Exploring Examples of Sonnets: A Deep Dive into Form, Feeling, and Famous Works

Sonnets, the “little songs” of poetry, have captivated readers and writers for centuries. Their compact fourteen-line structure, governed by specific rhyme schemes and rhythms, offers a unique canvas for exploring profound human experiences and ideas. Understanding sonnets isn’t just about memorizing rules; it’s about seeing how poets masterfully use this form to convey meaning and evoke emotion.

In this article, we’ll embark on a journey through some celebrated example of a sonnet, uncovering the layers of artistry within their lines. We will delve into the diverse themes sonnets tackle, from timeless love and the beauty of nature to the complexities of time, mortality, and the power of art itself. By examining these famous examples, we’ll illuminate the techniques poets employ and show how form and content intertwine to create enduring works of art.

Our exploration will:

• Briefly define what constitutes a sonnet.
• Present and analyze notable examples of sonnets, showcasing different forms and themes.
• Highlight how key poetic elements contribute to the sonnet’s impact.

Let’s begin by understanding the fundamental characteristics that define an example of a sonnet.

What Makes a Poem an Example of a Sonnet?

Originating from the Italian word sonetto, meaning “little song,” a sonnet is a lyric poem consisting of fourteen lines. While the form has evolved over time, particularly between its Italian and English variations, core elements remain consistent. Every example of a sonnet you encounter will feature:

• Fourteen Lines: This is the defining structural characteristic.
• A Specific Rhyme Scheme: This pattern varies depending on the type of sonnet (Petrarchan, Shakespearean, Spenserian, etc.).
• Iambic Pentameter: The dominant meter, consisting of ten syllables per line arranged in five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM).

These constraints, far from limiting the poet, often provide a framework that encourages creativity and compression of thought. As we look at various example of a sonnet, notice how poets work within these boundaries. Much like the careful planning and piecing together in crafting intricate quilting poems, a sonnet’s structure requires meticulous attention to detail to create a harmonious whole. Understanding these basic elements is the first step in appreciating the richness of any sonnet.

One particularly important feature in many sonnets is the volta, or turn. This is a shift in thought, emotion, or argument, typically occurring around the eighth or ninth line in a Petrarchan sonnet and before the final couplet in a Shakespearean sonnet. The volta often provides a resolution, counter-argument, or new perspective on the theme introduced in the preceding lines.

Famous Examples of Sonnets and Their Analysis

To truly grasp the power and versatility of the sonnet, studying famous examples is essential. We will explore a selection of influential sonnets, primarily focusing on widely recognized works that showcase different forms and thematic approaches.

Examples of Shakespearean Sonnets

William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous practitioner of the sonnet form in English literature. His collection of 154 sonnets explores themes of love, beauty, time, mortality, and the power of poetry itself. The Shakespearean (or English) sonnet follows an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme, consisting of three quatrains and a concluding couplet, where the volta often occurs.

Let’s examine a few key Shakespearean example of a sonnet:

1. “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” by William Shakespeare (Sonnet 130)

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

This sonnet is a clever subversion of the traditional Petrarchan love poem, which often idealized the mistress’s beauty through exaggerated comparisons to nature. Shakespeare lists conventional comparisons – eyes to the sun, lips to coral, breasts to snow, hair to wires of gold (implied) – but explicitly denies their truth when applied to his mistress. Her eyes are not like the sun, her lips are not as red as coral, her breasts are not as white as snow, and her hair is like plain black wires. He even finds her breath unpleasant and her voice less pleasing than music.

The apparent rudeness in the first twelve lines builds to a powerful volta in the final couplet: “And yet…” Despite her physical imperfections compared to unrealistic ideals, the speaker declares his love is “as rare / As any she belied with false compare.” He loves her for who she is, not for fitting into an unattainable standard of beauty. This sonnet functions as a satire on the artificial conventions of beauty in poetry, arguing for an honest and realistic portrayal of love. It critiques poets who use “false compare” to describe their beloveds, highlighting the genuineness of the speaker’s affection for his actual mistress.

2. “Shall I Compare Thee To A Summers’ Day?” by William Shakespeare (Sonnet 18)

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

In contrast to Sonnet 130, this sonnet embraces a more traditional approach, comparing the beloved (“thee”) to a summer’s day. However, it quickly asserts that the beloved is more lovely and constant than summer. The quatrains explore the imperfections and transience of summer: it’s subject to rough winds, its duration is short, its sun can be too hot or obscured, and its beauty inevitably fades (“declines”) due to chance or nature’s changes.

