Introduction to Renaissance forms of poetry

Objective: Riflettere sulla struttura del sonetto inglese

The sonnet is a form of poetry. Poetry is a literary genre and inside it there are different forms. The sonnet as its name reminds greatly rely on sound. In addition, one must remember it is a lyrical form of poetry: it strongly focuses on private, intimate feelings and emotions, and it follows that it is generally a personal form of poetry. Lyrical form of poetry implies lyric.

Where was the sonnet born? How did it develop in time?

The sonnet form was born in Italy thanks to Mr. Petrarch. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of an octave and a sestet. The octave consists of two quatrains. The rhyme scheme of the Italian sonnet consists of ABABABAB and so on. What matters in terms of sound is that sound plays a very important function: it contributes to add compactness to the poem. Sonnets better than other forms of poetry use a very synthetic and condensed form. It follows that the sonnet is a complex form of poetry. Whenever a poet writes something, he generally has a reason to organize the lines in that way.

What is the function of the octave?

The octave presents the speaking voice’s problem. The sestet expresses a possible solution. In “Pace non trovo” the octave expresses the poet’s suffering because of love problem as confirmed by the capital letter in “Amore” at line 7. The sestet consists of six lines. Il ritmo della lingua italiana non dipende dagli accenti ma dalle sillabe, quindi c’è una difficoltà da parte dello scrittore di adattare il sonetto alla lingua inglese. Thomas Wyatt keeps the structure of the Petrarchan sonnet. He keeps the octave and the sestet arrangement. L’amore ha intrappolato il poeta e perciò egli non sa trovare la pace. L’ottava è costruita sul contrasto che comunica il dolore del poeta. La seconda quartina è una esplicitazione della prima: svela il mistero. The English poet who wants to keep the structure of the Petrarchan sonnet has also to be faithful to the Italian model and its function. Mr. Wyatt translates more or less the Petrarchan sonnet.

T. Wyatt: an octave, a sestet, rhyme scheme ABBA

Petrarch: an octave, a sestet, alternate rhyme ABAB

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, ha trasformato la struttura del sonetto petrarchiano per formare una nuova struttura del sonetto inglese, costituita da tre quartine ed un distico a rima baciata chiamato “rhyming couplet”.