Sonnet is a literary structure of fixed form composed by fourteen verses, of which two arequartets (set of four verses) and two-thirds (set of three verses).
It was probably created by the Italian poet and humanist Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374).
The sonnet word (from the Italian “sonetto”) means small sound when referring to the sound produced by the verses.
Sonnet Types
O petrarchian sonnet or regular is the most experienced. However, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) created the english sonnet, composed of 3 quartets (strophes with four lines) and 1 couplet (strophes with two lines).
There is also the monostrophic sonnet, which features a single stanza composed of the fourteen verses. It's the weird sonnet, one that has additional verses or stanzas.
Sonnet Structure
Sonnets are generally literary productions of lyrical content formed, in that order, by two quartets and two-thirds.
Inside the sonnet structure, it is necessary to observe some basic concepts:
- stanza
- verse
- metric
- rime
Stanza and Verse
It is important to note that the
verse matches the phrase or word that make up each line of a poem. While the stanza is the set of verses from one of the sections of the poem.Thus, according to the number of verses that make up a stanza, they are classified into:
- 1 verse: Monastic
- 2 verses: couplet
- 3 verses: triplet
- 4 verses: Quartet or Quadra
- 5 verses: Quintille
- 6 verses: Sextile
- 7 verses: Septilla
- 8 verses: octave
- 9 verses: Ninth
- 10 verses: From above
- more than ten verses: irregular stanza
Learn more about the topic by reading:
- What is Verse?
- Versification
- Stanza
- Verse, Stanza and Rhyme
Metrics
THE metric is measure of the back which corresponds to the number of poetic syllables.
In the case of the sonnet, the verses are usually decasyllables, that is, composed of 10 poetic syllables, classified into:
- Heroic Verses: stressed syllables in positions 6 and 10.
- Sapphic Verses: stressed syllables are in positions 4, 8 and 10.
Note that the poetic syllables or metrics differ from grammatical syllables. THE "scansion” is the term used to indicate the counting of verse sounds. It is developed by three basic rules:
- when there is two or more vowels unstressed or stressed at the end of one word and the beginning of another, they merge, forming a single poetic syllable, for example: A-ma-of airyou (4 poetic syllables)
- You diphthongs they are words with a single poetic syllable, for example: my, heaven, saw.
- The counting of syllables is done until the last stressed syllable of the verse, for example: “I give-all to- my- to-mor- I'll-ten-to" (decasyllable verse, hence the last word of the "attentive" verse has its stressed syllable in the "ten", and therefore, the last "to" is not counted)
Thus, in addition to the decasyllable verses, the best known forms are:
- Small roundel: 5 metric syllables
- Bigger round or heptasyllable: 7 poetic syllables
- Eneasyllable: 9 poetic syllables
- hendecasyllable: 11 poetic syllables
- dodecasyllable or Alexandrian Verses: 12 poetic syllables
rime
THE rime it is the agreement of sounds established between the words of the poem.
In the Petrarchian sonnet the positioning of the rhymes in the fourteen verses, present the composition: abba abba cdc (cde) dcd (cde)
The quartets are formed by intertwined or opposite rhymes, so that the first verse rhymes with the fourth, and the second with the third.
Brazilian Sonnetists
Some Brazilian authors who stood out in the production of sonnets:
- Gregory of Matos Guerra (1636-1696)
- Cláudio Manuel da Costa (1729-1789)
- Cruz e Sousa (1861-1898)
- olavo bilac (1865-1818)
- Augusto dos Anjos (1884-1914)
- Vinicius de Moraes (1913-1980)
Portuguese Sonnetists
In Portugal, the sonnet was a literary form introduced by the writer Sá de Miranda in the 16th century, when he returned to Italy.
Some poets who stood out with the production of sonnets were:
- Luís de Camões (1524-1580)
- Bocage (1765-1805)
- Antero de Quental (1842-1891)
- Florbela Espanca (1894-1930)
Loyalty Sonnet
One of the most emblematic examples of the modern Brazilian sonnet is present in Brazilian popular music (MPB).
It was written in 1960 by writer and musician Vinícius de Moraes: Soneto da Fidelidade:
From everything to my love I will be attentive
Before, and with such zeal, and always, and so much
That even in the face of the greatest charm
Of him my thoughts become more enchanted.
I want to live it in every moment
And in your praise I will spread my song
And laugh my laugh and shed my tears
Your grief or your contentment
And so, when you come to me later
Who knows the death, anguish of those who live
Who knows loneliness, end of those who love
I can tell myself about the love (that I had):
That it is not immortal, since it is flame
But let it be infinite while it lasts.
