Sonnets – Terms to Know Sonnet – a 14 line lyric poem with a single theme. Each line in a sonnet is usually in iambic pentameter – five groups of two syllables, each with the accent on the second syllable. A sonnet can be divided into two sections: the first presents the theme or raises and issue and the second answers the question or resolves the problem. Rhyme scheme – a pattern of rhymes in a poem, marked by letters to symbolize which lines rhyme. Quatrain – a stanza of four lines, usually with alternating rhymes. Couplet – a pair of successive lines in a verse that rhyme. Spenserian sonnet – rhymes abab bcbc cdcd ee. Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet – divided in to an eight-line octave, rhyming abba abba, followed by a six-line sextet, rhyming cdecde. Often, the octave poses a problem that is answered in the sestet. Octave – first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet. Sestet – last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet. Shakespearean sonnet –a sonnet of fourteen lines with five iambic feet to a line. Follows the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg or three quatrains (four line stanzas) followed by a rhyming couplet, often a dramatic statement that resolves or restates the central problem of the sonnet. Turn – the change in a sonnet from the posing to the answering of a question or theme. In Petrarchan sonnets, the turn is from the octave to the sestet. In Shakespearean sonnets, the turn is from the third quatrain to the couplet. Meter – in verse or poetry, the length of the lines that contain a recurring pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. The type of meter is determined by the type of foot and the number of feet in the line. Foot – each pair of stressed and unstressed syllables makes up foot in poetry. Sonnet sequence – multiple sonnets are linked by theme or the person to whom they are addressed. Types of Feet in Sonnets Iamb (Iambic) Two syllables Trochee (Trochaic) Two syllables Spondee (Spondaic) Two syllables Anapest (Anapestic) Three syllables Dactyl (Dactylic) Three syllables Pyrrhic Two syllables Unstressed + Stressed Stressed + Unstressed Stressed + Stressed Unstressed + Unstressed + Stressed Stressed + Unstressed + Unstressed Unstressed + Unstressed Types of Meter in Sonnets Monometer – One Foot Dimeter Two Feet Trimeter Three Feet Tetrameter - Four Feet Pentameter - Five Feet Hexameter - Six Feet Heptameter - Seven Feet Octameter Eight Feet Examples: Shakespeare’s sonnets are traditionally in Iambic Pentameter, which is a five foot line, containing five Unstressed + Stressed syllables. Ie: Shall I com PARE thee TO a SUM mer’s DAY? What type of Meter and Foot would this line from Shakespeare’s Macbeth be? “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble.” What type of Meter and Food would this line from Twas the Night Before Christmas be? “Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” What type of meter and foot would this line from Dr. Seuss be? “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.”