About the sonnet: Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux's book The Poet's Companion says that "if you experiment in writing with only one traditional form, this [the sonnet] should be it" (146). In Western culture, the sonnet is perhaps the most well known of all traditional poetic forms. This form has more requirements than any of the other traditional forms. The requirements include:
In contemporary sonnets, we often see some of these requirements altered or abandoned. Many of today's formal poets write modified sonnets, giving them more freedom with the language. As an exercise in learning the form, and, in the process, learning more about poetry and language in general, I would like you to maintain a strict adherence to the first six requirements. The theme, which I believe is the easiest of the six ingredients in this recipe, is not required. There have been so many sonnets written on the topics of love or courtship that I find it refreshing when a sonnet goes to some other place, or, in contrast, when a sonnet seems to be about something else entirely but ends up being about love or courtship.
Beyond the above requirements, it is absolutely imperative that you not forget all of the elements of great poetry we have used when creating free verse. You still want to use energetic, original language (no cliches or word packages), you still want to create great imagery, you still want to use alliteration, assonance, and repetition to create flow and emphasis, you still want to use similes and metaphors to your advantage.
Further instruction: Requirements 2, 5, and 6 vary depending on what type of sonnet you choose to write, so here is the breakdown:
There are basically three types of sonnets: Petrarchan (or Italian), Shakespearean (or English), and Spenserian. The last is the least commonly employed, and, in fact, many descriptions of the sonnet only include information on the first two.
Notes:
Things to include in every poem you write:
Things to avoid in every poem you write:
Format:
Examples of Sonnets
"First Poem for You," Kim Addonizio (modified Shakespearean--imperfect iambs; imperfect pentameter)
"Here," Kim Addonizio (modified--no rhyme scheme or meter)
"The Gulf, 1987," Deborah Paradez (modified-unrhymed)
"Are All the Break-Ups in Your Poems Real?" Aimee Nezhukumathil (modified--unrhymed, mostly unmetered)
"SONNET (silenced)," Olena Kalytiak Davis
"Gapped Sonnet," Susan Gardinier
"Gravity and Center," Henri Cole
"What Lips My Lips Have Kissed," Edna St. Vincent Millay
"Love is Not All," Edna St. Vincent Millay (modified--imperfect iambs)
"I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed," Edna St. Vincent Millay (modified--imperfect iambs)
"Putting in the Seed," Robert Frost (Shakespearean)
"Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" William Shakespeare (modified Shakespearean--the iambs aren't perfect here)
"My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun," William Shakespeare
- a specified number of lines (14),
- a specified rhyme scheme (varies depending on the type of sonnet (more below))
- a specified pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables (iambic)
- a specified number of beats in the line (10, also known as 5 feet, also known as pentameter; therefore, the sonnet is in iambic pentameter, a term that combines the qualitative and quantitative types of meter being used here.)
- setting up a problem or question in a specified number of lines (this number varies depending on the type of sonnet (more below))
- and then providing a resolution or answer in a specified number of final lines (this number varies depending on the type of sonnet (more below))
- the specified theme of love or courtship
In contemporary sonnets, we often see some of these requirements altered or abandoned. Many of today's formal poets write modified sonnets, giving them more freedom with the language. As an exercise in learning the form, and, in the process, learning more about poetry and language in general, I would like you to maintain a strict adherence to the first six requirements. The theme, which I believe is the easiest of the six ingredients in this recipe, is not required. There have been so many sonnets written on the topics of love or courtship that I find it refreshing when a sonnet goes to some other place, or, in contrast, when a sonnet seems to be about something else entirely but ends up being about love or courtship.
Beyond the above requirements, it is absolutely imperative that you not forget all of the elements of great poetry we have used when creating free verse. You still want to use energetic, original language (no cliches or word packages), you still want to create great imagery, you still want to use alliteration, assonance, and repetition to create flow and emphasis, you still want to use similes and metaphors to your advantage.
Further instruction: Requirements 2, 5, and 6 vary depending on what type of sonnet you choose to write, so here is the breakdown:
There are basically three types of sonnets: Petrarchan (or Italian), Shakespearean (or English), and Spenserian. The last is the least commonly employed, and, in fact, many descriptions of the sonnet only include information on the first two.
- Rhyme Scheme (In the below schemes, each letter represents a specific end rhyme for a specific line. The first letter represents the first line's end rhyme, the second letter represents the second line's end rhyme and so on):
- Petrarchan: abbaabba cdecde
- Shakespearean: abab cdcd efef gg
- Spenserian: abab bcbc cdcd ee
- Problem/Resolution Lines
- Petrarchan sonnets begin with an octet (group of eight lines) that sets up a problem or asks a question and then has a turn which represents a shift in the poem to the final sestet (group of six lines) that resolves the problem or answers the question.
- Shakespearean and Spenserian sonnets also tend to have a problem or question in the first octet and a turn and resolution in the final sestet, but within that final sestet, the very last two lines, which are a rhyming couplet (gg or ee), tend to be an overall closing statement.
Notes:
- There are more rhyming words in Italian than in English, and you can see that reflected in the difference between the Petrarchan and Shakespearean rhyme scheme (and it's one of the reasons English poets created the new rhyme scheme). For the Petrarchan sonnet, you need to have two different sets of four words that rhyme (eg. mine, fine, line, dine and blue, flue, stew, too); whereas, for the Shakespearean sonnet, you never need more than two of the same rhyme. Oddly, for the Spenserian sonnet, you also need two sets of four rhyming words (I'm not sure as to the logic behind it, but maybe that is one of the reasons this particular sonnet style is not as common). Anyway, what it means for you is that the Petrarchan and Spenserian sonnet styles may be more challenging than the Shakespearean sonnet.
