sonnet

A sonnet is a lyric poem of fourteen lines, written in a regular metrical pattern, typically iambic pentameter, that develops a compact argument, meditation, or emotional image. The form often introduces a problem or tension and then reaches a resolve or reframing at a turn, called a volta, which commonly occurs between the octave and the sestet in traditional Italian models or before the final couplet in English variations.

Forms and rhyme schemes vary by tradition. The Italian or Petrarchan sonnet usually follows ABBA ABBA for the octave and CDE CDE or CDC CDC for the sestet. English or Renaissance forms include the Shakespearean or Elizabethan: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, and the Spenserian: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. All are typically fourteen lines in iambic pentameter, but poets may adjust the line endings, the position of the volta, or the balance between sections.

History traces the term from the Italian sonetto, meaning a little song, and the form to 13th–14th century Italy with poets such as Giacomo da Lentini and, more influentially, Petrarch in his Canzoniere. The form was introduced to England in the 16th century by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, who adapted it, followed by William Shakespeare and others. The sonnet also developed into cycles or sequences that explore a single theme or relationship across many linked poems.

Usage and themes commonly center on love, beauty, time, mortality, and philosophical reflection. The compact form has remained influential, with modern poets continuing to experiment with traditional schemes, variations, or blending the sonnet with other modes.