This document provides an overview of sonnets, including their origin and structure. It begins by explaining that sonnets are 14-line poems that follow a strict rhyme scheme. It then discusses Petrarch, who is credited with perfecting the early Italian sonnet form in the 14th century. His unrequited love for Laura inspired many of his sonnets. Later, Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced the sonnet form to England after traveling to Italy. Shakespeare then popularized the form in England, modifying the rhyme scheme and adding a couplet to the structure. The document provides examples of sonnets by Petrarch and Shakespeare to illustrate their different forms.