Sonnets have been written all over the world and in many different languages: French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Russian, Urdu, and German poets have all made significant contributions to the evolution of the form. For example, a four-line poem in which the first line rhymes with the third, and the second line rhymes with the fourth has the rhyme scheme ABAB.

Rhyme schemes are described using letters of the alphabet, so that each line of verse that corresponds to a specific type of rhyme used in the poem is assigned a letter, beginning with the letter A.

Rhyme scheme: Poems such as sonnets that make use of end rhymes (rhymes at the end of each line), often do so according to a repeating, predetermined pattern.

For example, iambic pentameter is a type of meter used in many sonnets that contains five iambs per line (thus the prefix “penta,” which means five). Poetic meters are defined by both the type and number of feet they contain. For instance, an iamb is a foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (de- fine), while a trochee has the opposite: a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable ( Po-et).

Meter: A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that creates the rhythm of lines of poetry.

We provide more details about these terms on their own pages, but here's a quick primer: For that reason, it's helpful to have a strong grasp of what meter and rhyme scheme are. Many (but not all) sonnets have a strict meter and a defined rhyme scheme. Here's how to pronounce sonnet: sahn-it Sonnets, Meter, and Rhyme Scheme

Sonnets are sometimes written in groups, where each individual sonnet can stand alone but are also linked with the others in the group.

Sonnets have become so popular, and are written in so many places, that over time many, many variations of the sonnet form have evolved.

For hundreds of years, the sonnet form was reserved for poems about unrequited love, but since the 17th century sonnets have been written about a wide variety of subjects.

Some additional key details about sonnets: The main difference between the Italian and English sonnet is in the rhyme schemes they use. The two most common sonnet variations are the Italian sonnet (also called a Petrarchan sonnet), and the English sonnet (also called a Shakespearean sonnet). Within these general guidelines for what makes a sonnet, there are a wide variety of variations.

Sonnets generally use a meter of iambic pentameter, and follow a set rhyme scheme. Traditionally, the fourteen lines of a sonnet consist of an octave (or two quatrains making up a stanza of 8 lines) and a sestet (a stanza of six lines). What is a sonnet? Here’s a quick and simple definition:Ī sonnet is a type of fourteen-line poem.

Iambic pentameter sonnet 116