In Italian, sonnet means “little song.” We have learned that a sonnet is a poem consisting of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. Everyone should write at least one sonnet in his/her life. Here is your turn to become a “sonneteer,’ just like Shakespeare!

Here are the requirements:

  • It must consist of 14 lines.
  • Try to write your sonnet in iambic pentameter (unstressed-stressed, unstressed-stressed, unstressed-stressed, unstressed-stressed, unstressed-stressed).
  • It must be written in the Shakespearean Sonnet form, whose rhyme scheme looks like this: a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g
  • Every “a” rhymes with every “a,” every “b” rhymes with every “b,” and so forth. You'll notice this type of sonnet consists of three quatrains (that is, four consecutive lines of verse that make up a stanza or division of lines in a poem) and one couplet (two consecutive rhyming lines of verse).

There is more to a sonnet than just the structure of it. A sonnet is also an argument — it builds up a certain way. And how it builds up is related to its metaphors and how it moves from one metaphor to the next. In a Shakespearean sonnet, the argument builds up like this:

  • First quatrain: An exposition of the main theme and main metaphor.
  • Second quatrain: Theme and metaphor extended or complicated; often, some imaginative example is given.
  • Third quatrain: Often includes a twist that is introduced by a "but" (very often leading off the ninth line).
  • Couplet: Summarizes and leaves the reader with a new, concluding image.

Poets are attracted by the grace, concentration, and, yes, the sheer difficulty of sonnets. You may never write another sonnet in your life, but this exercise is more than just busywork. It does all the following:

  • Shows you how much you can pack into a short form.
  • Gives you practice with rhyme, meter, structure, metaphor, and argument.
  • Connects you with one of the oldest traditions in English poetry — one still vital today.

Step 1

Select the subject matter for your sonnet. Themes have often focused on love or philosophy, but modern sonnets can cover almost any topic.

Step 2

Divide the theme of your sonnet into four sections.

In the first and second section (two quatrains) you will present the situation or thought to the readers. In the third section (one quatrain), there should be a "turn", where you begin to think of the subject differently. In the last two lines of the sonnet (one couplet), you should have discovered something new about the subject or should see it in a different light.

Step 3

Write the three quatrains with an a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f rhyme scheme, where each letter stands for a line of the sonnet and the last words of all lines with the same letter rhyme with each other. Your sonnet must employ the meter of iambic pentameter.

Step 4

Compose the last section as a couplet - two rhyming lines of poetry. This time, use a g-g rhyme scheme, where the last words of the two lines rhyme with each other. We refer once more to 'Sonnet 30':

An example:

A Toast to Toast
by Gideon O. Burton

Of all the snacks that beckon in the night
When tummies growl and gnawing hunger calls,
But one can satisfy my famished plight
And summons me to stumble through the halls.
Oh piece of bread, so humble in your slice
What magic turns your skin from white to brown?
What arrogant aromas do entice
When toaster pops and butter coats you down!
With cinnamon and sugar or with jam
I dress you in the ornaments of sweet
More sated, I, than proverb's happy clam
When crispy, hot and warm my lips you meet.
Of every night-time treat you are the most
I honor you, great food, whose name is toast.

References: The English Sonnet by T. W. H. Crosland; eHow.com “Writing a Sonnet; Dummies.com, “Writing a Sonnet”

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