The document discusses the origins and types of sonnets. It states that the sonnet originated in Italy and is associated with the poet Petrarch. The Italian or Petrarchan sonnet has 14 lines divided into an 8 line octave with a rhyme scheme of abba abba, followed by a 6 line sestet with a rhyme scheme of cde cde. The English or Shakespearean sonnet was introduced later and has a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. It provides an example of Shakespeare's sonnet comparing his mistress unfavorably to a rose.