Write a short note on Sonnet Structure.
• The octave (the first 8 lines), usually rhyming abbaabba, establishes
the speaker’s situation.
• The sestet (the last 6 lines), usually with the rhyme scheme cdcdcdor cdecde, resolves, draws conclusions about, or expresses a reaction to
the speaker’s situation.
The Petrarchan sonnet has been called
organic in its unity because the octave and sestet fit together naturally.
Unity is also produced by the rhyme scheme, which involves only four or
five different rhyming sounds.
The Shakespearean form also has 14 lines but is structured
differently.
• Three quatrains (stanzas of 4 lines) are followed by a rhyming couplet
(2 lines).
• The rhyme scheme is ababcdcdefefgg.
• The first quatrain introduces a
situation, which is explored in the next two quatrains. The third quatrain (or
sometimes the final couplet) usually includes a turn, or shift in thought. The
couplet resolves the situation.
