Sonnet

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three four-line groups and a final rhyming couplet, with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

The Act 1 Prologue itself is a fourteen-line Shakespearean sonnet, with three quatrains and a closing couplet, largely in iambic pentameter. A poetic form associated with love introduces both romance and death. Its tightly ordered shape also frames the action as a completed story before the characters begin making their choices.

Analyse the shared sonnet as a dramatic exchange: Juliet answers and develops Romeo’s imagery rather than remaining a silent object of praise.

Connect a language or form choice to an interpretation: explain how an oxymoron conveys conflict or how the shared sonnet suggests cooperation.

Explain how a word, image or dramatic form supports your interpretation. Naming an oxymoron or sonnet is only the starting point.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three four-line sections and a concluding rhyming couplet, with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually follows the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and uses iambic pentameter.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually uses iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem, usually with a patterned rhyme scheme and often concerned with love.

A fourteen-line poem with an organised rhyme scheme, often concerned with love. Romeo and Juliet jointly speak a sonnet at their first meeting.

A fourteen-line poem, usually with a patterned rhyme scheme and a turn in its argument or perspective.

A fourteen-line poem, usually with a patterned rhyme scheme and a turn in thought or argument.

A fourteen-line poem, traditionally associated with love, often containing a change in thought or argument.

A poetic form traditionally consisting of fourteen lines, often associated with love. Armitage adapts it into a fifteen-line poem.

A fourteen-line poem with a patterned arrangement of rhyme and usually a development or turn in its argument.

A fourteen-line poem, often concerned with love or a developing argument.

A fourteen-line poetic form, usually with a patterned rhyme scheme and a development or turn in its ideas.

A fourteen-line poem with a patterned rhyme scheme. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three four-line sections and a concluding rhyming couplet.

The Prologue itself is a fourteen-line Shakespearean sonnet, with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Its largely regular iambic pentameter gives it a measured rhythm: each line generally contains five pairs of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. A form associated with love introduces both romance and death, binding them together before the lovers appear.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three four-line sections and a final rhyming couplet, with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet normally follows the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and uses iambic pentameter.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG; Romeo and Juliet's shared sonnet in Act 1 Scene 5 varies this pattern to ABAB CBCB DEDE FF.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and is written in iambic pentameter.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet normally uses iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem, usually organised through a particular rhyme scheme and a turn in thought.

Compare the compact fourteen-line designs of Bright Star and Now with the thirteen lines of Poem for My Love. Their lengths invite connections, but fourteen lines alone do not establish that every poem is a sonnet. Look also at rhyme, metre and the organisation of thought.

A fourteen-line poem, traditionally using a patterned rhyme scheme and often developing an argument about love.

A fourteen-line poem, often about love, with an organised rhyme pattern and a development or turn in its argument.

A fourteen-line poem, usually with a patterned rhyme scheme and metre, often associated with love.

A fourteen-line poetic form, commonly associated with love, often using a patterned rhyme scheme and metre.

A fourteen-line poetic form, usually with a patterned rhyme scheme and often a turn in thought or feeling.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three four-line groups and a final rhyming couplet, with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

The Prologue is a fourteen-line Shakespearean sonnet, principally in iambic pentameter. A poetic form associated with love introduces a tragic ending. Revealing that ending shifts attention towards how the disaster happens and creates dramatic irony: spectators recognise danger while the lovers still hope for happiness.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually uses iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem with a patterned rhyme scheme. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three four-line sections and a final rhyming couplet.

A fourteen-line poem with a patterned rhyme scheme, often associated with love. Romeo and Juliet share a sonnet when they first speak in Act 1 Scene 5.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three four-line sections and a final rhyming couplet, with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem with an organised rhyme scheme, often associated with love. Beatrice’s and Benedick’s poems become evidence of their feelings.

A fourteen-line poem, traditionally associated with love or reflection and usually organised through a patterned rhyme scheme.

A fourteen-line poem traditionally associated with love, usually written in iambic pentameter and organised through a rhyme scheme.

A fourteen-line poem with a patterned rhyme scheme, often developing an idea through a turn in thought.

A fourteen-line poem with an organised pattern of rhyme and rhythm, traditionally associated with love but used for many subjects.

A fourteen-line poetic form, usually with a patterned rhyme scheme and a development or turn in its argument.

A fourteen-line poem with a patterned rhyme scheme, often concerned with love. Shakespearean sonnets usually contain three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and is written in iambic pentameter.

A fourteen-line poem with an organised rhyme scheme. Romeo and Juliet share a sonnet in their first conversation in Act 1 Scene 5.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet normally uses iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually follows the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and uses iambic pentameter.

A fourteen-line poem with a patterned rhyme scheme, often associated with love. Beatrice’s and Benedick’s poems become physical evidence of their affection.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet, with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet normally uses iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

A fourteen-line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet usually has three quatrains and a concluding rhyming couplet.

A fourteen-line poem with a patterned rhyme scheme, often used to express love.

A fourteen-line poem, traditionally using a patterned rhyme scheme and often developing an argument or emotional change.

A fourteen-line poem, usually with a patterned rhyme scheme and a development or turn in its argument.

Definition

How each exam board covers it

AQA GCSE English Literature · 8702

Exam tips

Get more free notes every week

Edexcel GCSE English Literature · 1ET0

OCR GCSE English Literature · J352

Eduqas GCSE English Literature · C720

Definition

How each exam board covers it

AQA GCSE English Literature · 8702

Exam tips

Related key terms

Get more free notes every week

Edexcel GCSE English Literature · 1ET0

OCR GCSE English Literature · J352

Eduqas GCSE English Literature · C720