1. The Sonnet Form and Iambic Pentameter
The Shakespearean sonnet always follows the same format.
It has 14 lines, with approximately 10 syllables each line.
Each line of the sonnet is written in iambic pentameter.

2. A line of iambic pentameter consists of 10 syllables, or five iambs of two syllables each.
An iamb is an “unstressed” syllable followed by a “stressed” syllable.
When written, the “U” symbols mean unstressed, and the “/” indicates a stressed syllable.

3. The line would look like the following one (the opening line of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18") containing a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables. The unstressed syllables are in blue and the stressed syllables in red:
Shall I com PARE thee TO a SUM mer’s DAY?
Each pair of unstressed and stressed syllables makes up a unit called a foot. The line contains five feet in all, as shown next:
Shall.I..|..com.PARE..|..thee.TO..|..a.SUM..|..mer’s DAY?

4. Finally, Shakespearean sonnets always follow the same rhyme scheme: ABABCDCDEFEFGG,
ending with two rhyming lines.