The Sonnet Essay -- English Literature

The SonnetExplore aspects of the sonnet tradition through reference to a straddle of material you sacrifice studiedThe word sonnet comes from the Italian word sonnetto meaninglittle sound or song. A sonnet is a particular(prenominal) type of poem. The sonnetis always 14 outlines long and usually expresses the poets personalfeelings or thoughts most often connected with rage or death, whichare devil of the most basic aspects of human existence. The poemgenerally uses rhyme and metre to organise the poets ideas in aformal way. There are several(prenominal) different types of sonnets which allaccomplish this in a slightly different style.The Italian or Petrarchan sonnet was originally developed around 1350by Petrarch, an Italian poet (1304-1374).Petrarch had fallen madly in savor with a woman named Laura, but shewas a married woman and refused to become his mistress. Petrarch wrotepoetry expressing the idea of courtly love and conveying his ownmisery and his slavery to the love o f Laura a love denied. His versescontain accusations about the fickleness of love, the timeless qualityof art and the hopelessness and loyalty of eternal love.The Italian sonnet is divided into deuce sections by two differentgroups of rhyming sounds. The first eight lines are called the octave.This has two four line units that rhyme in the same way. A b b a, a bb a.The remaining six lines are called the sestet and can have either twoor three rhyming sounds arranged in a variety of ways cdcdcd, cddcdc,cdecde, cdeced, or cdcedc.The poem is clearly divided into two sections by the two differingrhyme groups. The change from one rhyme group to another signifies achange in subject matter. It can also be said that the octet prese... ... years ofpain the word long is again repeated to emphasize the time he hasbeen away and the suffering he has undergo as a Black in a Whiteworld. The tightness, compression and discipline of the sonnet formdoes not disguise but rather emphasises his love f or Jamaica and hissuffering since he left.In conclusion therefore, the sonnet has developed from its traditionalform albeit still retaining some of the aspects Petrarch may have onceused centuries in the lead such as an octave/sestet structure. It wasoriginally a formal love song with high ideals and a rigid format.Shakespeare transformed it and made the sonnet more accessible and funfor the common man to enjoy. The sonnet has since evolved further andcan be used in a wide variety of forms and for an tied(p) wider range ofsubject matter and can be easily read by audiences world-wide.