Writing%20Shakespearean%20Sonnets:%20A%20How-To%20Guide - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Title: Writing%20Shakespearean%20Sonnets:%20A%20How-To%20Guide


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Writing Shakespearean SonnetsA How-To Guide
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The man who writes a good love sonnet needs not
only to be enamored of a woman, but also to be
enamored of the sonnet. C.S. Lewis
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Thank you for choosing this guide to assist you
in your sonnet-writing journey! This step-by-step
guide should be an excellent source for you as
you embark on this exciting endeavor!
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Now, before we get started writing a sonnet, its
important to understand how sonnets are set up.
Lets take a look at one of Shakespeares most
famous sonnets so that you can visually see how
the poem should look.
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Sonnet 73 That time of year thou mayst in me
behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do
hang Upon those boughs which shake against the
cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet
birds sang. In me thou seest the twilight of such
day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by
and by black night doth take away, Death's second
self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou
see'st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes
of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon
it must expire Consumed with that which it was
nourish'd by. This thou perceivest, which makes
thy love more strong, To love that well which
thou must leave ere long.
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On first glance, this might just seem like a
regular old poem, but we would be doing the
sonnet a great injustice if we thought that. The
sonnet is actually a carefully crafted argument
that builds in a very particular way. Lets take
a look at the format of a sonnet and use
Shakespeares Sonnet 73 as an example of how each
section functions. Once you understand how each
section of a sonnet is supposed to work, you will
be able to write one on your own!
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Quatrain 1 These four lines introduce the main
metaphor and theme of the sonnet.
That time of year thou mayst in me behold When
yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon
those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare
ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
Here, we find out that this poem is about a man
whos growing old. Hes comparing his life to the
changing of the seasons. The year is coming to a
close as fall slowly gives way to winter, and so
too is his life. In the first line he makes it
clear that he is addressing another person, as he
uses the word thou. This is the first stage of
the sonnets argument.
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Quatrain 2 The metaphor and the theme are
continued and a creative illustration is usually
given to further the ideas of the first quatrain.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day As
after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by
black night doth take away, Death's second self,
that seals up all in rest.
We see the same theme continued here, only now
the man has shifted from comparing himself to the
end of the year to the end of a day. He has
narrowed down his argument from a year to a day.
This makes the poem seem more urgent because days
pass much more quickly than years do. The
creative example we see here is the reference to
night being deaths second self.
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Quatrain 3 Here, one of two things occurs the
metaphor is extended, or a twist or conflict is
brought into the sonnet, known as the peripeteia,
or the volta. This turn is vital and must be in
the sonnet, though some writers prefer to place
this in the closing couplet.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire That
on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the
death-bed whereon it must expire Consumed with
that which it was nourish'd by.
Here, the argument continues and the metaphor
shifts to something even more fleeting than a
daya dying fire. Shakespeare chooses not to
include the volta here he decides to keep it for
the last two lines of the poem. Lets take a look
at it that so you can see how it functions in the
sonnet.
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Couplet These two lines summarize the entire
sonnet and give the reader something new to think
about. They often act as the thesis of the poem.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more
strong, To love that well which thou must leave
ere long.
Here, Shakespeare does not continue with another
metaphor. Rather, he gives us the volta that must
be in the sonnet. The speaker explains that the
reason the other person loves him so strongly is
because he/she knows that the speaker will soon
die. They must experience all the love they can
now, before he passes away. This acts as the
thesis because he states that their love is
strong, and uses the first three quatrains to
tell us why their love is strong.
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• Now that you know all the different sections of
  the Shakespearean sonnet and understand how each
  one functions, youre almost ready to write one
  of your own. We just need to go over a few things
  about style and form first.
• All sonnets require the following stylistically
• 3 quatrains
• 1 couplet
• 14 lines
• ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
• Iambic pentameter
• Lets take one more look at Shakespeares Sonnet
  73 so that you can see how each of these are
  included.

