ITALIAN SONNET FORMS
Of the more precisely defined variations of the form that we have today,
the oldest is the Italian Sonnet, also known as the Petrarchan Sonnet, after
its creator, Francesco Petrarch. It had no set structure originally and it
was only after its adoption by the English that defined the Italian Sonnet
to be of Iambic pentameter and consist of an octave, or 8-line stanza,
followed by a sestet, or 6-line stanza.
The octave sets up a situation upon which the sestet comments. Alternatively,
the octave makes a statement, and the sestet a counter statement as in the
following example by John Milton:
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When I Consider How My Light Is Spent
When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide;
"Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?"
I fondly ask; but Patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait."
John Milton
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There are several Italian Sonnet Forms;
- Italian.
- Sicilian and
- Sonetto Rispetto.
The difference is in the octave.The octave is constructed of two quatrains.
- The Italian has a rhyming scheme of, a.b.b.a....
a.b.b.a.
- The Sicilian has a rhyming scheme of, a.b.b.a....
a.b.a.b.
- The Sonetto Rispetto (or Ottava Rima Octave) is very different and has
a rhyming scheme of a.b.a.b.a.b.c.c.
Each of these forms can also have the choice of two sestets, Italian and
Sicilian:
- The Italian sestet consists of two tercets (of 3 lines) with the rhyme
scheme...1.2.3....1.2.3.
- The Sicilian Sestet, has a rhyme scheme of .1.2.1.2.
1.2.
This gives a permutation of six poetry forms. "Reflections in an Attic Room"
by Wesley Court, gives excellent examples of the variations of these forms.
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