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The Sonnet in the Renaissance
Comparative Study of the Petrarchan verse and the Elizabethan verse
Emiliano Tavano
Francesco Petrarca• Francesco Petrarca (July 20,
1304 – July 19, 1374) • An Italian scholar and poet in
Renaissance Italy.• One of the earliest humanists.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrarch
William Shakespeare• William Shakespeare (26 April
1564 – 23 April 1616) • An English poet, playwright, and
actor.• The greatest writer in the English
language. • Wrote approximately 38 plays,
154 sonnets and two long narratives.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare
LengthPetrarchan Sonnet Elizabethan14 Lines 14 Lines
Foot and MeterPetrarchan Sonnet ElizabethanIambic Pentameter verse Iambic Pentameter verse
(subtle variations)
StructurePetrarchan Sonnet ElizabethanDivided in 2 Parts Divided in 4 Parts
The Octave or Octet: 2 groups of 4 lines
3 Quatrains
The Sestet: 2 groups of 3 lines
Final Couplet
Rhyme SchemePetrarchan Sonnet Elizabethan
The octave: ABBA ABBAThe sestet: CDCDCD or CDECDE
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG orABBA CDDC EFFE GG
Purpose of the StructurePetrarchan Sonnet ElizabethanThe octave presents the problem or theme and the sestet resolves it.
Each quatrain deals with a separate aspect pf the theme introduced in the first line, and that argument is resolved in the couplet.
