Sonnet Review

Front

What is a sonnet?

Back

A sonnet is a 14-line poem, typically written in iambic pentameter, that follows a specific rhyme scheme.

Front

What are the two main types of sonnets?

Back

The two main types of sonnets are the Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet and the Shakespearean (or English) sonnet.

Front

What is the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet?

Back

The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABABCDCDEFEFGG.

Front

What is a couplet in a sonnet?

Back

A couplet is the last two lines of a Shakespearean sonnet, which often provide a resolution or commentary.

Front

What is iambic pentameter?

Back

Iambic pentameter is a metrical pattern in poetry consisting of five iambs (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable) per line.

Front

What literary device is used in the phrase 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day'?

Back

This phrase uses a metaphor.

Front

What is personification?

Back

Personification is a literary device where human qualities are attributed to non-human entities.

Front

What is a quatrain?

Back

A quatrain is a stanza or poem of four lines, often with alternating rhymes.

Front

What does the term 'sestet' refer to in poetry?

Back

A sestet is a six-line stanza or the last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet.

Front

How does Sonnet 130 challenge traditional notions of beauty?

Back

Sonnet 130 presents a realistic portrayal of the speaker's mistress, contrasting with idealized depictions of beauty.