Petrarchan Sonnet. A Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two parts: an octave and a sestet. The rhyme scheme of the octave is abbaabba. The first quatrain presents the theme while the second quatrain develops it. The rhyme scheme of the sestet can be arranged cdecdecdcdcd, or cdedce. The first three lines exemplify or reflect on the theme while the last three lines bring the whole poem to a unified close.
Theme. A theme is a central idea in a literary work. As you read the selection, summarize the theme in each sonnet. What is the speaker saying about love?
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The following sonnets from Petrarch's Canzoniere deal with love and unrequited love. A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem that follows one of a number of different rhyme schemes. The Petrarchan form of the sonnet is divided into two parts: an octave and a sestet. The sonnet form was introduced to England during the sixteenth century by Wyatt and Sidney, both admirers of Petrarch’s work.
To help you find the theme of each sonnet, make a chart like the one below to organize your thoughts and to analyze the poem. Under each category, describe the theme, development, reflection of the theme, and the conclusion for each sonnet.
What are your thoughts about love? Is your view positive or negative? How do you know when you love someone?
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