AP English Lit and Comp Poetry Terms 2 SONNETS

Lyric Poems LYRIC POETRY- originally meant poems that were meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a lyre (a type of harp). It now refers to any short poem where the speaker expresses intense personal emotion rather than describing a narrative or dramatic situation. Sonnets and odes are the two most common types of lyric poetry. A sonnet is a lyric poem of fourteen lines. It is usually written in iambic pentameter, and follows a strict pattern.

METER Meter- the (more or less) regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry Metrical “Feet”- how poetry is measured. Iambic – one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. ( The most common pattern in English poetry) ͝ ´ ͝ ´ ͝ ´ ͝ ´ My heart is like a sing -ing bird. - Christina Rossetti

METER OTHER TYPES OF FEET: Trochaic: one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed Anapestic: two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed Dactylic: one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed Spondaic: two stressed syllables Pyrrhic: two unstressed syllables * * Not considered a legitimate foot

METER METRICAL LINES Monometer- one foot* Dimeter – two feet Trimeter – three feet* Tetrameter – four feet Pentameter – five feet* Hexameter – six feet Heptameter – seven feet

IAMBIC PENTAMETER In IAMBIC PENTAMETER each line is divided into five feet that each consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. ͝ ´ ͝ ´ ͝ ´ ͝ ´ ͝ ´ My love is like to ice, and I to fire - Edmund Spenser

THREE KINDS OF SONNETS ITALIAN / PETRARCHAN SONNET SPENSERIAN SONNET ENGLISH / SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET

ITALIAN SONNET Made famous by Francesco Petrarch, an Italian poet from the 14 th Century. Often have unrequited love as a theme. First 8 lines (called an octave) present a problem or situation. Last 6 lines (called a sestet) provide an answer or resolution. RHYME SCHEME: ABBAABBA CDECDE (or CDCDCD)

ENGLISH SONNET Most famously used by William Shakespeare. Divided into three groups of four lines (called quatrains), and one pair of lines (called a couplet). Problem is presented in the quatrains. Solution in the couplet. RHYME SCHEME: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

SPENSERIAN SONNET Made famous by Edmund Spenser. Similar to the English sonnet, but follows different rhyme scheme. RHYME SCHEME: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE