1. Exploring Sonnets: Climbing Bloom’s Taxonomy
Shauna Bolton, NBCT
Jordan High School

2. Francesco Petrarca Italian (1304-1374) Sometimes called
the father of humanism
Perfected sonnet form
Dedicated sonnets to
a woman named Laura

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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