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Learn what a sonnet is, how it is structured, and how it differs from other types of poems. Explore the history and variations of the Italian and English sonnets, and read examples by Petrarch and Shakespeare.
Literature. The term sonnet derives from the Italian word sonetto ( lit. 'little song', from the Latin word sonus, lit. 'sound' ). It refers to a fixed verse poetic form, traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set rhyming scheme. [1]
A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a rhyme scheme and a specific pattern. Learn about the history, types, themes, and examples of sonnets in English literature, from Petrarch to Shakespeare to Milton.
Learn about the sonnet, a fixed verse form of Italian origin with 14 lines and a prescribed rhyme scheme. Explore the history, types, and examples of sonnets by Petrarch, Shakespeare, Milton, and others.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the history, structure and features of sonnets, a poetic form with 14 lines and a regular rhyme scheme. Explore Shakespearean, Petrarchan and modern sonnets with examples and videos.
Learn about the sonnet, a 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme, from different traditions and variations. Explore examples of Petrarchan, Italian, English, and other sonnets by famous poets.
Learn about the sonnet, a fourteen line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme, invented by the Italian poet Giacomo da Lentini. Explore the two most common types of sonnets: the Italian (Petrarchan) and the English (Shakespearean), and see how they are used in literature and pop culture.
