Shakespeare’s sonnets
• Sonnet originates from italian word “sonneto” and
means a lilltle song• Four types of sonnets: Occitan Spenserian Italian or Petrarchan English or Shakespearean
•Occitan sonnet:
13. Centuryconserved
only in troubadour manuscript
Spenserian sonnet :
the English form of sonnet
named after Edmund Spenser
rhyme: abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee
Comparison• Italian/ Petrarchan sonnetCreated by Giacomo da
Lentinonamed after most talented
sonnet writer Petrarch (Petrarca)
Two parts: 1) octave, where the problem is opened (two four-line stanzas)
2) sestet, where the solution is given(two three-line stanzas)
rhyme scheme:Octave: a-b-b-a, a-b-b-a Sestet:c-d-e-c-d-e or c-d-c-
c-d-c.
•English/ Shakespearean sonnet
•Genre is named after Shakespeare because he was the most known poet
•Devided into three quatrians (group of 4 lines)
•Also has a conclusion at the end of the sonnet
rhyme scheme:
a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g
Shakespeare’s sonnets
• Main subjects: love, time, beauty• 154 sonnets form a collection
named “Shake-speares sonnets”
Believed to be Thomas Thorn
• TO.THE.ONLIE.BEGETTER.OF.THESE.INSUING.SONNETS.Mr.W.H. ALL.HAPPINESSE.
AND.THAT.ETERNITIE.PROMISED.
BY.OUR.EVER-LIVING.POET.
WISHETH.THE.WELL-WISHING.
ADVENTURER.IN.SETTING.FORTH.
• T.T.
•The Fair Youth 1-126•The Dark Lady 127-
152(153,154)•The Rival Poet 78-86
Characters
The Fair Youth
•1- 126 sonnets•Earliest sonnets talk about the
benefits of love and marriage•After the 18th sonnet the tone
changes into love and passion towards to the young man (20th!)
•After 126th sonnet the young man is replaced by the Dark Lady
The Dark Lady
•127-152(153,154)•Is called “dark” because of her black
hair and dark skin•It is not certain who this lady excactly
was•Shakespeare describes her good and
also bad features•153th and 154th differ from the
earliers, these are based on Greek poems and tell a story of Cupid
The Rival Poet
•78-86 sonnets, within the Fair Youth series
•Identified as Christopher Marlowe or Goerge Chapman
•Has a competition with Shakespeare
Thank you!