The volta in the third quatrain introduces the counter-argument: “But thy eternal summer shall not fade.” This isn’t just about physical appearance; it’s about the beloved’s inherent beauty and youth that will not succumb to time’s decay. The sonnet moves from physical comparison to the enduring quality of the beloved, suggesting a deeper form of beauty. The final couplet reveals the source of this eternity: the poem itself. As long as people live and read, the beloved will live on through the speaker’s “eternal lines.” The poem grants immortality to the subject, a common theme expressing the power of poetry to transcend time.

3. “That Time Of Year Thou Mayest In Me Behold” by William Shakespeare (Sonnet 73)

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

This sonnet uses a series of powerful metaphors in the three quatrains to describe the speaker’s aging. Each quatrain presents a different image of decline, marked by the recurring phrase “In me thou see’st”:

• Quatrain 1: Compares the speaker’s age to late autumn or early winter, when leaves are yellowing or have fallen, and branches (“boughs”) are bare like “bare ruin’d choirs” where birds no longer sing. This evokes a sense of desolation and past vibrancy.
• Quatrain 2: Compares his age to twilight after sunset, fading into “black night,” which is personified as “Death’s second self.” This metaphor emphasizes the natural, inevitable approach of death following life’s ‘day’.
• Quatrain 3: Compares his age to a dying fire, resting on the ashes of its youth, gradually consumed by the very fuel (life/experience) that once nourished it. This creates a poignant image of exhaustion and nearing extinction.

Sunset over trees, symbolizing aging as discussed in Sonnet 73

The volta in the couplet shifts the focus to the effect of this perceived aging on the beloved (again, likely the “Fair Youth” from the larger sequence). The speaker suggests that seeing his decline makes the beloved’s love “more strong,” because they recognize the impending loss (“love that well which thou must leave ere long”). This adds a layer of melancholy and urgency to the theme of love in the face of mortality. The metaphors link human aging to the natural cycles of seasons, days, and fire, suggesting that death is a natural and universal process.

4. “If There Be Nothing New, But That Which Is” by William Shakespeare (Sonnet 59)

If there be nothing new, but that which is
Hath been before, how are our brains beguil'd,
Which, labouring for invention, bear amiss
The second burthen of a former child!
O, that record could with a backward look,
Even of five hundred courses of the sun,
Show me your image in some antique book,
Since mind at first in character was done!
That I might see what the old world could say
To this composed wonder of your frame;
Whether we are mended, or whe'r better they,
Or whether revolution be the same.
O! sure I am, the wits of former days
To subjects worse have given admiring praise.

This sonnet grapples with the philosophical idea that there is “nothing new under the sun,” questioning whether anything, including the beloved’s beauty, can truly be original if history simply repeats itself. The speaker wonders if his efforts to praise the beloved are merely echoing words used for past beauties. He wishes he could see records from 500 years ago to compare perceptions of beauty and determine if the present age (or the beloved) is an improvement upon the past.

The sonnet expresses a desire to place the beloved’s beauty in a historical context, to see how people in the past would have reacted to such “composed wonder.” The speaker ponders whether humanity has “mended” (improved) in its ability to appreciate beauty or if history’s “revolution” (cycle) is unchanging. The volta occurs in the couplet, where the speaker asserts his conviction. He is certain that the great minds (“wits”) of the past, limited by their time, have only praised “subjects worse” than his beloved. This reasserts the beloved’s unique and incomparable beauty, challenging the initial premise that nothing is new. The poem uses the sonnet form to move from a philosophical musing to a personal declaration of the beloved’s exceptionalism.

5. “Not Marble Nor the Gilded Monuments” by William Shakespeare (Sonnet 55)

Not marble nor the gilded monuments
Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme,
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone besmeared with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
’Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the Judgement that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes.

This sonnet directly addresses the theme of permanence and the ability of art to defy the destructive forces of time, war, and decay. It contrasts the physical monuments built by humans – “marble,” “gilded monuments,” “statues,” “work of masonry” – with the enduring power of the speaker’s poetry (“this powerful rhyme”). The speaker argues that his verse will outlast these physical structures, which will be destroyed by time (“sluttish time”) and conflict (“wasteful war,” “broils,” “Mars his sword,” “war’s quick fire”).

The central assertion is that the beloved (“you”) will achieve a greater, more lasting fame through the poem than through any physical monument. The poem serves as a “living record” of the beloved’s memory, immune to the destruction that affects the material world. The volta emphasizes this endurance; despite “death and all-oblivious enmity,” the beloved’s praise will continue to exist (“find room”) in the eyes of future generations (“posterity”). The final couplet promises that the beloved will live on in the poem and in the minds of those who read it (“dwell in lovers’ eyes”), effectively granting them immortality until the end of time (“ending doom,” “Judgement”). This is a powerful statement on the poet’s belief in the lasting legacy of his art and the person it commemorates.

