How to Make a Sonnet: A Guide to the Shakespearean Form

The sonnet stands as one of the most enduring and revered forms in the history of form poetry. With its strict rules and compact structure, it presents a unique challenge and reward for poets. Learning how to make a sonnet, specifically in the Shakespearean style, involves mastering its specific length, meter, and rhyme scheme, alongside understanding its traditional argumentative flow. This guide will break down the essential elements you need to command to craft your own fourteen-line masterpiece.

Understanding the Core Requirements of a Sonnet

At its heart, a sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter. While there are variations (most notably the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet and the Spenserian sonnet), the Shakespearean sonnet is perhaps the most widely recognized and attempted form in poetry English language. To write one successfully, you must adhere to several key requirements:

1. Length: Exactly fourteen lines. No more, no less.
2. Meter: Written in iambic pentameter. This is a rhythmic pattern where each line contains ten syllables, alternating between unstressed and stressed beats (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM). Think of the natural rhythm of a heartbeat or simple phrases like “I SHALL not FAIL to WRITE this LINE.”
3. Rhyme Scheme: Follows a specific pattern depending on the sonnet type. The Shakespearean scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
4. Structure: Typically broken down into sections based on rhyme and theme. The Shakespearean sonnet comprises three quatrains (four-line stanzas) followed by a final couplet (two rhyming lines).
5. Argumentative Flow: Often develops a theme or explores a question or idea, building intensity or complexity through the quatrains and resolving or turning in the final couplet.

Mastering the Shakespearean Structure and Rhyme Scheme

The structure of the Shakespearean sonnet is intrinsically linked to its rhyme scheme (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG). The first twelve lines are grouped into three quatrains, each with its own independent rhyme scheme.

• First Quatrain (ABAB): The first line rhymes with the third, and the second line rhymes with the fourth. This section often introduces the main theme or metaphor of the poem.
• Second Quatrain (CDCD): Similar to the first, the fifth line rhymes with the seventh, and the sixth line rhymes with the eighth. This quatrain typically develops, complicates, or provides an example related to the theme established in the first quatrain.
• Third Quatrain (EFEF): The ninth line rhymes with the eleventh, and the tenth line rhymes with the twelfth. This is where the sonnet often experiences a “turn” or volta—a shift in thought or argument, frequently introduced by words like “but,” “yet,” or “however.” This turn redirects the poem towards its conclusion.
• The Final Couplet (GG): The last two lines rhyme with each other. This couplet provides a concise summary, a resolution, a final thought, or sometimes an unexpected twist on the preceding twelve lines.

example-shakespearean-sonnet
Understanding this structure is crucial not just for rhyme but for building the sonnet’s thematic progression.

The Sonnet’s Narrative Arc: Building the Argument

Beyond the technical rules of meter and rhyme, a compelling sonnet tells a story or develops an argument. The journey from the first line to the last in a Shakespearean sonnet often follows a predictable, yet powerful, trajectory:

• Quatrain 1: Exposition: Introduce the subject and establish the central metaphor or idea.
• Quatrain 2: Complication/Extension: Expand on the initial idea, perhaps introducing a related image, a counter-argument, or a more detailed example. The theme is developed further.
• Quatrain 3: The Turn (Volta): Shift the perspective, introduce a contrast, a solution, or a consequence. This is the pivot point of the sonnet.
• Couplet: Resolution/Summary: Provide a concluding statement, a final insight, or a summarizing thought that leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

This arc allows the poet to explore a subject in depth within a concise space, building tension or layering meaning before arriving at a pointed conclusion.

Sonnet 18: A Classic Example Analyzed

To see these elements in action, let’s examine one of the most famous sonnets by one of the most famous authors of poetry, William Shakespeare’s 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 dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,
Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Let’s dissect how this sonnet embodies the structure and argumentative flow:

• Quatrain 1: Introduces the central question: should the beloved be compared to a summer’s day? It immediately establishes the beloved’s superiority and notes summer’s transience (wind, short date). (ABAB: day/May, temperate/date)
• Quatrain 2: Expands on summer’s imperfections. Even the sun (‘eye of heaven’) can be too hot or dimmed, and all beautiful things lose their beauty over time. (CDCD: shines/declines, dimmed/untrimmed)
• Quatrain 3: The volta arrives powerfully with “But.” Unlike fleeting summer or fading beauty, the beloved’s ‘eternal summer’ will not fade. Death will not claim them. (EFEF: fade/shade, owest/growest)
• Couplet: Provides the resolution. How will the beloved achieve this immortality? Through the power of the poem itself. As long as people read, the beloved lives on. (GG: see/thee)

This analysis shows how Shakespeare masterfully uses each section to build his case, moving from an initial comparison to a declaration of eternal life through verse.

Crafting a sonnet requires patience and practice. It forces you to refine your ideas, choose your words with precision, and manipulate rhythm and rhyme to serve your message. While challenging, successfully writing a sonnet connects you to a rich poetic tradition and sharpens your skills in conciseness, structure, and metaphorical thinking. Give it a try – the journey of making a sonnet is a rewarding one.