Famous Sonnet Examples and How to Understand Them

Sonnets are one of the most enduring and significant forms in the history of poetry. You’ve likely encountered them in literature classes, recognizing their distinctive 14-line structure. While their form is specific, understanding their meaning can sometimes feel challenging. The good news is that appreciating poetry is a skill that grows with practice and guidance.

This article is designed to help you unlock the beauty and complexity of sonnets. We’ve curated a list of influential and widely studied sonnet examples, providing insights into their themes, structure, and impact. By exploring these famous works alongside expert commentary, you can deepen your understanding and hone your own analytical abilities.

We will cover:

• A clear definition of what constitutes a sonnet.
• Detailed analysis of ten prominent sonnet examples across different types and eras.
• Recommendations for resources to continue your exploration of sonnets.

Let’s dive in and explore some remarkable sonnet examples!

What Defines a Sonnet?

A sonnet is a lyric poem consisting of 14 lines, typically written in iambic pentameter and following a specific rhyme scheme. The term “sonnet” originates from the Italian word sonetto, meaning “little song.” True to their name, sonnets often possess a musical quality when read aloud, thanks to their rhythmic structure and rhyme patterns.

The development of the sonnet in Italy and England led to different variations in rhyme schemes, thematic conventions, and structure. However, all sonnets share fundamental characteristics:

• 14 lines: This is the defining feature of the form.
• A particular rhyme scheme: The pattern varies depending on the type of sonnet (e.g., Shakespearean, Petrarchan).
• Iambic pentameter: A metrical pattern consisting of ten syllables per line, alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM).

While these are the core elements, exploring different types of sonnets reveals fascinating variations within the form. Understanding these foundational elements is key to appreciating the structure and flow of various sonnet examples.

Decorative graphic showing the number 10, introducing a list of ten famous sonnet examples.

The 10 Most Famous Sonnet Examples, Explained

To truly grasp the essence of the sonnet, examining celebrated sonnet examples is essential. We’ve selected ten widely recognized sonnets, analyzing each one to highlight its key features, themes, and literary devices. This selection includes notable Shakespearean sonnet examples, as well as examples of Petrarchan, Spenserian, Miltonic, and modern sonnets, showcasing the form’s evolution.

Remember that literary interpretation can be subjective. Our analyses offer a starting point; feel free to engage with these sonnet examples and develop your own perspectives.

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

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 is one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnet examples, and it stands out from many traditional love sonnets of the Elizabethan era. Instead of idealizing his beloved using conventional poetic comparisons, the speaker deliberately undermines them. He states that her eyes are not like the sun, her lips are not as red as coral, her breasts are not white as snow, and her hair is like “black wires.” He finds more delight in certain perfumes than in her breath and admits music sounds better than her voice. She walks on the ground, not like a goddess gliding.

The volta, or turn in thought, occurs dramatically in the final couplet, introduced by “And yet.” Despite all the ways his mistress fails to live up to idealized standards of beauty, the speaker declares his love is “as rare / As any she belied with false compare.” This shift reveals the true purpose of the poem: it’s less about the mistress’s actual appearance and more a playful satire of the exaggerated, often unrealistic comparisons used in love poetry of the time. By presenting a more grounded, realistic image of his beloved, Shakespeare champions a genuine, imperfect love over an idealized, artificial one. This sonnet example brilliantly subverts poetic convention to make a point about authentic affection.

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

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.

Unlike the previous sonnet example, Sonnet 18 employs the traditional technique of comparing the beloved to aspects of nature, specifically a summer day. However, the speaker quickly asserts that the beloved is “more lovely and more temperate.” The first two quatrains highlight the flaws and fleeting nature of summer: it can be rough, too short, too hot, sometimes dim, and its beauty (“every fair”) inevitably fades due to chance or nature.

The volta arrives in the third quatrain with the powerful “But.” The speaker declares that the beloved’s “eternal summer shall not fade.” This eternal quality is not necessarily literal; the poem’s genius lies in revealing the source of this immortality. The beloved will live forever, not through physical endurance, but through the “eternal lines” of the poem itself.

