THE SONNET

- When? Middle of 13th century, in the Renaissance (the golden age of poetry.
Themes: love)
- Where? Italy
- By who? Giacomo Da Lentini
- Refined by: Dante (1265-1321) and Petrarch (1304-1374)
- Introduced into England by : Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542) and Henry
Howard (1517-1547)

- Petrarch wrote the Canzoniere (1342-1374):

 collection of poems that became the model for all the Renaissance poets

 Themes: love for a lady who cannot return the poet’s love

Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet:

- 14 lines of iambic pentameter
- Divided into 2 sections : octave and sestet

 Octave : presents the problem

Rhyme scheme: ABBA ABBA

 Sestet: solves the problem

Rhyme scheme: CDC DCD , CDE CDE

The sonnet has a turning point (or volta) -> where? At the end of the
eighth or ninth line
Introduced by: “and”,”if”,”so”,”but”

[Digitare qui]
English (or Shakespearean) sonnet:
- 14 lines of iambic pentameter
- Divided into 4 sections : 3 quatrains and 1 couplet
 3 quatrains:
a. Can introduce a theme
b. Can present three different arguments
Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF
 Couplet: conclusion
Rhyme scheme: GG

Rhetorical figures:
 Oxymorons
 Conceits: poetic image that generally surprises the reader
It can be:
 As long as the sonnet
 As long as a line
Main themes of the sonnet:
 Love, beauty, faith and art
 Psychology of love: PARADOX
 The lover begs1 the lady to love him, but he doesn’t want her to
surrender.
 The lady is beautiful but cruel, desirable but chaste
 Love for a woman can turn into2 love for God :
 It is the reason why the poet’s love is never physical: it must remain
pure and idealised.

1
Implorare (to beg)
2
Trasformarsi
[Digitare qui]