Examples of Other Sonnet Forms

While Shakespearean sonnets are perhaps the most well-known, other forms offer different structural and thematic possibilities. Let’s look at examples of Petrarchan, Spenserian, Miltonic, and modern sonnets.

6. “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Sonnet 43 from Sonnets from the Portuguese) (Petrarchan Sonnet)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

This is one of the most famous love poems in English literature and a prime example of a sonnet in the Petrarchan (or Italian) form. The Petrarchan sonnet is divided into an octave (the first eight lines, rhyming ABBAABBA) and a sestet (the final six lines, often rhyming CDECDE, CDCDCD, or CDCEDC). The volta typically occurs between the octave and the sestet.

Barrett Browning’s sonnet begins with a direct question and a promise to quantify the speaker’s love. The octave lists the vastness and intensity of her love, describing its reach (“depth and breadth and height”) and its presence in everyday life (“every day’s / Most quiet need”). She emphasizes the unconditional nature of her love (“freely,” “purely”).

The volta at the start of the sestet shifts the perspective slightly, drawing comparisons from her past experiences to express the depth of her present love. She loves with the same intensity she applied to past sorrows and with the unwavering certainty of childhood faith. She even compares her love to a religious devotion she thought she had lost. The poem concludes with a declaration that her love is intertwined with her very being (“breath, / Smiles, tears, of all my life”) and will endure even beyond death, perhaps growing stronger in the afterlife. It’s a profound exploration of love’s comprehensive and eternal nature.

7. “Sonnet 75” from Edmund Spenser’s Amoretti (Spenserian Sonnet)

One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I write it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay,
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
Not so, (quod I) let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse, your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.

Edmund Spenser developed his own variation of the sonnet, the Spenserian form, which uses a linked rhyme scheme: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. Like the Shakespearean sonnet, it has three quatrains and a couplet, but the interlocking rhymes create a stronger sense of continuity between the quatrains.

This sonnet presents a dialogue between the poet and his beloved about the transient nature of earthly things and the possibility of achieving immortality through verse. In the first quatrain, the poet tries to write his beloved’s name in the sand (“upon the strand”), only for the waves to repeatedly wash it away, symbolizing the fleeting nature of physical existence.

In the second quatrain, the beloved responds, calling the poet “Vain man” for attempting to immortalize something mortal (her). She accepts that she, like her name in the sand, will eventually decay and be forgotten. The volta or turn happens subtly around line 9 as the poet refutes her claim. He asserts that while “baser things” may die in dust, she will live through “fame” bestowed by his poetry. His verses will “eternize” her rare virtues and metaphorically “write your glorious name” not in the sand, but “in the heavens.” The concluding couplet emphasizes that when death conquers the physical world, their love, preserved in the poem, will “live” and be renewed in the eyes of future generations. This sonnet, like Shakespeare’s Sonnet 55, champions the power of poetry over physical decay.

8. “When I Consider How My Light is Spent” by John Milton (Miltonic Sonnet)

When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent

To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide;
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state

Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.”

John Milton adapted the Petrarchan sonnet, creating what is now known as the Miltonic sonnet. While it retains the octave-sestet structure and ABBAABBA rhyme scheme of the octave, Milton often carries the thought or sentence structure across the line breaks and the division between octave and sestet (enjambment), making the turn less pronounced and the poem feel more like a single, continuous block of thought.

This sonnet, sometimes titled “On His Blindness,” reflects on Milton’s loss of sight (“how my light is spent”) relatively early in his life (“Ere half my days”). He worries about his inability to use his great talent (a reference to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, where a servant is rebuked for burying his gift instead of using it) to serve God, despite his soul’s strong desire to do so. He questions whether God requires active work (“day-labour”) from someone deprived of the ‘light’ needed to perform it.

Woman with a blindfold, relating to the themes of sight and blindness in Milton's sonnet

The volta occurs subtly in the middle of line 8, where “patience” personified, provides the answer. Patience reassures the speaker that God doesn’t need human works or gifts. The best service comes from those who humbly accept God’s will (“Bear his mild yoke”). The final lines offer a powerful resolution: God has countless servants actively working (“Thousands at his bidding speed”), but those who passively trust and wait for God’s direction (“They also serve who only stand and wait”) are equally valuable. The sonnet moves from personal anxiety about serving God despite disability to a broader theological reflection on the nature of service and acceptance.

9. “What My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why” by Edna St. Vincent Millay (Petrarchan Sonnet)

What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Upon the glass and listen for reply,
And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry.

Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,
Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
A little while, that in me sings no more.

Edna St. Vincent Millay, a prominent American poet, often used traditional forms like the sonnet to explore modern themes and express a distinctly female perspective. This Petrarchan sonnet reflects on past loves and the feeling of loss that comes with time.

