Exploring Sonnets: Climbing Bloom’s Taxonomy Shauna Bolton, NBCT Jordan High School 2008-2009
Francesco Petrarca Italian (1304-1374) Sometimes called the father of humanism Perfected sonnet form Dedicated sonnets to a woman named Laura
Petrarchan Sonnets Number of lines: 14 Form: octave, volta or turn at line 9, sestet Rhyme Scheme: Octave: abba abba Sestet: variable patterns cdecde cdcdcd ccdeed cdcdee Form’s influence upon subject: Contrasting ideas question-answer problem-solution theme-comment
The Petrarchan Conceit An elaborate metaphor or simile that makes unusual comparisons. Examples from Sonnet 15: “Tears, bitter tears fall in a bitter rain” Tears = rain “And my heart trembles with a storm of sighs” Sigh = storm or tempest “But all too soon my very soul is rocked/When you depart” Departure = earthquake
William Shakespeare English (1564-1616) Acknowledged master of the sonnet in English Wrote 154 sonnets on various topics Ridiculed the Petrarchan conceit in his sonnets
Shakespearean Sonnets Number of lines: 14 Form: three quatrains and one couplet; written in iambic pentameter Rhyme Scheme: Quatrain #1: abab Quatrain #2: cdcd Quatrain #3: efef Couplet: gg Form’s influence upon subject: Examples of the topic followed by a summary