1 Sonnets

There are two lessons on sonnets.
Once you have completed the two lessons, complete the table below:
Question You answer
What is a sonnet? a poem of fourteen lines using any of a

number of formal rhyme schemes, in English
typically having ten syllables per line.
What are the features of a sonnet? All sonnets have the following three features
in common: They are 14 lines long, have a
regular rhyme scheme and a strict metrical
In other words, what makes a construction, usually iambic pentameter.
sonnet, a sonnet? Iambic pentameter means that each line has
10 syllables in five pairs, and that each pair
has stress on the second syllable
Copy and paste the link into your
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nets-71hkjc?step=1&activity=video
You will need…
paper
Head
A
A pen
brain
What is poetry?
Features of poetry
Historical context
Example
Quiz!
4
What is poetry?
“Poetry is a type of literature, or artistic writing,
that attempts to stir a reader’s imagination or
emotions. The poet does this by carefully choosing and arranging language for
its meaning, sound, and rhythm. Some poems, such as nursery rhymes, are
simple and humorous. Other poems may try to express some truth about life, to
tell a story, or to honour a person or a god. Poetry appears in a great many
forms and styles. This makes it difficult to define exactly.”
Consider this definition of poetry.

On the next slide there are
some statements about poetry - can you
identify which ones are true and which are
false?
True or false?
1 Poetry is a type of literature
2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination
3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use

8
4 Nursery rhymes are not a type of poetry
5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated
6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles
7 Poetry is easy to define

True or false?
1 Poetry is a type of literature T
2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination

9

True or false?
2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination T

10

True or false?
3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use F

11

True or false?

12
4 Nursery rhymes are not a type of poetry F

True or false?

13
5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated T

True or false?

14
6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles T

True or false?

15
6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles T
7 Poetry is easy to define F

Pause the video to complete your task
Turn these fragments into sentences about poetry.
Try to use your own words if you can.
1. There are many types of literature....

2. ...the imagination of the reader...
3. ...uses language...
4. Different forms of poetry include…
5. Some poems are very… others are…
6. The style of poetry...
7. Defining poetry is...
Resume once you’re finished

In this unit of work, we are
going to look closely at a particular form
of poetry.
Can you figure out what form of poetry we will be
looking at, even though some of the letters are missing?
s o n n e t
looking at, even though some of the letters are
missing?
s o n n e t
looking at, even though some of the letters are
missing?
s o n n e t
s o n n e t
s o n n e t
Did you get it right? Well done if you did. But what is a sonnet?
Let’s start by looking at some
information about the history of the
sonnet.
History of the sonnet
Sonnets are traditionally about love, but poets have used

sonnets to express their thoughts and feelings about many
subjects, such as religion, politics and nature.
Sonnets originated in Italy in the 13th

century. The most famous writer of Italian
style sonnets was Petrarch, who wrote about
an idealised version of love.
In the 16th century, probably the most famous writer of

all started writing sonnets - William Shakespeare. His
sonnets focussed on many aspects of love, such as
jealousy, lust and admiration.
Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets share many

similarities. However, Shakespeare made some changes
to the structure and rhyme scheme that make his
sonnets slightly different to Petrarch's.
Sonnets went out of fashion for a while, but then writers such as
William Wordsworth started writing them. Wordsworth wrote
about the power and beauty of nature.
Sonnets were also popular with writers in the Victorian era, such as
Elizabeth Barrett-Browning. Victorian sonnets expand greatly on
the usual topic of love and cover many themes, such as social
class, women’s rights and slavery.
Sonnets continue to be used by modern poets up to the present day.

Write down these key points about the

history of the sonnet.
● Sonnets are traditionally about love, but can be about many

other subjects too.
● Sonnets originated in Italy in the 13th century.
● Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets have some differences
in structure and rhyme scheme.

