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Sonnets I: Italian
It would be difficult for anyone who reads or writes poetry to have never come in contact with a sonnet of some kind. It is probably the most famous poetry form of all in its many variations. The classical poets who wrote sonnets often wrote them in a series that had a larger, more dramatic purpose. However, when writing a sonnet, you need to keep in mind, that each sonnet, even when created to complement others, should have a point and purpose alone.
Sonnets began as an Italian form of poetry. In fact, the very word "sonnet" is is from the Italian word "sonetto" that means "little song". It seems a very fitting name for the form as well. When written with skill, this form of poetry is exceptionally beautiful and melodious with both rhythm and rhyme.
The Italian sonnet is also called the Petrarchan Sonnet and consists of an octave (8 line stanza) and a sestet (6 line stanza). The octave has eight lines lines following the same scheme of abbaabba.
After the octave, there is a volta, or "change" in view or subject that follows in the sestet. So, the octave opens the poem and provides a setting and the sestet sums up the poem as well as closes it. The rhyme scheme for the sestet in the Petrarchan Sonnet is not as fixed as the octave. Some of the sestet variations in scheme can be as follows:
1. cdecde
2. cdcdcd
3. ccedde
4. cddcee
5. cdecde
Examples of the Italian form (Petrarchan) :
Holy Sonnet X by John Donne oldpoetry.com/poetry/621
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so:
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death; nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure -then from thee much more must flow;
And soonest our best men with thee do go -
Rest of their bones, and souls' delivery!
Thou'rt slave to fate, chance, kings, and desp'rate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well,
And better, than thy stroke; -why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more: Death, thou shalt die.
"Advance – Come Forth From Thy Tyrolean Ground"
by William Wordsworth (Petrarchan Sonnet)
oldpoetry.com/poetry/49327
ADVANCE--come forth from thy Tyrolean ground,
Dear Liberty! stern Nymph of soul untamed;
Sweet Nymph, O rightly of the mountains named!
Through the long chain of Alps from mound to mound
And o'er the eternal snows, like Echo, bound;
Like Echo, when the hunter train at dawn
Have roused her from her sleep: and forest-lawn,
Cliffs, woods and caves, her viewless steps resound
And babble of her pastime!--On, dread Power!
With such invisible motion speed thy flight, ;;;
Through hanging clouds, from craggy height to height,
Through the green vales and through the herdsman's bower--
That all the Alps may gladden in thy might,
Here, there, and in all places at one hour.
If you have links to examples by AllPoetry poets please send those my way!
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Comments
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I think I need to read some more sonnets to learn more !
I'm trying to read sonnets to understand the basics of poetry. Like I don't understand cdecde and the other forms.Also forms of abbaabba. Give me time and maybe I'll understand more and maybe I should read more sonnets. I better go and I will do some more reading on sonnets. -
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Hi Hawkeyes. The letters abbaabba are the rhyme scheme of the octave (8 line stanza) in an Italian/Petrarchan sonnet and the cdecde (or other optional combination of rhymes) is the rhyme scheme for the sestet in an Italian/Petrarchan sonnet.
If you would like to delve into the basics of poetry, click the "Learn" tab listed in the bar below the AllPoetry logo on any AP page and browse the class lists. There are free classes available covering many poetic topics, such as: basic elements of poetry, meter (such as iambic pentameter used to write sonnets), various rhyme classes, form poetry etc...
I teach a class titled, "The Theory of Rhyme", which concentrates on aspects of rhyme often associated with sonnets (and other rhyming forms of poetry).
Anyway, if you have questions you can send them to me or another AP teacher.
s and best wishes always... ~Genie~
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this looks really interesting and confusing, to write, id love to learn but i dont know if i could
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This was so interesting it has to be the best form I have come across yet....love it and will continue on learning...
Simon -
Hi Genie, I'm trying to find something about a Milton sonnet - I think he made a variation in the octet. Do you have a reference about that? Thanks for these great columns!
PS, after a little research, it is not Milton! I'm looking for abba cddc then a variable sestet. -
Very interesting, but you should probably have more examples... Thanx for the read!
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More forms, what fun...
