There are several elements of a sonnet to keep in mind when you’re planning and drafting.

Some writers find it harder to stay within rhyme schemes and structures, but it can often be helpful to have a template to practice with. Sonnets can often be an easy form for new poets to learn, because it has such a strict format. There are many versions of sonnets that exist today, and poets often take their own turns on the classic versions, mixing up the rhyme schemes, lines, and stanzas. His form varies, and the content of his poems was more centered on introspection and his own interior thoughts. The Miltonic sonnet was created by John Milton, who took a new twist on the Italian sonnet.

This scheme drags the rhyme through the sonnet, giving a tighter feel throughout the piece, rather than the rhymes standing on their own like they seem to do with the Shakespearean and Italian sonnets. Named for the English poet, Edmund Spenser, the Spenserian sonnet differentiates itself, again, by its rhyme scheme of ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. It uses a combination of eight lines broken into two quatrains, rather than fourteen lines broken into four quatrains. Though the Shakespearean sonnet is the most popular in the English language, the Italian sonnet was actually created first. Shakespearean uses ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, where the Italian sonnet uses ABBA ABBA, then either CDC CDC or CDE CDE. The main differentiation between the Shakespearean and the Italian sonnet is the rhyme scheme. Shakespeare didn’t invent the sonnet, but he was one of the most famous writers who used them, which is why it is sometimes called the Shakespearean sonnet. The Shakespearean sonnet came into popularity in the mid-1500s, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Shakespearean (English, Elizabethan) Sonnet This is a list of some of the most famous formats, but it is nowhere near a complete list of every version of the sonnet. The sonnet format that people are most familiar with is the Shakespearean sonnet, also known as the English or Elizabethan sonnet. You can typically tell them apart by their rhyme scheme, but poets take fresh spins on the sonnet format all the time, bringing it further away from its original format. There are many variations from the original Italian sonnet, and each has its own rules. “Sonnet” comes from the Italian word “sonetto,” which translates to “a little sound or song.” We’ll get into more details about this structure later on.

A sonnet is a poem that uses these elements: one stanza, fourteen lines, iambic pentameter, a set rhyme scheme.

Iambic pentameter sonnet example