Shakespearean Sonnets Flashcard

Front

What is an iamb in poetry?

Back

A poetic foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.

Front

What does the term 'pentameter' mean in poetry?

Back

A line with five metric feet.

Front

Which of the following best describes a quatrain?

Back

A stanza of four lines.

Front

What is the distinctive rhyming pattern of a Shakespearean/English Sonnet?

Back

ababcdcdefefgg.

Front

What is a verse in poetry?

Back

A metric line of poetry with some formal structure.

Front

What is a sonnet?

Back

A 14-line poem, typically written in iambic pentameter.

Front

What is the difference between a Shakespearean sonnet and a Petrarchan sonnet?

Back

A Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains and a couplet, while a Petrarchan sonnet has an octave and a sestet.

Front

What is a couplet in poetry?

Back

Two consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme.

Front

What is the purpose of a volta in a sonnet?

Back

To signal a shift in the argument or theme of the poem.

Front

What is enjambment in poetry?

Back

The continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break.