Q1 of 7 Page 110

This poem is a Shakespearean sonnet.

What do you understand by a sonnet?

The word 'sonnet' was derived from 'sonetto' in Italian which means “a little song or sound”. It is a popular classical form of written literature which has inspired and influenced poets down the centuries. It consists of fourteen lines written in iambic pentameter which utilizes one of several rhyme schemes and follows a tightly structured thematic form. The two types which provide a model for others are- Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnets.


More from this chapter

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3

What does the line ‘I never writ, nor no man ever loved’ imply?

 4

Love is presented as the subject or doer of actions in the poem. Why do you think the poet has used this form rather than involving human agents?

 5

Explain the phrases a. his bending sickle’s compass b. Time’s fool

(a) bending sickle’s compass


(b) Time's fool

 2

This poem is a Shakespearean sonnet.

Look at some other sonnets and notice the variations in the structure of the sonnet that are possible.