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.