“Little Song”

“Little Song”

Basic Construction ofthe Sonnet

Let’s take a look: Shakespeare’sSonnet 29

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,

Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

So, what is this…thing?

Sonnet comes from Italian and literallytranslates “Little Song”.

Though the sonnet is a short poem, thespecific demands of this form make it achallenging type of poem to write.

There are two primary forms of the sonnet:the Italian form and the English (orShakespearian) form. We will be lookingprimarily and the English form.

Key Terms

Couplet: grouping of two lines

Tercet: grouping of three lines

Quatrain: grouping of four lines

Sestet: grouping of six lines

Octave: two quatrains; grouping of eight lines

Iambic Pentameter: a line of poetry made up of fiveiambs. An iamb contains one unstressed syllablefollowed by a stressed syllable.

Specifics of the English Sonnet

14 Lines (3 Quatrains and One Couplet)

Each line consists of 5 feet of iambicpentameter (10 syllables per line)

End rhyme as follows:

–ABAB (first quatrain)

–CDCD (second quatrain)

–EFEF (third quatrain)

–GG (couplet)

Take another look: stanza setup

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,

Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

QUATRAINQUATRAIN

COUPLETCOUPLET

Take another look: Iambic Pentameter

Remember, Iambic Pentameter: a line of poetrymade up of five iambs. An iamb contains oneunstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

Above, you can see the first line of the poem. Itcontains 10 syllables. Stressed syllables have beenboldfaced.

Each of the following lines in the poem follows thissame rhythm.

inWhen, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Take another look: rhyme scheme

First Quatrain

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

A(EYES)

B(STATE)

A(CRIES)

B(FATE)

Take another look: rhyme scheme

Second Quatrain

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,

Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

C(HOPE)

D(ESS’D)

C(SCOPE)

D(LEAST)

Take another look: rhyme scheme

Third Quatrain

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

E(ING)

F(STATE)

E(ING)

F(GATE)

Take another look: rhyme scheme

Couplet

For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

G(BRINGS)

G(KINGS)

Content Structure

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,

Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

1st QUATRAIN:1st QUATRAIN:

–Introduces the problem(dissatisfaction with life/frustrated with God)–Introduces the problem(dissatisfaction with life/frustrated with God)

2nd QUATRAIN2nd QUATRAIN

–Elaborates on the theme given inthe opening stanza (jealous ofthe success he sees othersenjoying)–Elaborates on the theme given inthe opening stanza (jealous ofthe success he sees othersenjoying)

QUATRAINQUATRAIN

–Continues the theme, butprovides a turn (as heapproaches the lowest point, heremembers his love)–Continues the theme, butprovides a turn (as heapproaches the lowest point, heremembers his love)

COUPLETCOUPLET

–Provides resolution, a finalthought that brings the topic toa close (because of love in hislife, he considers himself morewealthy than royalty)–Provides resolution, a finalthought that brings the topic toa close (because of love in hislife, he considers himself morewealthy than royalty)