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Sonnet 73 That time of year thou mayst in me
behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do
hang Upon those boughs which shake against the
cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet
birds sang. In me thou seest the twilight of such
day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by
and by black night doth take away, Death's second
self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou
see'st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes
of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon
it must expire Consumed with that which it was
nourish'd by. This thou perceivest, which makes
thy love more strong, To love that well which
thou must leave ere long.
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Lets start by brainstorming. Make sure you have
a paper and pencil handy. A good eraser is also
recommended! Now, lets begin. What do you want
to say in your sonnet? A lot of sonnets pertain
to love in some way, but yours doesnt have to.
If you are having trouble coming up with some
ideas, here are some things to think
about -school -sports -losing a loved
one -falling in love -a pet -a problem -an emotion
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Now that you have your topic, think of a metaphor
that you want to use throughout your sonnet. Try
to think of something that wouldnt normally be
compared to your topic, and then figure out ways
that they are similar. Once you have your
metaphor and how you want to compare it to your
topic, write it down so you dont forget it later.
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Now you are ready to begin composing. Make sure
that you use only 10 syllables in each line, and
do your best to keep them all in iambic
pentameter. Also, choose your words that come at
the end of each line carefully remember that
another word will need to rhyme with it. Also
remember that you want to introduce your topic
and your metaphor here. Hint If youre having
trouble with iambic pentameter, go back to
Shakespeares Sonnet 73 and read each line to
this beat duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH
.
Quatrain 1 1. ________________________________
___________________________ a 2.
__________________________________________________
_________ b 3. _______________________________
____________________________ a 4.
__________________________________________________
_________ b
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Here, you want to continue your metaphor and your
argument, but you want to build on what you wrote
in the first quatrain. Remember that you are
setting up for an eventual turn that will come
either in the next quatrain or in the couplet, so
be preparing for that.
Quatrain 2 5. _________________________________
__________________________ c 6.
__________________________________________________
_________ d 7. ________________________________
___________________________ c 8.
__________________________________________________
_________ d
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Here is where it starts getting even more
exciting! Hang tough its hard to write a sonnet
and you may be feeling frustrated, but you can do
it. This is where a lot of Shakespearean sonnets
bring in the volta, or the turn. How can you
shift your argument through the use of your
metaphor? Do that here in this quatrain. Or, if
you wish, save the twist for the final couplet,
and build up your metaphor some more here.
Quatrain 3 9. _________________________________
__________________________ e 10.
__________________________________________________
_________ f 11. _________________________________
__________________________ e 12.
__________________________________________________
_________ f
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Okay, weve come to the final couplet. Make sure
to put your turn here if you havent done so yet.
This is where you need to summarize your
argumentremember to think of it as your thesis.
Why do the previous twelve lines matter? Also
remember that this is a couplet, so both lines
will rhyme at the end.
Couplet 13. _____________________________________
______________________ g 14. ___________________
________________________________________ g
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Now put your sonnet together. All of your lines
should come together in the following manner

1. __________________________________________________
   ____________ a
2. __________________________________________________
   ____________ b
3. __________________________________________________
   ____________ a
4. __________________________________________________
   ____________ b
5. __________________________________________________
   ____________ c
6. __________________________________________________
   ____________ d
7. __________________________________________________
   ____________ c
8. __________________________________________________
   ____________ d
9. __________________________________________________
   ____________ e
10. __________________________________________________
    ____________ f
11. __________________________________________________
    ____________ e
12. __________________________________________________
    ____________ f
13. __________________________________________________
    ____________ g
14. __________________________________________________
    ____________ g

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Congratulations! Youve just written your own
Shakespearean sonnet! Now remember, just because
youve finished doesnt mean youre done. Good
writing is all about revision. Go back and make
sure your sonnet is as strong in all areas as you
would like it to be. Feel free to edit and revise
until you feel like youve perfected it.
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The End.
We hope that this guide has helped you learn how
to write a Shakespearean sonnet. Please contact
us if you have any questions or concerns.
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