Sonnet Writing 101

How to write a Shakespearean sonnet

Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash

A Shakespearean sonnet, also known as an English sonnet, is a poetic form that follows the specific structure outlined below.

1. Structure:
A Shakespearean sonnet consists of fourteen lines in total.
These lines are usually grouped together in one stanza, but poets sometimes divide them into stanzas while always maintaining the overall sonnet structure.
The sonnet is composed of three quatrains (sets of four lines each) followed by a concluding couplet of (two rhyming lines).

2. Rhyme Scheme:
The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABABCDCDEFEFGG.
Each letter represents the end rhyme of a line. For example:
 The first quatrain (ABAB) introduces a theme or idea.
 The second quatrain (CDCD) develops or contrasts the theme.
 The third quatrain (EFEF) further explores the theme.
 The final couplet (GG) provides a twist, resolution, or summary.

3. Meter:
Shakespearean sonnets are written in iambic pentameter.
Each line contains ten syllables, with a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables (da-DUM, da-DUM).