How to Write a Sonnet

The Sonnet, which gathered fame and prestige in the Renaissance period, is usually composed of fourteen lines. There are in fact two types of Sonnets: the Shakespearean (also known as English Sonnet) and the Petrarchan (or Italian) Sonnets. Both English and Italian Sonnets have two quatrains (a quatrain is composed of four consecutive lines), and have the standard rhyming pattern: abab cdcd. The only difference is between these two types of Sonnets is that the last six lines (sestet) rhyme on different principles.

If you wish to write a Sonnet, you must first decide which type of Sonnet you prefer. The English Sonnet usually follows the following patterns: abab cc. In the Italian Sonnet, on the other hand, the last lines should rhyme in the following manner: abc abc. An example of a Shakespearean Sonnet (Sonnet 65) can be seen here.

For comparison, you may also wish to view a Sonnet written by Petarch here.

The patterns of the Italian and the Shakespearean Sonnets are the most prominent, but there is yet another variation of the Sonnet known as the Spenserian (again called like that after its creator, Edmund Spencer), which follows the following pattern: abab bcbc cdcd ee, which is first used, for instance, in Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queen.

However, mastering the rhyming scheme is not the only factor which you should consider when trying to learn how to write a Sonnet. You must also learn to follow the rhythmic patterns that characterize the Sonnet. The most useful and easy one is the iambic pentameter, in which the syllables alter between stressed to unstressed, as in the following lines:

'Oh let me true in love but truly write'

` _ ` _ ` _ ` _ `

In the example above, the stressed syllables are expressed by the symbol ' and the unstressed syllables by the symbol _ . So, the iambus is actually the alternation of stresses and unstressed syllables.

Of course we must not overlook the meaning of the intended poem. It is widely known in the literary world that the first two stanzas represent the problem of the theme, whereas the sestet gives the solution, or is the climax / conclusion of the idea. You should keep violations of this rule to the minimum so as to create a real Sonnet.