Day Two of Poetry Week: Shakespearean Sonnets

Sonnets are said to be one of the most romantic forms of poetry, but for me, they always turn out goofy. Maybe because they are so formed with their exact amount of lines, definate rhyme scheme, and sometimes even a limited meter, I may force the words at times. I assume, that with practice, they will improve over time. Anyway, give sonnets a try! I think they are a great entryway into formed poetry.

Definition: A type of formed poetry with 14 lines, a set rhyme scheme, and an optional meter.

Number of Lines: 14
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Meter (optional): each line consists of 10 syllables in iambic pentameter

Origins: Europe, Italian for “little song”

Best Known Author: William Shakespeare (1564-1616). He wrote 154 sonnets.

Note: There are other kinds of Sonnets such as, Petrarchen Sonnets, Occitan Sonnets, Spenserian Sonnet, Modern Sonnet, et cetera. They each vary just a bit (a slightly different rhyme scheme, different number of lines, or a different meter.)

*****Example*****

I'll Sing Your Drowning Song

By Aubrie Anne (2008)

1.      Gone is the melody that made my heart sing (A)

2.      Lost is the memory of the final notes (B)

3.      I feel the emptiness in my every being (A)

4.      It fe1l into the water, I hope it floats (B)

5.      In the water swims my CD player (C)

6.      Can the fish hear it die? (D)

7.      Call the doctor, my mother, the mayor (C)

8.      For I can do nothing but cry (D)

9.      It‘s probably drowned, rested in a watery grave (E)

10.  The fish have gathered there for long (F)

11.  Goodbye my tune, I will be brave (E)

12.  I will sing your drowning song (F)

13.  Someday I’ll move on, you will see (G)

14. I heard about this thing called an MP3 (G)

*****Questions*****

Have you ever written sonnets before?
Please share some with us if you have. If not, give it a go and then share it with us!
Did you find them difficult, like you had to force the words?
What kind of emotion to you feel your sonnets project?
Have you ever written another kind of sonnet besides Shakesperean?