THE SONNET

The sonnet is a lyrical form of poetry therefore it speaks about intimate feelings, problems and doubts.  In Europe it was first used by Francesco Petrarca in Italy. Petrarch’s sonnet become the model for all feature’s sonneteers. As the word shows the sonnet aveley relied on sound devices. Therefore, in the analysis of a sonnet it is really important to consider the level of sound that together with the other levels of connotation largely contributes to meaning. The sonnet form s organised/arranged into fourteens lines. The English sonnet is the result of the gradual transformation from the Petrarchan model to the English sonnet which is generally called eighter the Shakespearian sonnet or the Elizabethan sonnet because it developed during the Elizabethan ages.

The best-known Italian sonneteers were Dante and Petrarch. Of the two Petrarch proved most influential on the sonnet sequent history. The privilege theme of the sonnet is secular love. The first English sonneteer, Thomas Wyatt learned of the form during travels in Spain and in Italy.

GRADUAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE ENGLISH SONNET

Thomas Wyatt who lived on the first half of the16th century followed the Petrarchan model mainly translating Petrarch sonnets into English but soon poets realised that the English language was not suitable to the Italian. Indeed, while the Italian language rhythm is based on syllables the English rhythm is based on stresses. This made the transformation from Italian into English very difficult and it proved not appropriate/suitable to the English language. Therefore Mr. Henry Howard Earl of Surrey decided to transform and modify the structure of the sonnet. This is the way the Elizabethan structure of the sonnet was born. He transformed the Petrarchan model into a structure arranged/organised into three quatrains and a rhyming couple. Most of the times sonneteers belong to the court and they adopted the contours love code.