And I thought Keats was the only one who messed around with sonnets. I have much to learn, it seems. That sonnet of Donne's is one of my favorites in the genre. -
most interesting
I think that the forebears of sonnets would smile at all this, even the greeks,; but it is nevertheless a good study; Sonnets are a challenge and an art in itself.. -
"Sonnets began as an Italian form of poetry"
Beg to differ, matey. The word "sonnet" may be from "little song", but the poetry FORM is much older than that. Do read Elizabeth Barrett Browning's first sonnet "...From The Portuguese", and you will see mentioned a name (the only man's name in her sonnets):"Theocritus." She read and wrote and thought in Greek and Latin, et al, and wrote her 1st sonnet here in Greek as it was evidently an inspiration from Theocritus. He is the oldest sonneteer I have found, although there are fragmentary hints at sonnets somewhat earlier. She read his sonnets, and wrote hers in his form, which was also the form in which Shaxpere wrote his sonnets. He also read Greek and other languages, as did most erudite folk of those times. Sonnets are older than your hints here seem to indicate. I am searching for older sites than the Greek, but that is a few centuries B.C. and can still be found in writings of the times. Yours is an excellent site and commentary, and you constantly send me searching for more poetry. Thanks. (BTW, if you see any of my sonnets which you would like to quote, here is blanket permission.) -
i have learnt more than enough. thnx so much for posting this.
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good
teach mi more -
Good comments
I have learned much about the Mediterranean language forms of poetry through reading these detailed comments. Having just attempted to write a poem called Sapphics on Talents, and realising that eleven syllables are required for the first three lines, I now seem to understand thatthis rule was derived from the language from which the sapphics form originated ie Mediterranean -Greek. I will post my poem so people can comment on it. Iana -
can you explain the letters meaning and representation of the flow.i am mainly a free verse writer but am trying to open up and try new forms.
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Thank you very much for writing this, even though its been here awhile, I just found it and I think I'll try one of these.
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I notice that the first octave variant of Sonetto Rispetto is the same as ottava rima, abababcc. I haven't run into the other variant anywhere, but it could certainly be very beautiful.
Genie, I've posted these columns in the Reading room of The Sonneteers, for general reference. Thanks for your effort!
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Yay greatness is present here, I'd read about the other forms of sonnet but I don't have the time (lol) so um yeah...bye
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Nice to see someone encouraging sonnets. I wrote two italian sonnets just recently. One is titled, "Your Funeral" and the other is "I'm Sorry."
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Bravo!
Great article!! I have long been in love with the Italian sonnet! -
That was a very helpful explanation! That pattern of meter seems complex and you're right, it would not work in English; or at least it seems a clumsy cluster to me.
The 11th syllable is also difficult to pull off but can be done. I have worked with that before (not knowing what it was called)
Again, I appreciate this series of articles. You have done an amazing job. -
This survey was very nicely written and easy to understand. I have just wrote two Shakespearean sonnets. I have a very long way to go in writing all types of sonnets. But they are a real challenge to me, and I do enjoy writng them. The hardest part for me is the ten syllables. This article is very helpful to me-If you can could you critique my two sonnets---THanks and God Bless--
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True spondees are usually hard to pull off. When people attempt it, the spondee usually fails when put to the test (the readers generally wont read two syllables with parallel accented value unless it's very defined. I'll try and add something about this in my 'mastering meters 2' class next semester).
Very informative! I suppose I'm stubborn; I'm much fonder of the english sonnet. Not because it's easier, mind you (You know me, I'm a sucker for intricate forms) but I like the rhyme scheme a bit more. I suppose I'm a tad traditional
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I'm glad you posted this! I learned some new info from it for sure.
Nicely done, genie.
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This is merely deductive thought on my part From all I have studied about the hendecasyllable verse and hedecasyllabic verse as compared with the iambic hedecasyllable I've come to think this is how it works:
Technically, the iambic hedecasyllable would be one of many possible variations of hedecasyllable verse, since to qualify as a a hendecasyllable verse a line merely needs to have 11 syllables per line with a stress on the tenth syllable.
However, Hendecasyllabic verse is not as loosely defined as this. It is an actual, specific type of quantative meter (like iamb, trochee, spondee, dactyl) It has a definate pattern(s) to be followed that doesn't agree with the iambic hendecasyllable.
Hendecasyllabic meter
[DUM DUM] [DUM da da] [DUM da] [DUM da] [DUM da]
[spondee] [dactyl] [trochee] [trochee] [trochee]
The first foot is also often a trochee [DUM da] and sometimes an iamb
[da DUM]. The last foot can also be a spondee [DUM DUM]
So, the confusing part is this, as I have understood it:
The hendecasyllable IS a part of hendecasyllabic meter, but all hendecasyllables don't constitute hedecasyllabic verse.
