Sonnets Flashcards
What is a sonnet?
A 14-line poem set in iambic pentameter that always rhymes and always has meter,
Define a conceit.
A hyperbolic comparison or an extended metaphor
Define a volta.
The change or resolution in a sonnet
Define a blason.
Point-by-point descriptions of women
Define an iamb.
A metric foot of one unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable
Define oxymora.
Pairs of opposites
Name and describe the meter that was universally used in sonnets during the Tudor era.
Iambic pentameter: meter with 5 iambs per line
What are the specific characteristics of a Petrarchan Sonnet?
Almost ALWAYS about courtly love; a/b/b/a/a/b/b/a/c/d/c/c/d/c rhyme scheme; octet and sestet; volta in sestet
What are the specific characteristics of a Shakespearean Sonnet?
Started as trying to convince a prince to marry; a/b/a/b/c/d/c/d/e/f/e/f/g/g rhyme scheme; 3 quatrains and 1 couplet; volta in the couplet
What are the specific characteristics of a Spenserian Sonnet?
Interlocking rhyme scheme; inspired by Italian and French poetry; a/b/a/b/b/c/b/c/c/d/c/d/e/e rhyme scheme
Why did Petrarch write sonnets?
Courtly love
Why did Howard write sonnets?
Court favor
