Writing A Sonnet -Gabriel

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Writing A Sonnet
The Sonnet is a more challenging form than the two previous ones. When it originated in 13th century Italy, it referred to any short poem. Since that time, the sonnet has acquired several fixed-forms. It is among the most treasured forms, a common vehicle of love poetry.
Let's take a look at an English, or Shakespearean, sonnet. Here are its features:

Like most sonnet forms, the English sonnet contains 14 lines.
It has ten syllables per line.
It is one stanza.
Note the rhyme scheme below. The final two lines are called a couplet, or pair of rhyming lines.

Sonnet LXXIII
That time of year thou mayst in me behold (A)
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang (B)
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, (A)
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang; (B)
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day (C)
As after the sunset fadeth in the west, (D)
Which by and by black night doth take away, (C)
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. (D)
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire (E)
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, (F)
As the death-bed whereon it must expire, (E)
Consumed with that which it was nourished by. (F)
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, (G)
To love that well which thou must leave ere long. (G)
—William Shakespeare

Writing Exercise Prompt 1.
Now it's time to compose your own English sonnet. Although you'll probably find the form challenging, keep at it. The struggle will pay off! Before beginning, here are some helpful hints:

Unless you have a good reason to do otherwise, use your natural vocabulary when writing poetry. Some students have the tendency to sound old-fashioned when writing verse.

Instead of struggling to find ten syllable lines and a perfect rhyme scheme, write a first draft, and then work with your lines.

Writing Exercise Prompt 2.
Read a Spenserian sonnet and an Italian sonnet. Learn the form of each and compose sentence accordingly.

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