U6 L2 Elizabethan Sonnet: Sidney Flashcards
What is a Sonnet?
type of lyric poetry popular in Elizabethan England
Where did Sonnets originate from?
Italy
What does the word Sonnet mean?
little song in Italian
Who perfected the Italian Sonnet?
Petrarch
When was the Sonnet introduced in England and by who?
- early 16th century
- Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey
What was the format of an Italian sonnet?
- first 8 lines octave
- 6 lines sestet
- octave has observations, facts, problem
- sestet has narrator’s reply
- octave and sestet have different rhyming schemes
What are the rhyming schemes of most Italian sonnets?
abba abba cdcd ee
What was the format of a Shakespearean sonnet?
- three quatrains have similar rhyme schemes but diff rhyme sounds
- couplet has diff scheme
- each quatrain must be a similar idea but a diff aspect of it
- couplet should be solution/conclusion
What concept is at the heart of a sonnet?
thought scheme = rhyme scheme
What is the ‘turn’ of a sonnet?
- point where though in sonnet changes
- must be near point where rhyme scheme change occurs
What is the difference in how Italian and Shakespearean sonnets develop their ideas?
I- equal half given to each idea
S- first idea developed fully, second given only two lines, couplet often new direction for idea or contradiction
What is a courtier?
attendant at a royal court
What are sequences?
continuous or related series
Who were 3 famous sonneteers of the Elizabethan Age?
- Sir Philip Sidney
- Edmund Spenser
- William Shakespeare
What is John Donne more noted for?
religious sonnets
What jobs did Sir Philip Sidney take up?
- poet
- critic
- scholar
- diplomat
- courtier
- soldier
PCS DCS
At what age did Sidney take part in a military expedition to Holland?
32
Who did Sidney address Astrophel and Stella to?
Penelope Devereux
Sidney gave his lady a name taken from what type of literature?
Greek and Roman
What does Stella and Astrophel mean?
Stella - star
Astrophel - star-lover
What does Astrophel and Stella focus on?
poet’s love for beautiful woman
How did Sir Philip Sidney die?
he offered his bottle of water to another dying man, believing the soldier’s need was greater than his own
What did the horsemen claim was the reason why narrator won?
skill in horsemanship
What did the Town-folks claim was the reason why narrator won?
strength
What did the daintier judge claim was the reason why narrator won?
cleverness and experience
What did some lucky wits claim was the reason why narrator won?
chance
What did the others claim was the reason why narrator won?
inherited natural ability
