How to make a sonnet step by step (+ Examples)
Want to write a sonnet but don't know where to start? This article will guide you step by step on how to do it through examples.
The sonnet, one of the most classic and recognized poetic forms, has captivated poets and readers for centuries and centuries. Its rigid structure and musical rhythm make it a challenge for those who wish to venture into poetic composition. In this article, we tell you what a sonnet is, what is its metric and how you can write one step by step, accompanied by examples that will help you understand it.
What is the metric of a sonnet?
The traditional sonnet consists of fourteen hendecasyllabic lines, that is, lines of eleven metrical syllables. These lines are divided into two quatrains (four-line stanzas) and two tercets (three-line stanzas). The rhyme in a sonnet usually follows a fixed scheme: ABBA ABBA in the quatrains and CDC DCD or CDE CDE in the tercets. This metrical and rhythmic structure is fundamental to the composition of a sonnet.
Examples of sonnets
Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
Could I to the summer compare thee?
Greater is thy beauty and thy temperance.
Intense wind, the flowers of May beat
and the summer ends without delay.
The celestial eye either shines with brilliance
or its golden light fades;
and the beautiful in its beauty declines,
by nature or by chance it disappears.
Thy eternal summer shall never die,
nor shall thy beauty forsake thee,
nor shall Death make a boast of thee in his bosom,
For in my verses thou shalt endure:
As long as there is a man or eyes that see,
my verses that recreate you will live.
This sonnet is an excellent example of the classic English sonnet structure. Shakespeare uses the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Through the comparison of his beloved to a summer's day, Shakespeare explores the ephemeral nature of beauty and immortalizes it in his poetry.
Let’s look at an example of a classic Petrarchan sonnet. The following poem was written by famed 19th-century English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Sonnet 43, commonly referred to as, "How Do I Love Thee?" follows the Petrarchan sonnet rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA CDC CDC.
Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
The Spenserian sonnet is a sonnet form named for 16th-century English poet Edmund Spenser, who introduced this structure in his 1595 collection of sonnets titled Amoretti.
The Spenserian sonnet is extremely similar to the Shakespearean sonnet. The main difference is the rhyme scheme: whereas the Shakespearean rhyme scheme introduces a new rhyme in each quatrain, the Spenserian sonnet carries over the latter rhyme from the previous quatrain in a chain rhyme: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.
Sonnet III (Amoretti) by Edmund Spenser
The sovereign beauty which I do admire,
Witness the world how worthy to be praised:
The light whereof hath kindled heavenly fire
In my frail spirit, by her from baseness raised;
That being now with her huge brightness dazed,
Base thing I can no more endure to view;
But looking still on her, I stand amazed
At wondrous sight of so celestial hue.
So when my tongue would speak her praises due,
It stopped is with thought's astonishment:
And when my pen would write her titles true,
It ravish'd is with fancy's wonderment:
Yet in my heart I then both speak and write
The wonder that my wit cannot endite.
Now that you've had a closer look at some examples, let's see how you can write your own sonnet step by step.
Choose a topic and a motif: Before you start writing, decide what you want your sonnet to be about. It can be love, nature, mortality or any other subject that inspires you.
Establish the rhyme scheme: decide what rhyme scheme you are going to use for your sonnet. You can follow the classic schemes such as ABBA ABBA CDC DCD or experiment with other schemes according to your creativity.
Write the hendecasyllabic lines: construct each line of your sonnet using eleven metric syllable lines. Remember to maintain the musicality and rhythm characteristic of this poetic form.
Divide the sonnet into stanzas: organize your lines into two quatrains and two tercets following the traditional sonnet structure.
Review and edit: Once you have completed your sonnet, take the time to review and edit it. Make sure that each word contributes to the meaning and musicality of your poem.
Conclusion
Writing a sonnet may seem like an intimidating challenge at first, but with patience and practice, you can master this classic poetic form. Remember that meter, structure, and creativity are key elements to composing a successful sonnet - now it's your turn to let your imagination run wild and create your own sonnet!
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