The concluding couplet reinforces this idea: “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” The poem grants eternal life and beauty to the subject as long as the poem is read. This sonnet example explores themes of beauty, time, mortality, and the enduring power of art to preserve memory and essence. It’s a classic testament to the poet’s belief in the immortality of their verse.

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

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 Shakespearean sonnet, often addressed to the “Fair Youth” figure found in many of Shakespeare’s sonnets, meditates on the theme of aging and mortality using a series of evocative metaphors. Each of the three quatrains presents a different image of decline, marked by the recurring phrase “In me thou see’st.”

The first quatrain compares the speaker’s state to late autumn or early winter: branches with few or no yellow leaves, shaking in the cold, like ruined choirs where birds no longer sing. The second quatrain uses the metaphor of twilight fading into night, which is personified as “Death’s second self,” bringing rest. The third quatrain compares the speaker to a dying fire, glowing weakly on the ashes of its youth, consumed by the very fuel that once nourished it.

The volta shifts the focus in the final couplet. The speaker asserts that the addressee perceives these signs of aging, and this perception paradoxically strengthens their love. Knowing that the speaker is approaching death makes the beloved’s love “more strong, / To love that well which thou must leave ere long.” This sonnet example connects human aging to natural cycles, suggesting that decline is an inevitable part of life. It prompts reflection on how the awareness of mortality can deepen appreciation for life and relationships.

A beautiful sunset over trees, illustrating natural cycles referenced in classic sonnet examples.

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

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 is another from Shakespeare’s Fair Youth sequence and delves into a philosophical question: is anything truly new, or has everything that exists “been before”? The speaker feels his mind is “beguil’d” as it struggles to find new ways to praise the beloved, perhaps repeating praises already bestowed upon others in the past.

He wishes he could look back through history (“five hundred courses of the sun”) to see if the beloved’s image or essence existed before and how they were described in “some antique book.” He wants to compare the way people perceived beauty and worth in the past (“the old world”) to the “composed wonder” of the beloved, questioning whether the present is an improvement on the past (“whether we are mended, or whe’r better they”) or if history simply repeats itself (“whether revolution be the same”).

The volta in the final couplet offers a definitive answer to the speaker’s contemplation. Despite the cyclical view of history, he is certain (“O! sure I am”) that even the most skilled writers of the past (“wits of former days”) lavished praise on subjects far less worthy (“worse”) than the beloved. This sonnet example ultimately asserts the unparalleled uniqueness and excellence of the beloved, triumphing over the philosophical doubt about novelty.

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

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.

Another prominent sonnet example from the Fair Youth sequence, this poem directly addresses the theme of time’s passage and the power of poetry to grant immortality. The speaker contrasts perishable human-made structures like “marble” and “gilded monuments” (symbols of power and wealth) with the enduring nature of his “powerful rhyme” – his poem.

He argues that the beloved (“you”) will outlast these physical monuments, shining brighter in the poem’s lines than neglected stone eroded by time. Even destructive forces like “wasteful war” and conflict (“broils”) which can topple statues and masonry, cannot destroy the “living record” of the beloved’s memory preserved in the poem.

The volta emphasizes the triumph over decay and oblivion. Against death and “all-oblivious enmity” (forces that cause forgetting), the beloved’s praise will continue to exist (“find room”) in the eyes of future generations (“posterity”) until the end of the world. The concluding couplet acts as a powerful affirmation: until the final judgment, the beloved will “live in this,” referring to the poem itself, and “dwell in lovers’ eyes,” kept alive by the love and remembrance inspired by the verse. This sonnet example is a bold declaration of poetry’s capacity to transcend mortality and the physical world.

6. “How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Petrarchan/Italian 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.

Moving beyond Shakespearean sonnet examples, we encounter this famous Petrarchan sonnet by Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Published in her collection Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850), this poem stands out for offering a female perspective on profound love, addressing her husband-to-be, Robert Browning.

