Key Points

The sonnet is an example of accentual-syllabic verse. This means that the form has a fixed number of stresses (or accents) and syllables in each line.

14 lines

Usually iambic pentameter

Contains a marked shift in tone or argument called a volta

Two main types

Petrarchan (also called Italian)

• Octave (8 lines) (abba abba) or (abab cdcd)
• Sestet (six lines) (cdc cdc) or (cde cde)
• The rhyme scheme has several variations

Shakespearean

• Three quatrains & a final couplet (or all 14 lines in one stanza)
• Rhyme scheme (abab cdcd efef gg) (varies)
• Final rhyming couplet is defining feature

One of the easiest ways to recognize a sonnet is to count the number of lines. Rhyme scheme and meter vary depending on the type of sonnet, but if a poem has fourteen lines, it is a clue that the poem may be sonnet or is evoking some aspect of the sonnet.