A turn, or “volta”-some kind of shift in tone or thought.
A big idea or feeling or issue (like love, or heartbreak, or a problem to be solved).
14 lines (though there are “stretched sonnets” of 15 and 16 lines, too).
How fancy you get is up to you! THE BASICS Here’s a quick list to help you get started. Sonneteers have been bending and breaking the sonnet form for ages, so share whatever you’ve got! Shakespearean sonnets use iambic pentameter and an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme, but don’t worry too much about all that. It usually takes a turn, called a “volta,” about 8 lines in, and then resolves the issue by the end. Sonnets have been around for over seven centuries, maybe because they’re so much fun to write! A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines that reflects upon a single issue or idea.
Listen to poet Terrance Hayes read one of his sonnets.
Read a poem that plays with pop culture and with Shakespeare, too.
Read a poem that refers to the film The Matrix.
The world is your oyster! You can write a sonnet…īanish boredom around the dinner table or on the couch!Ĭollaborate to write and record yourselves across the miles. Step 1: Choose your own sonnet adventure. If you film yourself reading it, we encourage you to share it in writing, too. Upload to social media, tagging and using the hashtag #ShareYourShakespeare so that everyone can enjoy what you wrote. In keeping with a long-standing Shakespeare's Birthday tradition at the Folger, we'd love to read or hear your own 14-line sonnet.