INTRODUCING A TYPE OF POEM: WHAT IS A SONNET? (HOW TO WRITE A SONNET)

Good day my most esteemed steemians, i hope you enjoyed my last article on the reason why we have so many poorly written poems? If you have not, you may want to check it out.

Without further ados, i will be introducing to us a very scintillating type of poem, and how to write it, and that would the type of poem called Sonnet.

Sonnet is a poem, originally meant to be sung, it is an italian words which says sonneto it means little poem.

but however these days it's characterised as a 14 line poem with the two last line rhyming, however sonnets are the most difficult type of poems and that's why poet don't bother to write it. In my course of study at University, student ran away from it, so also lectures too because of it's complexity.

Nevertheless we have to know that sonnets are of two types which is;

1. THE SHAKESPAREN OR ENGLISH SONNET.

2. THE ITALIAN OR PETRACHAN SONNET.

As the name of the first will have it, Shakespare himself wrote nearly 200 sonnets in his lifetime and he was the father of the English type of sonnet, which im going to show us how to write.

STEPS TO WRITING THE SHAKESPEAREN SONNET.

First you must have an outline, a shakesparen sonnet has a specific rhyme scheme which is "ABAB" "CDCD "EFEF" "GG"

since a sonnet contains 14 lines, now you will need to divide your 14 Lines into a four line stanza in three places and a seperate two lines which must rhyme just as i have shown you in the rhyme scheme pattern.

Now be sure to put your rhyme scheme at mind, make sure you are free writing but not too free, so you won't lose hold of how you rhyme.

Also choose a theme which you are accustomed with, and it can be about love if you want, but it has to be 14 lines and the last two line end words must rhyme, something like;

"BEHOLD I LOOK UPON YOUR GRACE"
"NEVER SO LACKING LIKE A SUNSHINE FACE"

SO WHAT MAKES A SONNET DIFFICULT TO WRITE?

Here is what people tend to not get.
However i will tell us that Sonnets contain IAMBIC PENTAMETER and that is the combination of five stressed syllabe and another five unstressed syallable contained in each line of a sonnet. Here i will make refrence to shakespare's most read sonnet "SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?"

and basically containing unstressed and stressed syllable in a line of a poem is a hearculean task, but one of which i will write fully in my next article.
I would have to stop here, and next time i'll show us the sonnet written by me, and how i made it a sonnet, bye for now.

Image credit: Google