of the beloved’s gaze
physical beauty of the beloved (blazon)
name of the beloved (puns)
immortalizing the beloved in verse
pain and pleasure of lovesickness
oxymoron and paradox

Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate,
O anything, of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Romeo and Juliet 1.1.175-81

C. English sonneteers

Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542)
translated some of Petrarch’s sonnets into English
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547)
invented the English sonnet rhyme scheme
Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)
Astrophil and Stella, “Stella” / Penelope Rich
Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)
Amoretti, Elizabeth Boyle
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Shakespeare’s Sonnets, fair young man / dark lady

Sonnet Form

Rules of sonnet form

A. 14 lines

B. iambic pentameter

pentameter five feet
foot a stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables in a repeating pattern
iambic unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
repeat, insist, New York

We mourn in black, why mourn we not in blood?
We mourn | in black, | why mourn | we not | in blood?

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day
The cur | few tolls | the knell | of part | ing day

C. strict rhyme scheme

1. Italian sonnet

octave: 8 lines with 2 rhyme sounds {A/B}
turn (or volta)
sestet: 6 lines with 2 (or 3) new rhyme sounds {c/d/e}
octave usually follows 1 of 2 set patterns: abbaabba or abababab
sestet displays a wide variety of patterns. cdecde, cdcdcd, cddcee, and so on.

Dear, cherish this and with it my soul’s will, A

     Nor for it ran away do it abuse. B

     Alas, it left poor me your breast to choose B

     As the blest shrine where it would harbor still. A

Then favor show and not unkindly kill A

     The heart which fled to you, but do excuse B

     That which for better did the worse refuse, B

     And pleased I’ll be, though heartless my life spill. A

But if you will be kind and just indeed, c

     Send me your heart, which in mine’s place shall feed c

     On faithful love to your devotion bound. d

There shall it see the sacrifices made e

     Of pure and spotless love, which shall not fade e

     While soul and body are together found. d

2. English sonnet

three quatrains: 4 lines with 2 rhyme sounds
closing couplet: a pair of rhyming lines
abab cdcd efef gg

Dear, why should you command me to my rest A

When now the night doth summon all to sleep? B

Methinks this time becometh lovers best; A

Night was ordained together friends to keep. B

How happy are all other living things C

Which, though the day disjoin by several flight, D

The quiet evening yet together brings, C

And each returns unto his love at night. D

O thou, that art so courteous else to all, E

Why shouldst thou, Night, abuse me only thus, F

That every creature to his kind doth call E

And yet ’tis thou dost only sever us. F

Well could I wish it would be ever day g

If when night comes you bid me go away. g

3. Spenserian sonnet

three quatrains (with interlocking rhymes)
closing couplet
ababbcbccdcdee

My hungry eyes through greedy covetize, A

     Still to behold the object of their pain, B

     With no contentment can themselves suffize: A

     But having pine and having not complain. B

For lacking it they cannot life sustaine, B

     And having it they gaze on it the more: C

     In their amazement like Narcissus vain B

     Whose eyes him starved: so plenty makes me poor. C

Yet are mine eyes so fillÃ¨d with the store C

     Of that faire sight, that nothing else they brook, D

     But loathe the things which they did like before, C

     And can no more endure on them to look. D

All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me, e

     And all their shows but shadows, saving she. e

Dear, cherish this and with it my soul’s will,	A
Nor for it ran away do it abuse.	B
Alas, it left poor me your breast to choose	B
As the blest shrine where it would harbor still.	A
Then favor show and not unkindly kill	A
The heart which fled to you, but do excuse	B
That which for better did the worse refuse,	B
And pleased I’ll be, though heartless my life spill.	A
But if you will be kind and just indeed,	c
Send me your heart, which in mine’s place shall feed	c
On faithful love to your devotion bound.	d
There shall it see the sacrifices made	e
Of pure and spotless love, which shall not fade	e
While soul and body are together found.	d

Dear, why should you command me to my rest	A
When now the night doth summon all to sleep?	B
Methinks this time becometh lovers best;	A
Night was ordained together friends to keep.	B
How happy are all other living things	C
Which, though the day disjoin by several flight,	D
The quiet evening yet together brings,	C
And each returns unto his love at night.	D
O thou, that art so courteous else to all,	E
Why shouldst thou, Night, abuse me only thus,	F
That every creature to his kind doth call	E
And yet ’tis thou dost only sever us.	F
Well could I wish it would be ever day	g
If when night comes you bid me go away.	g

My hungry eyes through greedy covetize,	A
Still to behold the object of their pain,	B
With no contentment can themselves suffize:	A
But having pine and having not complain.	B
For lacking it they cannot life sustaine,	B
And having it they gaze on it the more:	C
In their amazement like Narcissus vain	B
Whose eyes him starved: so plenty makes me poor.	C
Yet are mine eyes so fillÃ¨d with the store	C
Of that faire sight, that nothing else they brook,	D
But loathe the things which they did like before,	C
And can no more endure on them to look.	D
All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me,	e
And all their shows but shadows, saving she.	e