Jim
Roth’s Website
SONNETS MADE EASY
A
sonnet is a poem whose structure and content meet specific
standards. Its success relies on
exactness and perfection of expression.
It is an art form that truly challenges a poet’s artistry and skill. Structure: In
general, a sonnet is a fourteen-line poem where each line is written in a
particular musical rhythm called iambic pentameter. In addition, these fourteen lines have to
conform to a specific rhyme scheme. Don’t
be confused or put off by the term iambic pentameter. An iamb is simply a two-syllable unit of
sound where the first syllable is unaccented and the second is accented. Words like today, forget,
and garage are iambs. If
you say these words aloud, you will notice that you accent the second
syllable more strongly than the first. Pentameter means measure
(meter) of five (penta). So iambic pentameter simply means five
iambs to each line. Check this line
out: “Today I will forget to weep for
you” Can you identify the five iambs? On
to rhyme scheme: Rhyme scheme simply
means the pattern made by the ending sounds of each line. Consider
this: Please
listen to my voice above them all, So you, my friend,
be spared the pain and grief Of
failing, falling hard against that wall Which makes a time of happiness so
brief. We
mark the rhyme scheme of a poem by using the alphabet. The first line’s ending sound is given the
letter “A.” Any similar ending sounds
in that poem also are given the letter “A.”
The next new end-of-the-line sound is given the letter “B,” the next
“C,” and so on. The
four lines above have the rhyme scheme A,B,A,B. See? Since
there are two major types of sonnets—the Petrarchan
(or Italian) and Shakespearean (or English or Elizabethan)—there
are two major rhyme schemes. Though
rhyme scheme variations exist (particularly in the last six lines (the
sestet), the Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet rhyme scheme usually is
B B A An OCTAVE—the first eight
lines-- A states a proposition or B raises a question. B A
D E A SESTET—the last six lines C applies the proposition or D solves the problem. E A
Shakespearean (or English or Elizabethan) sonnet is different:
B First QUATRAIN A Image or example #1 B
D Second QUATRAIN C Image or example #2 D
F Third QUATRAIN E Image or example #3 F
G Commentary on the preceding ideas Now
the hard part—a sonnet must have meaning, too. A Petrachan
sonnet presents a situation or premise in the first eight lines (the octave)
and provides some sort of resolution or statement about the situation in the
final six lines (the sestet). The
Shakespearean sonnet, in contrast, presents three four-line (a quatrain)
examples or premises, with the couplet at the end providing some sort of
closure. Examples? For a Petrarchan sonnet, how about this
masterpiece: Fourteen
lines of iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of abbaabbacdecde
and a structured message breaking at the end of the eighth line. My
college life has left me without sleep. I
study every night locked in my room. The
walls at times feel almost like a tomb; The
loneliness doth cause my soul to weep. Great
tears of sadness flow from eyes that keep Returning
to the text where answers loom, Enshrouded
in a chapter like a womb, My
eyes throughout the words do futilely creep. I
must a Big Mac eat or I will die Of
hunger gnawing at my fragile mind That
cannot read another word of this. I
also want a piece of apple pie That
Ronald has so patiently refined. I
must these eat or I will be a mess. First
note the rhyme scheme—it is one kind of Petrachan
sonnet rhyme scheme (abbaabbacdecde). Next note how the thought changes direction
after the eighth line. The first eight
lines (the octave) develop the situation; the final six lines (the sestet)
provide resolution. Now
on to a Shakespearean sonnet. Let’s
start with the same idea: Fourteen
lines of iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg
and a structured message consisting of three four-line premises and a
two-line (a couplet) resolution. My
college life has left me without sleep. I
study every night locked in my room. The
loneliness doth cause my soul to weep, The
walls at times feel almost like a tomb. My
social life has vanished in the haze That
drifts about me when I think of love, And
hours doeth creep by in a blurry daze With
hope of romance stolen from above. My
health is really starting to erode. I
cannot walk and talk ‘cause I must pant And
wheeze because my bod cannot the load Endure;
and as to run, well I just can’t. So
from the doctor I must seek some help. I
bet he will suggest I eat some kelp. A
classic? Time will tell, but while we wait,
note the structure of the thought. The
first, second, and third four-line groups (quatrains) provide examples of the
situation. The final two lines, the
couplet, provide closure. |
|
|