- Be careful with the words you choose as your rhyming words. These are words that stand out, so you must decide between words that have energy or words that fade into the background. Normally, you wouldn't want to use words that fade into the background, but since these are rhyming words and end words, the reader will read them with more emphasis. You don't want to make the reader hear them in a sing-songy, nursery rhyme sort of way, so obscuring them could be the best way to go.
- USE ENJAMBMENT. For the reason just outlined in number 2, it is very important that you use enjambment, so the reader doesn't pause for a long time on the rhyme, emphasizing it more and creating a sing-songy rhythm. Try to make the sentence continue from one line to the next as much as possible. If you have sentences stop or pause, have them stop or pause in the middle of the line as much as possible.
- BE CLEAR. Because there is a rhyme scheme and a specific meter, you will end up trying to work the language in a way that adheres to the pattern, but do not, do not, do not lose clarity in the process. Keeping to the strict requirements while maintaining clarity will be your biggest challenge.
- PAY ATTENTION TO SYNTAX AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE. This kind of goes along with clarity, but there are things you can do with syntax and sentence structure that create clear meaning but also create an awkwardness that is just wrong. Inverted word order that is used solely for the purpose of creating the rhyme just looks amateurish. Make your sentences sound natural and contemporary. Shakespeare and Spenser and others often used what we consider "inverted word order," but it wouldn't have been considered "inverted" in their time: the common syntaxes of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries were different than the ones we use today.
- AVOID CLICHES AND WORD PACKAGES. Yes, I know I've already written this, but it bears repeating. When we have strict requirements for meter and rhyme, the descriptions that most easily come to our minds are ones we've heard before. Don't fall into this trap.
- Use the examples from links to poems below as a guide. If you own The Poet's Companion, the chapter on "Meter, Rhyme, and Form" is also quite helpful.
- As always, try for more showing than telling. Show the particulars of a specific situation. Like the poems we read from published poets in our books, be as specific as possible; try to illuminate the ordinary, describe it in a new and original way, try using metaphor and/or personification of inanimate objects in your description. As you're revising, use alliteration and/or assonance. Finally, look at your poem as a whole. Is there some universal, philosophical message you can get from this poem? Try to find a way of conveying that in the poem without stating it directly. The best way to do this is by letting an image or images represent the idea rather than stating the idea.
- Learn more about the sonnet.
- Article: "Learning the Sonnet," by Rachel Richardson
- Learn more about meter and scansion.
Things to include in every poem you write:
- showing more than telling
- conflict
- originality
- energy (of sound and sense)
- complete sentences (MOST of the time)
Things to avoid in every poem you write:
- cliches and word packages
- most adverbs, especially ones that end in "ly"
- abstractions like "joy," "happiness," "fear," "excitement," "anguish," etc.
- heavy-handed or melodramatic words like "heart," "eternal," "desire," "dearest," "yearn," "bliss," "embrace,"etc.,
- archaic words like "alas," "amiss," "upon," "farewell," "thee," "thou," "thy," "beloved," "thine," etc.
- perspective adjectives like "beautiful," "lovely," "ugly," "terrible," "fantastic," "surreal," "enchanting," etc.
- clunky words (basically, words with too many syllables)
Format:
- The poem should be typed using 12 or 11 pt. font size and Times New Roman or Arial font style.
- Your name and e-mail address should be in the top, right corner of the page(s)
- By the left margin, you should type the title of your poem, double space, and begin typing the text of your poem (which should be single spaced except for the breaks in stanzas).
- Unless you feel the poem needs to be double-spaced (e.g. you like the lighter feel on the page, it's a poem about isolation and having isolated lines seems appropriate, etc.) single space the poem. This is just to say that either is acceptable, but there should be a reason why you choose one over the other; you should do what is right for that particular work rather than just go along with the formatting that is already in your word processing program.
- Do not center the poem in the middle of the page or center each line of the poem. Again, the poem should begin at the left margin. If you would like to play with the spacing before and between lines and words, do so as suits the subject of your poem. Most serious contemporary poetry uses these devices very subtly, though, so keep that in mind. Look at the published poetry in your books as examples.
- Do not capitalize the first letter of every line. This is an antiquated convention to which most contemporary poetry does not adhere. Only capitalize the first letter of every sentence in the poem. If your word processing program automatically capitalizes the first letter of every line, turn auto-correct off or edit every line manually.
- Lastly, you should bring at least five copies to class on peer workshop day if you are in the small group and at least twelve if you are in the large group.
Examples of Sonnets
"First Poem for You," Kim Addonizio (modified Shakespearean--imperfect iambs; imperfect pentameter)
"Here," Kim Addonizio (modified--no rhyme scheme or meter)
"The Gulf, 1987," Deborah Paradez (modified-unrhymed)
"Are All the Break-Ups in Your Poems Real?" Aimee Nezhukumathil (modified--unrhymed, mostly unmetered)
"SONNET (silenced)," Olena Kalytiak Davis
"Gapped Sonnet," Susan Gardinier
"Gravity and Center," Henri Cole
"What Lips My Lips Have Kissed," Edna St. Vincent Millay
"Love is Not All," Edna St. Vincent Millay (modified--imperfect iambs)
"I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed," Edna St. Vincent Millay (modified--imperfect iambs)
"Putting in the Seed," Robert Frost (Shakespearean)
"Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" William Shakespeare (modified Shakespearean--the iambs aren't perfect here)
"My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun," William Shakespeare