Understanding Sonnets

This video tutorial explores the concept of sonnets, defining them as 14-line poems with specific rhyme schemes and iambic pentameter. It covers two main types: Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets, detailing their structures and rhyme schemes. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of an octave and a sestet, while the Shakespearean sonnet includes three quatrains and a couplet. The video concludes with a mention of additional resources for further study.

What is the typical number of lines in a sonnet?

• 16

• 14

• 12

• 18

Which of the following best describes a sonnet?

• A poem of 14 lines with a formal rhyme scheme

• A poem with 10 lines and no rhyme scheme

• A poem with 12 lines and a flexible structure

• A poem with no specific structure

What is iambic pentameter?

• A type of sonnet

• A type of stanza

• A type of meter with 10 syllables per line

• A type of rhyme scheme

Which line from Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 is used as an example of iambic pentameter?

• Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

• Let me not to the marriage of true minds

• My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun

• When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes

What are the origins of the Petrarchan sonnet?

• Spanish

• Italian

• German

• French

Which type of sonnet is of English origins?

• Shakespearean

• Spenserian

• Miltonic

• Petrarchan

How is a Petrarchan sonnet structured?

• Four quatrains

• Two quatrains and a couplet

• An octave and a sestet

• Three quatrains and a couplet

Where is the volta usually placed in a Petrarchan sonnet?

• Between the quatrains

• At the beginning of the poem

• At the end of the poem

• Between the octave and the sestet

What is the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet?

• ABAB BABA CDCD DC

• ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

• ABBA ABBA CDECDE

• AABB CCDD EEFF GG

Which rhyme scheme is associated with the Petrarchan sonnet?

• ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

• AABB CCDD EEFF GG

• ABBA ABBA CDECDE

• ABAB BABA CDCD DC