Let’s look at the features of a
sonnet.
Sonnet 130 (this is a Shakespearean sonnet)
1 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Rhyme scheme
A
2 Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
B
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; A
Next lesson, we will look at these features 3 stanzas of 4
lines each
14 lines
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. B

5in more detail. (quatrains)
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
C
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
D
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight
C Rhyming
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. D couplet
9
29 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
E
Now complete the quiz!

browser
https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/introduction-to-son
nets-71hkjc?step=2&activity=exit_quiz
English
Lesson 2 - The Features of a Shakespearean Sonnet
Mrs Barry
31
browser
https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/the-features-of-a-s
hakespearean-sonnet-6rr64t?step=2&activity=video
You will need…
Head
A
A pen paper
brain
33
Number of lines
Rhyme scheme
Quatrains and rhyming couplet
Volta
Quiz!
34
What 3 key points about the history of
sonnets did we note down in lesson 1?
35
What 3 key points about the history of
sonnets did we note down in lesson 1?
36
Reread these key points about the history of the sonnet
from lesson 1 (or write them down again if you don’t
have them any more).
● Sonnets are traditionally about love, but can be about many other
subjects too.
● Sonnets originated in Italy in the 13th century.
● Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets have some differences in
structure and rhyme scheme.
37
The features of a Shakespearean sonnet
38
Write this as a subheading on your paper now
The Features of a Shakespearean Sonnet
39
Rhyme scheme
Sonnet 130
1 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; A

2 Coral is far more red than her lips' red; B
5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white, C 3 stanzas of 4
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks; D lines each
14 lines
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight C (quatrains)

8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. D
9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know E
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound; F
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go;
E
12 My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. F
13 And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare G
14 As any she belied with false compare. Rhyming
G couplet
40
Number of lines
41
Sonnet 130

How many
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
lines?
14 lines
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

42
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

Conventions of a sonnet
14 lines in length
The sonnet
43
Add the first features to your list
1. 14 lines in length
44
Rhyme scheme
45
What is a rhyme scheme
and how do we label it?
46
Rhyme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern according to which end rhymes (rhymes located at
the end of lines) are repeated in a poem.
Rhyme schemes are described using letters of the alphabet, beginning with "A."
If the end rhyme of a line is the same as a previous line, it is labelled with the
same letter. If it does not rhyme with any previous lines, it is labelled with the
next letter in the alphabet.
47
Let’s take a look at an example
to make this easier to
understand
48
How to label a rhyme scheme
We are focusing on the end rhyme (the word at the end of the line). For
now, ignore the rest of the line and just focus on the last word.


49
Always start by labelling line 1 with the letter ‘A’.


50


51

52
Now let’s look at line 2.


53
Does ‘red’ rhyme with ‘sun’?


54
No - it does not so we label it with the next letter in the alphabet: ‘B’.

55
No - it does not so we label it with the next letter in the alphabet ‘B’.

56
No - it does not so we label it with the next letter in the alphabet ‘B’.

B
57
Next is line 3.

B
58
Next is line 3.
Does ‘dun’ rhyme with either ‘sun’ or ‘red’?

B
59
Next is line 3.
Yes - ‘dun’ rhymes with ‘sun’ so we label it with the same letter ‘A’.

B
60
Next is line 3.
Yes - ‘dun’ rhymes with ‘sun’ so we label it with the same letter ‘A’.

B
61
Now line 4.

B
62
Now line 4.
Does ‘head’ rhyme with ‘sun/dun’ or ‘red’?

B
63
Now line 4.
Yes - ‘head’ rhymes with ‘red’ so we label it with the same letter ‘B’.

B
64
Now line 4.
Yes - ‘head’ rhymes with ‘red’ so we label it with the same letter ‘B’.

B
65
Let’s take a look at the next group of lines - lines 5-8.
66
Let’s take a look at the next group of lines - lines 5-8.

67 8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
Does ‘white’ rhyme with ‘sun/dun’ or ‘red/head’?

No - ‘white’ does not rhyme with ‘sun/dun’ or ‘red/head’.

We label this line with the next unused letter of the alphabet: ‘C’.

We label this line with the next unused letter of the alphabet: ‘C’.