The iambic hedecasyllable would be perfectly acceptable to write with 11 syllables, but it would not make the Italian Sonnets hedcasyllabic, because it doesn't follow the specific stress patterns of hedecasyllabic meter.
Of course, hendecasyllabic meter could be done with the English language, but would not sound as good as Iambs (like iambs might not sound so good in Italian). I believe, that if we were to become very technical with this form as written in English, we could use any English meter that would leave a stress on the tenth syllable (as Iambs do).
The main difference is that the hedecasyllable is a stress on the 10th syllable in an 11 syllable line and the hedecasyllabic verse, is a specific Italian meter. Where English poetry sounds lovely in Iambs, it sounds more archaic than sweet when conformed to the Hendecasyllabic meter of the Italian language. Thus, a sweet sounding meter that maintains the 10th syllable stress is Iambic and it upholds the Italian ideal of the sonetto, "little song" .
Hopefully I haven't deepened the confusion...lol
Thanks for the comment and the querry s and best wishes.. ~genie~
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Fascinating stuff. I've tried a couple of sonnets and I reached the conclusion that the content and the form were inseperable. In my first, I could use the English form to lay out the content in the main body and the final couplet to connect with the real world, while the second demanded the full sestet to bring the meaning out.
The connection etween form and content seems to me to be more critical in a sonnet than in any other form I've tried. Great column. vic -
hey, cool write, very interesting
Edited on Dec 15, 11:21 because ''. -
Very nice post, i have only written shakespearien (sp?) sonnets so far, which i am writing for my friends christmas presents. But i noticed
"1. cdecde" and
"5. cdecde"
They are the same
lol. Otherwise awesome post, i will refere back to it in the future xoxox
-faerie-
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Genielassie...Thank you SO much for this wonderful column! {bows repeatedly at her feet...} I will, no doubt, be returning to this often, as I am considering doing a sonnet, soon. What a HUGE help this will be. Again...THANKS!!
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This is a wonderful column and one I will be returning to for reference. You have gotten my wheels turning.
I am confused with the hendecasyllable info though. Is this adding an extra syllable or is it rearranging iambic meter? How would the stresses fall and what is the difference between 'iambic hendecasyllables' and iambic meter?
Thank you for such a wonderful article! -
Hugh, thank you for the links you have left here, I am trying to improve on my work with the sonnet and so am very grateful to you for thinking to post this information.
~Katie~
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Genie, thank you for posting this information on sonnets, also for the links Hugh has left for us to check out. I have really taken to the sonnet and am trying to improve with this form.
~Katie~
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Thank you very much for publishing this on sonnets (especially Italian) since I was DQed from a contest in which I entered a proper Italian sonnet and was told that it was incorrect. She was not familar with Italian sonnets and therefore did not consider my entry valid. Thank you for posting this to educate us on the proper form. Lynda
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I will most definately follow these links very, very soon. It is my hope to find at least a few examples by AllPoetry members who will give consent for me to link their examples of these poems to the column, so that when someone is trying to learn the form they will not only have plenty of poetry to look at, but also the names of members on the site who may be willing to help them on any points of the form that they are may be struggling with or uncertain about .
Thank you very, very much for the links and I will definately look into them, probably tomorrow morning.
s and best wishes and many thanks to you... ~genielassie~
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Dear Genielassie,
Thankyou for this excellently presented column in which you have outlined, articulately, the basis and form of the Italian Sonnet and its variants.
If you are interested in reading some exemplary sonnets by All Poetry Members, may I refer you to my Wyleian Sonnet Series which comprises over a hundred sonnets of almost every type by some of our best sonneteers, as well as some of my own.
allpoetry.com/list/9954
An explanation of the list may be found at:
allpoetry.com/Column/811330
and there is also a light piece of sonnet advice
in couplet sonnet form at:
allpoetry.com/Poem/706514
I applaud your column and will attempt the Sicilian and Rispetto variants when my Muse inspires.
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Useful column, thanks
Thank you genie, that is a very clear and comprehensive explanation which will be useful to many people. Petrarchan sonnets are not new to me, but the other two are. I've tried writing iambic hendecasyllables in terza rima, and they are not nearly as pleasing to me as simple iambic pentameter.
I'm bookmarking this for reference, thanks. I have a Spenserian sonnet that may interest you if you are writing a series. Also there is a humorous look at poetic forms in this column.
allpoetry.com/Column/1606674
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