How to Punctuate a Sonnet Number
The sonnet is one of the most beloved forms of poetry, and for good reason: it is tailor-made for examining the complexity of emotional experience, for engaging in word-play and extended metaphors, and for distilling poetic language to its essence. If you are a poet interested in composing your own sonnets, one question you may have is about punctuation. How can you use punctuation to enhance the emotional impact of your poetry? Here are a few suggestions.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Review the basics. The sonnet typically develops a line of inquiry through to its conclusion, often with a "turn" after the second quatrain (the so-called "octave"), which is resolved by two verses of three lines each (the "sestet.") Punctuation most frequently takes the form of "breath marks" (commas, semi-colons, etc.), indicating pauses in the flow of the text or continuity when a single thought or image is being expressed over more than one line.
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Spend some time with a favorite poet, noting his or her uses of punctuation. For instance, if you have a fondness for Elizabethan poetry, you might want to examine the role of exclamation in the sonnets of Sir Philip Sidney, which are often used in alternation with questions. In the modern era poets such as Emily Dickinson have used the dash to express anxiety and discontinuity whereas the ellipses is often used to create a sense of ambiguity or trailing off into nothingness. Notice how punctuation connects the rhythms of speech to mood, bearing in mind that speech is rarely unbroken by pauses or changes in speed, pitch, and tone.
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Choose a format. The traditional Italian (or "Petrarchan") format, which is often stately and predictable, uses the rhyme scheme a-b-b-a a-b-b-a c-d-e c-d-e. The English (or "Shakespearean") format requires a greater variety of rhymes, which can highlight complexities in mood, following the pattern a-b-a-b c-d-c-d e-f-e-f g-g. With either format, one option is to lead with a question in the opening line and then use varying punctuation at the ends of lines to build suspense before the final couplet. Alternatively, modern poets such as e.e. cummings have used the sonnet format to bring out the ambiguities and rhythms of everyday speech, in part by using punctuation sparingly.
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Remember "mid-line" punctuation. No less a poet than Elizabeth Barrett Browning made exceptional use of this device to express anxiety and dramatic tension in her sonnets. For instance, in her Sonnet XXVIII, she establishes an anguished tone with an opening exclamation ("My letters! All dead paper, mute and white!") and then in the second quatrain juxtaposes mid-line dashes and ellipses to communicate the poet's mood of reluctance, hesitation, and grief ("to come and touch my hand...a simple thing, / Yes I wept for it--this...the paper's light...") If done well, mid-line punctuation can connect rhythm and mood with an almost musical quality, lending energy and authenticity to your verse.
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Tips & Warnings
Finally, don't let the formality of the sonnet inhibit your creativity. The sonnet is a traditional form, but it's a frame, not a straitjacket. Poetry is about expressing emotion and ideas through language, and your use of punctuation should reflect that.
