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Sonnet: Definition, Famous Examples & How to Write One

Poetic form · 2 poems · 2 annotated examples
A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem typically written in iambic pentameter, which consists of ten syllables per line with alternating unstressed and stressed beats. This structural framework has remained surprisingly consistent for around five centuries, even as poets have creatively adapted it. Two primary forms stand out. The **Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet** divides into an eight-line octave (rhyming ABBAABBA) and a six-line sestet (rhyming CDECDE or a variation). The **Shakespearean (English) sonnet** features three quatrains followed by a closing couplet, rhyming ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. A third option, the **Spenserian sonnet**, connects the quatrains through interlocking rhyme: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. In all three forms, there is a turn — the *volta* — which shifts the poem's argument, emotion, or perspective. In the Petrarchan form, the turn occurs between the octave and sestet, while in the Shakespearean form, it usually appears in the final couplet. The sonnet began in thirteenth-century Sicily, was refined in Italian by Petrarch, and made its way into English through Wyatt and Surrey in the sixteenth century. Notable poets like Shakespeare, Spenser, Sidney, Donne, Milton, Keats, along with later figures such as Hopkins, Millay, and Brooks, have all embraced it. The form endures because its constraints are creatively productive rather than merely ornamental: fourteen lines provide enough space to develop an argument while being brief enough to require conciseness. The volta compels deeper reflection — you can't just describe something; you need to engage with it.

Annotated examples

Sonnet in famous poems, line-by-line
  1. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

    from Sonnet 18

    This opening quatrain follows the traditional Shakespearean ABAB rhyme scheme, with 'day / May' and 'temperate / date' establishing the pattern, while each line maintains a loose iambic rhythm of ten syllables. Shakespeare kicks things off with a question—a classic technique that introduces the volta—and quickly undermines the comparison he just made. The brevity here is key: in just four lines, he presents a thesis, introduces a doubt, and pushes the argument into the next quatrain.
  2. Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken; Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes He star'd at the Pacific — and all his men Look'd at each other with a wild surmise — Silent, upon a peak in Darien.

    from _On first looking into Chapman's Homer._

    This sestet is where Keats makes his shift. The octave lists familiar literary territory already covered; here the poem transitions into pure feeling — the stunned silence of discovery. The Petrarchan sestet (CDCDCD) allows Keats to extend the poem over six lines instead of wrapping it up quickly with a couplet. The last line, which is end-stopped and made up of a single syllable, carries its significance because the structure has been leading up to this moment of complete stillness.

How to spot sonnet

What to look for when you read
1. **Count the lines.** A sonnet consists of exactly fourteen lines. No more, no less. 2. **Check the meter.** Most sonnets are written in iambic pentameter — ten syllables with five stresses, following a da-DUM pattern. While there are variations, a strong iambic rhythm is the standard. 3. **Map the rhyme scheme.** ABAB CDCD EFEF indicates a Shakespearean sonnet. ABBAABBA with a variable sestet points to a Petrarchan sonnet. Interlocking ABAB BCBC CDCD EE suggests a Spenserian sonnet. 4. **Look for the volta.** Identify where the poem shifts — whether in argument, tone, or imagery. In a Petrarchan sonnet, this typically occurs at line 9. In a Shakespearean sonnet, it often appears at line 13, marking the beginning of the couplet. 5. **Notice the closing couplet (or lack of one).** A rhymed couplet at the end strongly indicates the English tradition. A sestet without a couplet points to the Italian model. 6. **Feel the compression.** Sonnets encapsulate a complete thought — presenting a problem, a turn, and a resolution — within a limited space. If a fourteen-line poem feels like a self-contained argument, you are likely looking at a sonnet.

How to write a sonnet

A practical guide for poets
1. **Choose your architecture first.** Decide if you prefer the Shakespearean model (three quatrains plus a couplet) or the Petrarchan model (an octave followed by a sestet). This choice influences where your volta will fall, making it a structural decision rather than just a decorative one. 2. **Find your argument.** A sonnet needs a problem to explore — think of a contradiction, a question, or a tension between two ideas. For example, "I love this person, but time destroys everything" is a solid sonnet argument. A simple description won’t suffice. 3. **Draft in quatrains (or octave), not lines.** Treat each quatrain or octave as a complete block of thought, then move on to the next one. Writing line by line while trying to manage rhyme and meter can lead to forced or awkward syntax. 4. **Tackle the hardest constraint: the closing couplet.** In the Shakespearean form, the couplet should deliver the poem's turn without sounding like a greeting card. Experiment with several versions. A couplet that merely sums up the preceding lines misses the mark; it should reframe, complicate, or clarify. 5. **Set the meter loosely at first.** Begin by writing in the rhythms of natural speech, then refine it toward iambic pentameter. It’s normal to make substitutions — like starting a line with a trochee or using a feminine ending. Focus on creating a pulse, not a rigid metronome. 6. **Place your volta deliberately.** Clearly mark the line where the poem shifts. If you can't identify it, the poem hasn’t turned yet, and you should return to build the necessary tension for a turn. 7. **Read it aloud.** Sonnets are meant to be heard. If a line stumbles, it indicates that the meter needs some adjustment.

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Curated from the public-domain corpus

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_On first looking into Chapman's Homer._Sonnet 18