How Did The English Sonnet Develop
Juanita James
11/30/09
16th Century British Literature
Final Paper
Sonnet Evolution
When readers hear the word sonnet, they usually think of Shakespeare; however, he is not the first sonneteer, nor the last, of course. The sonnet got its beginnings centuries ago and has endured. One might ask why it has endured over such a lengthy period of time, and the answer is a simple one: EVOLUTION. Just as humans have had to evolve over time, the sonnet has had to do so as well. The two main forms of the sonnet are the Italian sonnet (also referred to as the Petrarchan sonnet) and the English sonnet (also referred to as the Shakespearean sonnet). In an attempt to show the evolutionary road the sonnet has traveled, these two sonnet forms will …show more content…
Petrarch came along some years later to popularize the sonnet with his love sonnets about Laura and his unrequited love for her. He is thought to have met her in church, although “met” might be a little presumptuous. Petrarch was fixated on her, and created some of the most beautiful poetry, that we, otherwise, would never have seen. For a woman he would never know, for a woman he could never have, he should change the world forever; for that’s precisely what Petrarch did when he gave us the perfected sonnet. He provided the start to what would become generations of love …show more content…
Generally speaking, they are used for specific reasons. The Petrarchan is usually used for those sonnets that stand alone, individual poems. The English is usually used when the poems are a sequence. Milton, Wordsworth, and Hopkins all prefer the Petrarchan form, while poets like Drayton or Shakespeare write their sonnets using the English form (Cruttwell 9). Some poets tend to take from both forms to create their own, such as Sidney and Donne, who tend to use a mixture of the two: abba abba cdcd ee. “More through usage than through anything inherent in the forms themselves, the Italian form has developed associations of dignity and solemnity; the English, of comparative lightness and gracefulness (Booth 6).” The Italian form has also been favored for themes such as religion (often used by Donne). Donne uses the abbaba cdcdd eee. It is a little more unusual; however it is in keeping with the five rhymes or
11/30/09
16th Century British Literature
Final Paper
Sonnet Evolution
When readers hear the word sonnet, they usually think of Shakespeare; however, he is not the first sonneteer, nor the last, of course. The sonnet got its beginnings centuries ago and has endured. One might ask why it has endured over such a lengthy period of time, and the answer is a simple one: EVOLUTION. Just as humans have had to evolve over time, the sonnet has had to do so as well. The two main forms of the sonnet are the Italian sonnet (also referred to as the Petrarchan sonnet) and the English sonnet (also referred to as the Shakespearean sonnet). In an attempt to show the evolutionary road the sonnet has traveled, these two sonnet forms will …show more content…
Petrarch came along some years later to popularize the sonnet with his love sonnets about Laura and his unrequited love for her. He is thought to have met her in church, although “met” might be a little presumptuous. Petrarch was fixated on her, and created some of the most beautiful poetry, that we, otherwise, would never have seen. For a woman he would never know, for a woman he could never have, he should change the world forever; for that’s precisely what Petrarch did when he gave us the perfected sonnet. He provided the start to what would become generations of love …show more content…
Generally speaking, they are used for specific reasons. The Petrarchan is usually used for those sonnets that stand alone, individual poems. The English is usually used when the poems are a sequence. Milton, Wordsworth, and Hopkins all prefer the Petrarchan form, while poets like Drayton or Shakespeare write their sonnets using the English form (Cruttwell 9). Some poets tend to take from both forms to create their own, such as Sidney and Donne, who tend to use a mixture of the two: abba abba cdcd ee. “More through usage than through anything inherent in the forms themselves, the Italian form has developed associations of dignity and solemnity; the English, of comparative lightness and gracefulness (Booth 6).” The Italian form has also been favored for themes such as religion (often used by Donne). Donne uses the abbaba cdcdd eee. It is a little more unusual; however it is in keeping with the five rhymes or