Biography text purpose sonnet

Definition of Sonnet

A sonnet is a poem generally structured in the form of 14 lines, usually iambic pentameter, that expresses a thought or idea and utilizes an established rhyme scheme.

Biography text purpose sonnet

As a poetic form, the sonnet was developed by an early thirteenth-century Italian poet, Giacomo da Lentini. However, it was the Renaissance Italian poet Petrarch that perfected and made this poetic literary device famous.

Sonnets were adapted by Elizabethan English poets and William Shakespeare in particular.

Below is an example of a well-known sonnet by Petrarch (translated by Thomas Wentworth Higginson) and a familiar sonnet by Shakespeare for comparison.

It’s clear from the examples that both poems feature 14 lines addressing the theme of love, yet they have differing rhyme schemes and artistic expressions.

Those Eyes, ’neath Which (Petrarchan sonnet)

By Francesco Petrarca (–) Translated by Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Those eyes, ‘neath which my passionate rapture rose,
The arms, h