How to write a sonnet

The sonnet is a poetic form that has been widely used for centuries, from its medieval origins in Italy. It has been used by great poets and universal writers, such as Dante, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Quevedo, Góngora, Baudelaire and many others, and even today it remains valid. In this article we give you some basic guidelines on how to write a sonnet . The rest, of course, depends on your own creativity.

one

Frame

The classic construction of the sonnet is formed by two quartets and two tercets, that is, two stanzas of four verses and then two others of three verses. The verses must be hendecasyllabic, that is, of eleven syllables, although there is also the variant of the Alexandrian sonnet, with verses of fourteen syllables. You can see here how to measure verses (I) and how to measure verses (II).

two

The concept

A sonnet usually expresses a complete idea in general, following a structure of approach, knot and conclusion. There are no fixed rules in this sense, but normally the first quartet presents the theme and the second amplifies it, while the first trio reflects on the central idea of ​​the quartets and the final trio, the most emotional, ends with some reflection, moral or deep idea.

3

Rhyme

The way of linking the rhymes does not have norms that have to be strictly complied with, but the tradition has ended up imposing classic uses. Thus, a prototypical sonnet structure may have a fixed rhyme in the quartets (ABBA, ABBA) and more free variants in the tercets (CDE: CDE, CDE: DCE, CDC: DCD).

4

Variants

The double sonnet includes a verse heptasílabo after each odd verse of the quartets, and another after the second of each triplet, with which the sonnet has 20 verses: 14 hendecasyllables and six heptasílabos. Each verse heptasílabo rhymes with the immediately preceding.

The sonnet with estrambote, on the other hand, includes a verse or set of verses after the 14 of the classical structure. There are also other modalities such as the English sonnet or the sonnet with echo.

5

"A sonnet orders me to do Violante" .

This satirical sonnet by Lope de Vega, precisely on the construction of a sonnet by order, is usually a typical example for students of literature who are faced with the study of sonnets for the first time. You can see the hendecasyllabic verses and the typical structure (ABBA, ABBA, CDC, DCD).