Sonnets The Petrarchan Sonnet The Petrarchan

							The Petrarchan Sonnet

The Petrarchan Sonnet consists of fourteen lines that are broken down into two stanzas: an eight
line octave and the six line sestet.

   1. In the octave portion, a problem or dilemma is presented, which is later worked through
      and solved in the sestet.
   2. Each line is written in iambic pentameter, which means that it will have ten syllables
      per line with the stress on every second beat: daDUM daDUM daDUM daDUM
      daDUM.

Octave

When writing your octave, aside from remembering your rhyme and meter, you want to explore
the dilemma thoroughly. Sound out each line by counting the beats. At first this might seem
awkward, but with practice it will become second nature. The octave is generally formatted in
one eight-line block, but you can break it down into two quatrains (four lines each) if it makes
the writing process easier.

   1. The purpose of the octave is to present a problem or dilemma.
   2. The theme is established in the first quatrain and developed in the second.
   3. It is comprised of two quatrains that break down into the rhyme pattern a-b-b-a a-b-b-a.

Some 13th Century sonnets have outlasted 13th Century cathedrals. (Public Domain photo from
National Archives)

For example, let's take a look at the octave of John Milton's Sonnet XIX. In the transcription
below, the stressed syllables in Quatrain One are in all caps. The rhyme pattern is marked in
parenthesis at the end of each line.

   Quatrain One:

   when I conSIDer HOW my LIGHT is SPENT, (a)
   ere HALF my DAYS in THIS dark WORLD and WIDE, (b)
   and THAT one TALent WHICH is DEATH to HIDE (b)
   lodged WITH me USEless, THOUGH my SOUL more BENT (a)

   Quatrain Two:

   To serve therewith my Maker, and present (a)
   My true account, lest He returning chide, (b)
   'Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?' (b)
   I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent (a)
   -courtesy of Luminarium

   John Milton wrote this poem about losing his eyesight, and that dilemma is clearly
   established in the first quatrain, then further developed in the second quatrain.
The rhyme scheme and meter are each meticulously followed like the rhythm of a song, and that
is key because the Italian word sonnet actually means "little song".

Sestet
The first line of your sestet is a major turning point in the poem and is often referred to as the
volta. You have presented your reader with a dilemma or proposition and it is now time to solve
the problem. Be sure to maintain the same meter and rhythm as the octave, but your end-rhymes
will now follow a new pattern.

   1. The volta is a turning point in the poem when the dilemma presented by the octave must
      be solved.
   2. Lines one through three reflect on the dilemma presented by the octave, and lines four
      through six wrap up the problem.
   3. Traditionally the rhyme pattern was formatted one of two ways: c-d-e-c-d-e or c-d-c-d-c-
      d.

   Note the rhyme pattern followed by Milton in the sestet of Sonnet XIX:
   That murmur, soon replies, 'God doth not need (c)
   Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best (d)
   Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state (e)
   Is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed, (c)
   And post o'er land and ocean without rest; (d)
   They also serve who only stand and wait.' (e)
   -courtesy of Luminarium

Milton follows the c-d-c-d-c-d pattern. In the first line of the sestet, the "volta" turns the outward
dilemma inward for reflection, and the final three lines resolve the theme.

Reviewing the Writing Process
While the process may feel overwhelming when you begin working on your first Petrarchan
sonnet, it isn't as difficult as it seems. Follow the simple formula below and practice, practice,
practice!

   1. Choose a subject to write about.
   2. Break your subject into two parts: a problem and a solution
   3. While writing, count out the beats in each line and pay attention to the rhythm.
   4. Begin writing your Octave in iambic pentameter, with an a-b-b-a end-rhyme pattern.
   5. Present the problem or dilemma.
   6. When you have finished the Octave, begin working on your sestet. The sestet is also
      written in iambic pentameter, but the rhyme pattern will shift to either c-d-e-c-d-e or c-d-
      c-d-c-d.
   7. In the first line of the sestet, present the "volta", or turning point, which reflects on the
      dilemma presented in the Octave.
   8. In the subsequent lines, finish the sonnet by solving the dilemma.
The Shakespearean Sonnet

       William Shakespeare popularized the English version of the sonnet, and he often played
       with the conventions and structure of the sonnet form to make interpretive statements.
       This is a classic example of a writer breaking the rules because he knows them like the
       back of his hand.

       Because the English Language is rhyme-poor compared to Italian, Shakespeare modified
       the sonnet so that less rhyme was required . The Shakespearean Sonnet still consists of
       fourteen lines, which break down into three quatrains and a couplet that follow the rhyme
       pattern a-b-a-b c-d-c-d e-f-e-f g-g.

The Quatrains
Each line is written in iambic pentameter so that it ends on a strong rhyme. The three quatrains in
a Shakespearean sonnet each serve a purpose when you break the poem down.

   1. Quatrain one establishes the theme or dilemma, and follows the a-b-a-b rhyme pattern.
   2. Quatrain two complicates the theme or dilemma, and follows the c-d-c-d rhyme pattern.
   3. Quatrain three contains the volta (or turning point), usually in line nine, and will often
      start with the word but. It follows the e-f-e-f rhyme pattern.

To get an idea of how this works, let's take a look at the quatrains of Shakespeare's Sonnet
XVIII, excluding the couplet for now. Each line is written in iambic pentameter, and the stressed
syllables in the first quatrain have been capitalized for easy identification. Note also how each
end-rhyme pattern changes quatrain by quatrain.

Quatrain One

   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)

Quatrain Two
  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)


Quatrain Three

   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)
-courtesy of Shakespeare Online

In this popular Shakespeare sonnet, the speaker begins by comparing his love to a summer's
day, but by line three of the first quatrain, the speaker admits that wind and time can weather
beauty. This is the problem he has presented.

He elaborates on that problem in the second quatrain, continuing with images of summer
decaying.

Note that line nine (the first line of Quatrain Three) begins with "but." This signals the
"volta", after which he turns the hands of the clock back by promising that his love will never
grow old, but be immortalized in the lines of poetry.

The Couplet
The purpose of the couplet is to summarize and conclude the problem presented in the first
three quatrains. Line nine begins the turning point in thought, and so lines thirteen and
fourteen strengthen the resolve. The lines continue in iambic pentameter, but the rhyme
scheme has changed so that both end-rhymes are the same.

Finishing with Shakespeare's Sonnet XVIII, notice how the final two lines reinforce the
solution presented by the volta.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, (g)
So long lives this and this gives life to thee. (g)

-courtesy of Shakespeare Online

In conclusion the speaker promises that as long as people live and read, they will see his
beloved as he has: in a perpetual state of youth and beauty. Count out the beat, and note that
both lines end on the same rhyme.

Reviewing the Writing Process
1. Choose a subject to write about.
2. Break the subject into two parts: a proposition/dilemma and a solution.
3. While writing, count out the beats of each line and pay close attention to the rhythm.
4. In the first quatrain, lay the subject out for the reader, following an a-b-a-b rhyme
   pattern.
5. The second quatrain is a deeper look into the subject. This stanza is written in a c-d-c-d
   end-rhyme pattern
6. Turn everything around with the "volta" in line nine of the third quatrain.
       1. Often the word "but" is employed to signal the turning point.
       2. Follow the e-f-e-f end-rhyme pattern in this quatrain.
7. The couplet is comprised of two lines and concludes with a solution to the issue explored
   through the body of the poem. Both lines end on the same rhyme represented by g-g.