Sonnet: Poetry and Petrarchan Sonnet Essay

Submitted By Vaibhavi-Singh
Words: 513
Pages: 3
Open Document
ENG3U1 Poetry
THE PETRARCHAN SONNET

named after the 14th century Italian poet, Petrarch
14 lines, iambic pentameter

Form: Rhyme Scheme
a) an OCTAVE (8 lines) ABBA ABBA

b) a SESTET (6 lines) CDE CDE (or some variation e.g.CDC CDC)

Content: traditionally about the hopes and pains of an adoring male lover : the OCTAVE states the problem, situation : the SESTET tries to resolve the matter : can be played around with, as in “Sonnet on the Sonnet” and “Knockout”

“Sonnet on the Sonnet”

They say the discipline of form and rhyme
Is good for budding poets who must try
To balance theme and structure, sigh for sigh
And fill the fourteen lines with thought sublime.
The verse must march, of course, in measured time
With five iambic feet and thus defy
The writers of free verse who leap and fly
Regardless of the rules: a heinous crime!

And then one must observe the classic pause
Between the eight and six as Petrarch did,
And Wordsworth too (though sometimes he forgot!).
What else? The rhyme—the rigid sonnet laws
Permit a meager five. Now God forbid
That one should know these rules and heed them not!

ENG3U1 Petrarchan Sonnet
“The World is Too Much With Us”
~William Wordsworth

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,
The winds that will be howling at all hours
And are up-gather’d now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

It moves us not.—Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn,
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

Questions
1. Demonstrate your understanding of the Petrarchan sonnet’s form by identifying:
The octave
The sestet
The rhyme scheme
One line of iambic pentameter

2.
Show More

Related Documents: Sonnet: Poetry and Petrarchan Sonnet Essay

Analyzing Poem Essay

Shakespeare sees in his mistress. At the end of Shakespeare sonnet he describes how much he loves despite of what she look. When he says, “ I grant I never saw a goddess go:(line 11)” he is saying that he may never see a goddess but his mistress is close to one as they get. Despite what she looks like Shakespeare’s love for her is one of a kind because he loves her for her and not her looks. Shakespeare also believes that if his mistress reads his sonnet she will know that Shakespeare loves her for her beauty…

Words 885 - Pages 4

The form and structure of poems Essay

to make a comment on life ● to tell a joke ● to advance an argument The next question might be: "What kind of poem shall I write?" Some answers to this question might be: ● a song ● a ballad ● an ode ● a hymn ● a haiku ● free verse ● a sonnet ● a rap ● an epic The poet's choice of form might be influenced by the audience being aimed at, but it is more likely to be determined by the nature of the material. For instance, a rap is a good way of expressing emotion and telling a story…

Words 1713 - Pages 7

Analysis of Petrach's Poetry: a Translation of Italian Poem Rime 140 Essay

This is a translation of the Italian poem "Rime 140" by Petrarch. The following link - shows the original form and two translations - each poem is different. They are built around the conceit of love as a warrior or knight, who, in the octave, makes bold to declare himself through a blush, and is promptly rebuked by the beloved; the sestet finds him running away to hide, leaving the poet to reflect on his plight as a faithful servant of a cowardly master. By attributing the offensive, cowardly, and…

Words 1540 - Pages 7

English 103 guideline Essay

OF POETRY Lyric Poetry – short; expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker; often written in the first person; often written in language rich in sound; may relate an incident or, more often, draw a scene. E.g., a sonnet. Narrative Poetry – tells a story; has characters, a setting, and a plot. E.g., a ballad, an epic. Dramatic Poetry (dramatic monologue) – a speech of an imaginary character addressing another character (who remains silent) at some decisive moment. Didactic Poetry – to…

Words 1920 - Pages 8

Ozymandias Poem Analysis

greatness, the whole area was just covered with flat sand. All that is left is the wrecked statue. Analysis "Ozymandias" is a fourteen-line, iambic pentameter sonnet. It is not a traditional one, however. Although it is neither a Petrarchan sonnet nor a Shakespearean sonnet, the rhyming scheme and style resemble a Petrarchan sonnet more, particularly with its 8-6 structure rather than 4-4-4-2. Here we have a speaker learning from a traveler about a giant, ruined statue that lay broken and eroded…

Words 874 - Pages 4

Comparitive Essay Browning and Gatsby English

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets of the Portuguese were composed mid-19th century England, while The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was written during a contrasting era, known as the Roaring 20’s, a century later. As the reader, the story of EBB’s love for Robert Browning is seen from her standpoint, and we accompany her directly through her fears of outsider’s views, uncertainties and hopes for her love with Browning. Fitzgerald’s narrator, Nick Carraway, is an observant and loyal man,…

Words 1953 - Pages 8

Final Paper English 101

Neveen Suliman Professor Arindam Saha English 101 Final Paper Shakespearean Sonnets and the Tradition of Sonnet Writing In order to understand sonnets, we need to understand the basic meaning of a traditional sonnet. A traditional sonnet, has resemblances with doing a crossword. It is a puzzle to make the parts fit; there is some logical tease, and you can consider going over individual lines, like crossword clues, as you continue daily life. There is also a knock-on effect. If you change a line…

Words 1912 - Pages 8

Tone In William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130

articulated through art, especially poetry. Women in particular have been expected to be perfect; they have often been described as having stars in their eyes, lips that look like art, and cheeks as red as roses. Despite the heavy presence of this universal standard for perfection, some individuals recognize the impossibility of such a standard. Throughout “Sonnet 130,” Shakespeare employs cliché comparisons in order to mock traditional Petrarchan love sonnets. Shakespeare’s mocking tone ultimately…

Words 1204 - Pages 5

Desire In The Great Gatsby

individual desire in The Great Gatsby and Barrett Browning’s poetry reveal similarities or reinforce the texts’ distinctive qualities? The pursuit of happiness a universal concern that effects people in different ways and the ideologies of ideal love, social ethics and morals are thought to be of relevance to these people that affect their values and the values of society. This is evident in Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poetry, “Sonnets from the Portuguese” written in 1850 and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s…

Words 1317 - Pages 6

Essay on Literary terms

a series of words or phrases Antagonist – Someone or something presented in opposition to the protagonist Assonance – The repetition of the same or similar vowels sounds, especially in stressed syllabus Ballad –Another type of narrative poetry, uses repeated words and phrases, including a refrain Cacophony – Words used that sound jarring or add a discordant effect Climax – The point of the greatest tension or importance Closed Form – Regular patterns of meter, rhyme, line length…

Words 754 - Pages 4