A sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem that follows a strict rhyme scheme and structure, consisting of either an English or Italian form. The English sonnet has three quatrains and a couplet while the Italian sonnet has an octave and sestet. Sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, with each line consisting of five feet with an unstressed then stressed syllable pattern.

1. All about a SONNET
Whitney Howell
EDTC 245
9th Grade English

2. What is a sonnet?
A sonnet is a short, lyric poem consisting of 14 lines that follows
a strict rhyme scheme and a specific structure.
The two most common types of rhyme schemes are:
• English (Shakespearean)
• Italian (Petrarchan)

3. Italian sonnet
Petrarchan
An Italian sonnet consists of:
• An octave (8 lines)
• A sestet (6 lines)

4. English sonnet
Shakespearean
An English sonnet consists of:
• Three quatrains (4 lines)
• A couplet (2 lines)

5. Iambic Pentameter
Iambic is a commonly used
metrical line in traditional
verse and verse drama. The term
describes the particular rhythm
that the words establish in that
line. That rhythm is measured in
small groups of syllables; these
small groups of syllables are
called “feet".
The word "iambic" describes the
type of foot that is used (in
English, an unstressed syllable
followed by a stressed
syllable). The word "pentameter"

6. Enjoy this reading of Shakespeare’s
“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHSxKT0f5OM