5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white, C

71
We can now continue in the same way with lines 6, 7 and 8.


72


73

6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks; D
74

75

76

77
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight C

78

79

80
What letters would you use to label lines 9-12?



81
12 My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
Did you label lines 9-12 correctly?



82
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go; E
Can you label the final lines 13
and 14 correctly?
83



84
13 And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare



85



86



87



88
14 lines in length
Rhyme scheme
The sonnet
89
Add the next feature to your list
2. ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme.
90
Quatrains and Rhyming Couplet
Vocabulary check - stanza = a verse of poetry
91
What numbers do you think the these
words suggest?
quatrain
couplet
92
words suggest?
quatrain - 4
couplet
93
words suggest?
quatrain - 4
couplet - 2
94
Sonnet 130 Rhyme scheme

A
B
3 stanzas of 4
lines each
14 lines
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. B (quatrains)

C
D
C Rhyming
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. D couplet
9
E
14 lines in length
Rhyme scheme
The sonnet
3 quatrains
Rhyming couplet
96
3. Divided into 3 quatrains followed by a
rhyming couplet.
97
New vocabulary - volta - a turn or
change in thought or argument
98
Sonnet 130


99
Sonnet 130
2 Coral is far more red than her lips' red; First quatrain
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks; Second quatrain
Third quatrain
Rhyming couplet
100
First Quatrain - lines 1 to 4
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
101
Second Quatrain - lines 5 to 8
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
102
Third Quatrain - lines 9 to 12
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
103
Rhyming Couplet - lines 13 and 14
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.
104
Sonnet 130 In all three quatrains,
1 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Shakespeare compares
his lover to a series of
2 Coral is far more red than her lips' red; beautiful things, saying
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; she is not as beautiful as
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. any of them. This suggests
that she is unattractive.
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. In the rhyming couplet,
9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know Shakespeare says that
although his lover is not
traditionally beautiful,
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound; their love is still real
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go; and valuable.

105
Sonnet 130

Volta
106
14 lines in length
Rhyme scheme
The sonnet
3 quatrains
Rhyming couplet
Volta
107
3. Divided into 3 quatrains followed by a rhyming
couplet.
4. The volta occurs between lines 12 and 13.
108
Rhyme
Sonnet 130 scheme
A
B
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. B 3 stanzas of 4 lines
each (quatrains)
14 lines
C
D
C
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. D Volta
9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know Rhyming couplet
E
10
F
In lesson 3, we will look at
one more feature of Shakespearean
sonnets.
Keep your notes from today so you can
use them again in lesson 3.
110
Now complete the quiz!
https://classroom.thenational.academy/lessons/the-features-of-a-shakespe
arean-sonnet-6rr64t?step=3&activity=exit_quiz
111

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There are two lessons on sonnets.

Question You answer

What is a sonnet? a poem of fourteen lines using any of a

Consider this definition of poetry.

1 Poetry is a type of literature

2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination

3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use

5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated

6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles

7 Poetry is easy to define

1 Poetry is a type of literature T

2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination

3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use

5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated

6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles

7 Poetry is easy to define

1 Poetry is a type of literature T

2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination T

3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use

5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated

6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles

7 Poetry is easy to define

1 Poetry is a type of literature T

2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination T

3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use F

5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated

6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles

7 Poetry is easy to define

1 Poetry is a type of literature T

2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination T

3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use F

5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated

6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles

7 Poetry is easy to define

1 Poetry is a type of literature T

2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination T

3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use F

5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated T

6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles

7 Poetry is easy to define

1 Poetry is a type of literature T

2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination T

3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use F

5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated T

6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles T

7 Poetry is easy to define

1 Poetry is a type of literature T

2 Poems try to capture the reader’s imagination T

3 Poets never consider the meaning of the language they use F

5 Some poems are simple, others are more complicated T

6 Poetry comes in many forms and styles T

7 Poetry is easy to define F

1. There are many types of literature....

Resume once you’re finished

Sonnets are traditionally about love, but poets have used

Sonnets originated in Italy in the 13th

In the 16th century, probably the most famous writer of

Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets share many