Sonnet: Definition & Types

Definition & Types of Sonnet

There are four major types of lyrics written in English literature. They are sonnet, ballad, elegy and ode. Let’s discuss them one by one.

1. SONNET: DEFINITION & TYPES:

A sonnet is a type of lyric written in 14 iambic pentameter lines. Traditionally, sonnets were written on the theme of love. With the passage of time, new experiments were done by the poets and they were written on the themes of politics, nature, religion, spirituality, war, friendship etc. Sonnets were first introduced in English literature by Thomas Wyatt during the 16th century. In English literature, we come across different types of sonnets developed by different poets. Let’s discuss them.

(A) PETRARCHAN SONNET:

Petrarchan sonnet was the first type of sonnet to gain popularity in England. Originally, it was first popularized by an Italian poet Francesco Petrarch in 1300s. Sir Thomas Wyatt imitated this Italian sonnet and started writing sonnets in English following Petrarchan pattern. 

Petrarchan sonnets have 14 lines—divided into an octave (a stanza of eight lines) and a sestet (a stanza of six lines). The rhyme scheme of Petrarchan sonnet is ABBA ABBA CDCCDC or ABBA ABBA CDECDE. They are most commonly written in iambic pentameter lines. As the Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two sections, the poet asks questions in the first section (octave) and reaches an answer in the second section (sestet). Thematically, the octave, or first eight lines, often makes a proposition, which asks a question or describes a problem. The sestet, or final six lines, proposes a resolution or solution. 

(B) SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET:

Shakespearean sonnet is also known as the English sonnet or Elizabethan sonnet. It has been named after William Shakespeare. He made changes in the stanza and rhyme patterns of the Petrarchan sonnet. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. 

English sonnets have three quatrains and one couplet instead of an octave and a sestet. It follows an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. A single quatrain is made up of four lines of verse, and a couplet is made up of two lines. Like Petrarchan sonnets, English sonnets are usually in a Question & Answer format. Here the poet poses a question or a problem in the first three quatrains. The last couplet brings the answer or solution. 

(C) SPENSERIAN SONNET:

Spenserian sonnet is named after Edmund Spenser, the poet’s poet. These sonnets use the same structure as English sonnets (three quatrains and a couplet). But there is a difference of rhyme scheme. Spenserian sonnet follows the rhyming of ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. 

(D) MILTONIC SONNET:

Miltonic sonnet is named after John Milton, the only epic poet of English literature. Here, we find the same rhyme scheme (ABBAABBA CDECDE) and structure (an octave and a sestet) of a Petrarchan sonnet. But it is different from other types in matters if theme. Miltonic sonnets deal with politics and moral issues and they use a poetic device called enjambment to tighten the sonnet’s structure. Enjambment means the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.  

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