1. An Introduction to Sonnets
ENGLISH IV
Apple
TAYLOR HIGH SCHOOL

2. What is a sonnet? Sonnets are poems that meet the following rules:
All sonnets are 14 lines long.
Sonnets in English are written in iambic pentameter, which means that each line has 10 syllables, alternating in an unstressed/stressed pattern.
Sonnets follow a predetermined rhyme scheme; the rhyme pattern determines if the sonnet is Petrarchan (Italian), Shakespearean, or Spenserian.
All sonnets are characterized by a “turn” located at a designated point in the sonnet.

3. Meter in Poetry
Disyllables ˘ ¯ iamb - That time of year thou mayst in me behold ¯ ˘ trochee - Tell me not in mournful numbers ¯ ¯ spondee – Mayday, football, heartbreak, etc. Trisyllables ¯ ˘ ˘ dactyl - This is the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlock (a trochee replaces the final dactyl) ˘ ˘ ¯ anapest - And the sound of a voice that is still

4. What are these examples of?
Apple
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cucumber
Mandarin

5. The two major sonnet forms:
Petrarchan (Italian) A B A Octave (8 lines) A The TURN C D E C Sestet (6 lines)
Shakespearean A B C D C 3 quatrains E F The TURN F G Rhyming G Couplet

6. Composed Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth
Earth hath not anything to show more fair: _____ Dull would he be of soul who could pass by _____ A sight so touching in its majesty: _____ This City now doth, like a garment, wear _____ The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, _____ Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie _____ Open unto the fields, and to the sky; _____ All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. _____ Never did sun more beautifully steep _____ In his first splendor, valley, rock, or hill; _____ Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! _____ The river glideth at his own sweet will: _____ Dear God! The very houses seem asleep; _____ And all that mighty heart is lying still! _____
Sonnet Type ___________________

7. Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare
That time of year thou mayst in me behold _________
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang _________
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, _________
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. _________
In me thou seest the twilight of such day _________
As after sunset fadeth in the west, _________
Which by and by black night doth take away, _________
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. _________
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire _________
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, _________
As the death-bed whereon it must expire _________
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by. _________
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, _________
To love that well which thou must leave ere long. _________
Sonnet Type ___________________

8. The Turn of the Sonnet
A sonnet’s turn is the point in the sonnet where the poet changes perspective or alters his/her approach to description. This often results in a sonnet following a “position-contrasting position” type of structure, or occasionally a “change of heart” in the poet at the end of the verse. Look at this sonnet as an example: Notice that the poem’s turn is a change from discussing what Sleep itself is to what the poet will offer Sleep as tribute if Sleep comes to him.
“Come Sleep, O Sleep!” Come, Sleep! O Sleep, the certain knot of peace, The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe, The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release, Th' indifferent judge between the high and low; With shield of proof shield me from out the press Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw! O make in me those civil wars to cease! - I will good tribute pay if thou do so. Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed, A chamber deaf of noise and blind of light, A rosy garland, and a weary head; And if these things, as being thine in right, Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me, Livelier than elsewhere, Stella's image see.

9. Composed Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth
Earth hath not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendor, valley, rock, or hill; Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will: Dear God! The very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still!
What is the octave making
a statement about?
Where is the turn?
How is the sestet different
from the octave?

10. Sonnet 73 That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. Quatrain 1: Old age is compared to
In me thou seest the twilight of such day ________________________
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away, Q2: Old age is compared to
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. ________________________
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire Q3: Old age is compared to
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by. ________________________
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
What is the purpose of the concluding couplet? What statement is it making?