How to Write a Shakespearean Sonnet

1. Use the Shakespearean rhyme scheme.
2. Write your lines in iambic pentameter.
3. Vary your meter from time to time.
4. Follow the Shakespearean sonnet’s stanzaic structure.
5. Develop your stanzas thoughtfully.
6. Choose your subject matter carefully.
7. Write your Shakespearean sonnet.

A sonnet, in English poetry, is a poem of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter, that has one of two regular rhyme schemes – although there are a couple of exceptions, and years of experimentation that have loosened this definition.

In the Shakespearean or English sonnet, each line is 10 syllables long written in iambic pentameter. The structure can be divided into three quatrains (four-line stanzas) plus a final rhyming couplet (two-line stanza). The Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.

Common Examples of Sonnet “Death be not proud.” —John Donne. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” —William Shakespeare. “i carry your heart with me(i carry it in / my heart)” —e.e. cummings.

The sonnet is a popular classical form that has compelled poets for centuries. Traditionally, the sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter, employing one of several rhyme schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization.

Filters. The definition of a Shakespearean sonnet is a poem with three quatrains, using a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef, followed by an ending couplet of two lines with a rhyme scheme of gg. An example of a Shakespearean sonnet is one of Shakespeare’s love sonnets. noun.

They’re Hard (But Rewarding) In fact it’s really, really hard to write a good sonnet, especially when following all the rules. Being forced to go back to your lines over and over again to rework them may cause you to produce a much better poem than writing with an “anything goes“ attitude.

Writing Your Own Sonnet This style of poetry follows a specific format including length, rhythm, and rhyme scheme. To write a sonnet according to these rules, follow this process: – Select a subject to write your poem about (Shakespearean sonnets are usually about love).

Sonnets share these characteristics:

• Fourteen lines: All sonnets have 14 lines, which can be broken down into four sections called quatrains.
• A strict rhyme scheme: The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet, for example, is ABAB / CDCD / EFEF / GG (note the four distinct sections in the rhyme scheme).

10 syllables

sonnets

A stanza is a group of lines that form the basic metrical unit in a poem. So, in a 12-line poem, the first four lines might be a stanza.

Roundel. A roundel is an English repeating form from the 19th century. It is the English version of the rondeau. It consists of 11 lines, and its rhyming pattern is ABAa BAB ABAa.

nonet

A stanza is a group of lines within a poem; the blank line between stanzas is known as a stanza break. Like lines, there is no set length to a stanza or an insistence that all stanzas within a poem need be the same length.

A sestet is a six-line stanza of poetry. It can be any six-line stanza—one that is, itself, a whole poem, or one that makes up a part of a longer poem. Most commonly, the term refers to the final six lines of a sonnet.