How to Create Your Own Shakespearean Sonnet
A sonnet is a 14-line poem in which the author writes about two different but related ideas, and shows the tension between the two. There are different forms of the sonnet -- the most well-known are the Petrarchan, Spenserian and Shakespearean. The Shakespearean sonnet is also known as the English sonnet, which follows specific structural rules on rhythm and rhyme. It's important to choose your words and theme carefully when writing a Shakespearan sonnet.
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Instructions
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Pick a theme. Decide on two ideas or concepts. The ideas must be related but different. An example would be love and hate.
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Develop your ideas. Figure out what links your two chosen concepts and what separates them. Further to the love and hate example -- both are intense emotions, but one is positive while the other is negative. The sonnet could show how easily one can turn into the other. The turn, or volta, is an essential element of the sonnet. This is where a change in subject matter occurs, often indicated by keywords such as "but" and "yet."
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Write your sonnet. Follow the required rhyming pattern and incorporate the volta. In all Shakespearean sonnets, the meter, or rhythm, of each line is written in iambic pentameter, which alternates between stressed and unstressed syllables five times, creating a da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM beat. The rhyming scheme of the sonnet comprises three quatrains, or groups of four lines, and a rhyming couplet at the end, creating the pattern abab cdcd efef gg.
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Review the sonnet once it is complete. Very few poets write a perfect poem in their first attempt. Check to see whether you've met all the requirements of a sonnet.
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Tips & Warnings
The rhyming couplet often serves as a summary or commentary on the first 12 lines of the sonnet.
Sonnets do not have to be about love. Many people associate Shakespearean sonnets with love, but any subject matter, as long as it follows the form requirements, is fine.
Use a rhyming dictionary.
References
Resources
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