It finishes with a two-line stanza called a couplet

They are broken into three stanzas of four lines called quatrains. For English sonnets, here are the basic rules: In general, sonnets follow certain guidelines of rhythm and rhyme. Sonnets are forms of “lyric poetry”-poetry that expresses deep feelings. No form of poetry is more associated with love than the sonnet. Shakespeare's Sonnets: Crash Course Literature er, pin down this indescribable little thing called love. Browning’s case.įollowing are some of the words of wisdom people have used to try to pen. That’s pretty deep stuff-or high and wide, in Mrs. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height to some of the most memorable lines ever penned, such as these from an enduring sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Love poems have ranged from the silly and cute.

That’s unlikely to change as long as humans have hearts that beat, eyes that gleam, and glands that sweat. It remains a favorite subject of thinkers and poets. But many, many more have shared the roller-coaster, pitter-pat, and clammy palms of first love and love-at-first-sight. Many others have shared the heartache of lost love. Some writers have chronicled the comfort of long-lasting love, and the love of family and friends. But it’s a little hard to tell whether this wise man was giving a thumbs up to love’s inspiration or getting grumpy about the sometimes silly words love inspires. That’s the observation of Plato, the legendary philosopher of Ancient Greece. Thank you to everyone today who watched my mini lecture.Love Poems “At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.” But trust me, metered verse adds to its lyricism, and especially comes to play when this poetry is spoken aloud. The basic organization of the sonnet, which helps make each sonnet an ‘argument.’ Wherein I rant a bit why I’m so obsessed with Shakespeare’s sonnets.Ī bit about the very specific rhyme scheme.

All the crazy rules of the sonnet form together–and Shakespeare’s mastery over all those elements–have combined together to make Shakespeare’s sonnets so enduring.įind a few brief section headers from my chat below. The intricacies of the Elizabethan sonnet were more than just for fun, more than a Sudoku puzzle, more than just the pleasure of, say, solving the Sunday New York Times Crossword. I’d like to make one comment before letting my video do my work for me. My little chat misses a thousand things, just scratching the surface. Don’t worry–I’ve tried to keep it simple and very, very basic, even though the sonnet form is crazy intricate. Sommer) to talk a little bit about the form of the Sonnet. For today’s reading, I’ve taken a suggestion from my former college Shakespeare professor (thank you, Dr.

Sonnet 18 marked iambic pentameter