The octave presents a speaker who has forgotten the specific details of past romantic encounters – the faces, places, and reasons for kissing or embracing (“What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why, / I have forgotten”). However, this forgetting does not mean the past is gone. The rain outside evokes “ghosts” of these forgotten lovers, stirring a “quiet pain” for the “unremembered lads.” The past, though blurry in detail, leaves an emotional trace.

The volta introduces a powerful simile: “Thus in winter stands the lonely tree…” The tree in winter has lost its birds, symbolizing the speaker’s lost loves. Like the tree, she may not remember each bird/lover individually, but she feels their absence in the silence (“knows its boughs more silent than before”). The sestet reinforces this feeling of intangible loss. She doesn’t recall the individual “loves,” but she remembers the feeling they brought – a fleeting period when “summer sang in me.” Now, that feeling “sings no more.” The sonnet captures the bittersweet nostalgia of looking back on a life filled with passion, where the specific memories fade, but the sense of vibrant life having passed remains.

10. “Sonnet” by Billy Collins (Modern Sonnet)

All we need is fourteen lines, well, thirteen now,
and after this next one just a dozen
to launch a little ship on love's storm-tossed seas,
then only ten more left like rows of beans.
How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethan
and insist the iambic bongos must be played
and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,
one for every station of the cross.
But hang on here while we make the turn
into the final six where all will be resolved,
where longing and heartache will find an end,
where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen,
take off those crazy medieval tights,
blow out the lights, and come at last to bed.

Billy Collins, a contemporary American poet, often employs wit and accessibility in his work, frequently engaging directly with poetic forms. This poem is a meta-commentary on the sonnet form itself, serving as a playful yet insightful modern example of a sonnet. While it loosely adheres to the 14-line structure, it takes liberties with meter and rhyme, reflecting a modern approach.

The speaker addresses the process of writing a sonnet, counting down the lines needed. He humorously contrasts the apparent simplicity of having “fourteen lines” with the strict demands of traditional forms, particularly the “Elizabethan” (Shakespearean) sonnet with its “iambic bongos” (iambic pentameter) and strict rhymes. He exaggerates the difficulty of adhering to the rules (“one for every station of the cross”).

The volta explicitly announces the turn: “But hang on here while we make the turn / into the final six where all will be resolved.” This self-aware moment highlights the structural element of the sestet’s resolution. The poem then comically envisions a modern resolution to the traditional sonnet’s themes of unattainable love (like Petrarch’s longing for Laura), suggesting a simple, physical conclusion – Laura telling Petrarch to abandon his poetic pursuits and join her in bed. This playful ending mocks the elevated, sometimes overly serious conventions of traditional love sonnets, making the form feel more relatable and less intimidating. It shows that even in a modern context, poets can engage with and reinterpret historical forms.

Resources for Further Exploration

Delving into these example of a sonnet is just the beginning. The world of sonnets is vast and rich. Here are a few resources that can help you continue your exploration and deepen your understanding:

• The Poetry Foundation: An excellent online resource offering a vast collection of poems, including countless sonnets, along with poet biographies, articles, and glossary terms. Searching for “sonnet” here will yield a wealth of material.
• Shakespeare’s Sonnets (Online): Websites dedicated specifically to Shakespeare’s sonnets often provide the full text alongside detailed line-by-line analyses and historical context, which can be invaluable for unpacking their meaning.
• The Making of A Sonnet: A Norton Anthology: A comprehensive anthology tracing the history and evolution of the sonnet form through a wide range of examples and critical essays.
• Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins On Your Favorite Songs: A fun and accessible book that reimagines popular song lyrics as Shakespearean sonnets, demonstrating the adaptability of the form.
• Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Retold: A book that translates Shakespeare’s sonnets into modern English while attempting to retain the original rhythm and rhyme, making them more accessible to contemporary readers.

These resources offer diverse ways to engage with sonnets, from scholarly analysis to playful reinterpretations, proving the form’s continued relevance.

Conclusion

Exploring different example of a sonnet reveals the enduring power and adaptability of this fourteen-line structure. From the intricate arguments of Shakespeare and Spenser to the heartfelt declarations of Barrett Browning and Millay, and the meta-commentary of Billy Collins, sonnets provide a concentrated space for poets to explore the human condition.

Analyzing these examples helps us appreciate how rhyme, meter, structure (like the octave/sestet or quatrain/couplet divisions), and the crucial volta work together to shape meaning and emotional impact. Whether challenging conventions or upholding them, each example of a sonnet offers a unique glimpse into the poet’s mind and the cultural context of their time. By studying these works, we not only enhance our understanding of poetry but also gain deeper insights into the universal themes that connect us across centuries. Continuing to read and reflect on sonnets will undoubtedly enrich your appreciation for the art of poetry.