A good way to think about iambic pentameter is to think about the sound of a heartbeat (duh-DUM, duh-DUM, duh-DUM).

This is a rhythm of unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, with a total of 10 beats. If a new rhyme is used, then the next letter in the alphabet continues the pattern. Then ‘temperate’ and ‘date’ rhyme so they are both given the letter ‘ B ’ (the words temperate would have been pronounced to rhyme with date) Therefore, this section of the sonnet has a rhyme scheme of ABAB. The words ‘day’ and ‘May’ rhyme so they are both given the letter ‘ A ’. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, AĪnd summer’s lease hath all too short a date. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? A For example, look at the pattern of rhymes in the first section of this Shakespearean sonnet: It follows a regular rhythm (also called the metre)Ī rhyme scheme means the pattern of the rhyming words at the end of each line. Traditional sonnets follow a set of rules. It was originally intended as a way of expressing romantic love among the upper classes. The poetic form of the sonnet originated in the 13th century in Italy. It mirrors the patterns of everyday talk, which means the words can really flow. It sounds like a beating heart, perhaps it works well for the common theme of love? This pattern is known as iambic pentameter, but it just means that each line has five da-DUMs and the stress is always on the second syllable. Modern sonnets follow the same basic conventions, including the pattern: da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM.

Other sonnet forms include the Petrarchan sonnet, which uses a slightly different rhyme scheme, though still uses 14 lines. Īnd Shakespeare used this form for every single one of his 154 sonnets!īut Shakespeare’s sonnets are not the only kind. The quatrains use this rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF followed by the couplet: GG.

Here the poem usually shifts mood or focus.įor his sonnets, Shakespeare used a strict rhyme scheme of three rhyming stanzas of four lines, known as quatrains, and then one rhyming stanza of two lines, known as a couplet. There is usually a turning point at line eight, called a volta. 'Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?' asks Shakespeare.Ī sonnet is usually based on just one idea, so he compares someone to a summer’s day for with incredulity the full 14 lines. This one might be his most famous: Sonnet 18. Sonnets are a form of poem that was much loved by William Shakespeare.

Sonnets in iambic pentameter