The Shakespearean (or English) Sonnet
Sonnet Form
• The sonnet is a fourteen line poem.
• The Shakespearean sonnet is written in iambic pentameter.
Iambic Pentameter
• Lines that ideally have five unstressed syllables, each followed by a stressed syllable, are referred to as iambic pentameter.
• Example:
Shall I/ compare/ thee to/ a sum/ mer’s day.
Meter
• Meter is the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables in a line of poetry.
• Each unit of meter is known as a foot.
Pentameter
• If there are five feet in a line of poetry, it is referred to as pentameter.
• Example:Two houses both alike in dignity
Two hous/ es both/ a like/ in dig/ ni ty
Rhyme
• Rhyme is the occurrence of similar or identical sounds at the ends of two or more words.
• Examples:
cat hat
bad fad
End Rhyme
• End rhyme occurs at the ends of lines.
• Example:
“I cannot go to school today,”
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
(Shel Silverstein)
Slant Rhyme
• Slant rhyme is also known as near rhyme.
• Slant rhyme occurs when the sounds are not quite identical.
• Examples:care dear
Rhyme Scheme
• Rhyme scheme is the pattern of end rhyme in a poem.
• The pattern is charted by assigning a letter of the alphabet to each line.
• Lines that rhyme are assigned the same letter.
Example of Rhyme Scheme
Jack and Jill a
went up the hill a
to fetch a pail of water. b
Jack fell down c
and broke his crown c
and Jill came tumbling after. b
(Note that “water” and “after” are slant rhymes)
Rhythm
• Rhythm refers to the pattern of flow of sound created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
• A regular pattern of rhythm is called meter.