Documentation

for

The English Sonnet

Period: 16th c. poetic style

This style of poetry was first introduced into the courts of Henry VIII by Sir Thomas Wyatt¹, who, as a scholar of Henry's court, was called upon to serve as an ambassador to courts throughout Europe including those of Italy where he was first exposed to the style. The Sonnet, as a distinctive poetic style, has its roots in 13th c. Italy. In the 14th c., the poet/writer Petrarch used the style in numerous poems dedicated to his beloved Laura². From Italy, the Sonnet made its way to many Western European countries, including Spain, France, Germany, and finally, to England, through the already mention Sir Thomas Wyatt. Two of the more famous writers who made use of this style of sonnet were William Shakespeare (1564-1616) and Edmund Spencer (1552-1599).

Meter: Iambic Pentameter

The meter used for the sonnet depends upon the language in which it is written. Thus, a sonnet rendered in Italian uses the Hendecasyllable, a sonnet rendered in French uses the Alexandrine, and a sonnet rendered in English uses Iambic Pentameter.³ This does not mean that you cannot find English Sonnets, written in english, using alexandrines or hendecasyllables, but that the vast majority of sonnets written in english use iambic pentameter.

In Iambic Pentameter, each line is constructed of five iambic feet. Each foot is made up of two syllables, the first of which is short, or unstressed, with the second being long, or stressed.⁴ A review of Wyatt's, Shakespeare's, and Spencer's Sonnets will show that, though there are some exceptions, most of their poems utilize this meter.

Rhyme Scheme: abab cdcd efef gg⁵

In this poetic style, called the English Sonnet, the rhyming pattern is slightly different from that of the Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet, which uses the pattern abbaabba-cdecde. It has been suggested that the english language is pre-disposed against long rhyming chains, but with its larger vocabulary, may support many more different rhymes. It is now believed that this was the driving force behind the shift to what became the standard rhyming scheme for what was to become known as the English Sonnet.

Subject Matter: A gift freely given.

Whereas most examples of the Sonnet represent love poetry, there are examples, in period, of sonnets that do not deal with the author's paramour in any way, shape, or form. A few examples of these are Shakespeare's _Poor Soul, the Center_⁶, any of Spencer's dedicatory sonnets⁷ and Wyatt's sonnet number XXXIV⁸.

Construction: Three Quatrains and a Couplet

The quatrains each explore a different aspect of the subject of the poem (see Subject Matter above), each building upon the previous idea. The final couplet completes the poem with a clear statement which resolves or summarizes the poets thoughts or feelings concerning the poem's subject⁹.

In the poem _What Gift is this #1_, this pattern of construction is maintained. The first quatrain introduces the subject, that is the 'gift' and discusses its expected effect upon the recipient. The second quatrain examines the gift's physical presence, discounting the gift's 'material value'. The third quatrain returns to the theme explored in the first quatrain, but expands the scope of the gift with a Petrarchan Conceit¹⁰, or metaphor, by comparing it to the sun. The net effect of this conceit is to show that the gift enriches all those who receive it, much as each blade of grass is nourished by the sun's light, and that when the gift passes, its warmth remains.