The first eight lines (the octave) pose the central question: “How do I love thee?” The speaker then proceeds to enumerate the myriad ways she loves, exploring vast, almost spiritual dimensions (“depth and breadth and height / My soul can reach”), everyday necessity (“every day’s / Most quiet need”), and moral and pure motivations (“freely, as men strive for right… purely, as they turn from praise”).

The volta shifts the focus in the final six lines (the sestet), moving from the present scope of her love to its roots in her past experiences. She loves with a passion previously channeled into grief, with the simplicity and intensity of childhood faith, and with a spiritual devotion previously directed towards “lost saints.” The poem culminates by encompassing her entire being (“the breath, / Smiles, tears, of all my life”) and extending her love beyond mortality, expressing hope to love “better after death.” This sonnet example is a powerful and deeply personal expression of all-encompassing, eternal love.

7. “Sonnet 75” from Amoretti by Edmund Spenser (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.

This Spenserian sonnet, from Edmund Spenser’s 1595 sequence Amoretti, shares a thematic connection with Shakespeare’s Sonnet 55, exploring the idea of immortalizing the beloved through poetry. The poem begins with the speaker’s futile attempt to write his beloved’s name on the seashore (“strand”), only for the waves to wash it away repeatedly.

In the second quatrain, the beloved responds, labeling the speaker’s efforts “Vain man” for trying to make a mortal thing (“A mortal thing so to immortalize”) permanent. She acknowledges her own mortality, stating she will “decay” just as her name is erased from the sand.

The volta marks the speaker’s rebuttal in the third quatrain. He counters that while “baser things” may succumb to dust, the beloved will achieve immortality through “fame” granted by his verse. His poetry, he claims, will “eternize” her virtues and write her name “in the heavens.” The concluding couplet reinforces this promise: even when death conquers the world, their love will survive and “later life renew,” specifically through the enduring power of the poem itself. This sonnet example highlights the poet’s belief in the transcendental power of art over physical decay.

Abstract image of a person blindfolded, relating to themes of vision and perception in notable sonnet examples.

8. “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent” (Sonnet 19) 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.”

This Miltonic sonnet by John Milton, often titled “On His Blindness,” reflects on the poet’s premature loss of sight (“how my light is spent”) before he reached middle age. In the octave, Milton expresses concern that his most valuable gift or ability (“that one Talent”), likely his poetic skill, is now useless to him because of his blindness. He feels frustrated that his soul is willing (“more bent”) to serve God with this talent but is hindered, fearing God might rebuke him for not using his abilities, referencing the Parable of the Talents from the Gospel of Matthew.

The volta in the sestet brings a shift in perspective, presented as the voice of “Patience.” This personified virtue intervenes to answer the speaker’s anxious question (“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”). Patience offers reassurance, stating that God does not require specific “day-labour” or even the return of his gifts in a conventional sense. Instead, those who “best / Bear his mild yoke” serve him best, meaning those who humbly accept God’s will and burdens.

The poem concludes with Patience describing God’s majestic, “Kingly” state, served by countless beings who actively work (“Thousands at his bidding speed”). However, it adds the crucial line, “They also serve who only stand and wait.” This powerful conclusion suggests that passive acceptance and faithful endurance in the face of hardship, such as blindness, are equally valid forms of service to God. This sonnet example explores themes of faith, duty, suffering, and the various ways one can fulfill their purpose in the eyes of the divine.

9. “What My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why” by Edna St. Vincent Millay (Petrarchan/Italian 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, an acclaimed American poet of the early 20th century, offers this Petrarchan sonnet reflecting on past loves. The octave focuses on the speaker’s admission that she has forgotten the specifics of past romantic encounters – the identities of lovers, where and why they kissed, whose arms held her. However, this forgetfulness doesn’t erase the emotional residue. The sound of rain evokes “ghosts” of these past experiences, and her heart feels “a quiet pain” for these “unremembered lads.”

The volta transitions into the sestet, where the speaker uses the metaphor of a tree in winter to illustrate her current state. The tree doesn’t consciously “know” which birds have left, but it senses the absence – its branches are “more silent than before.” Similarly, the speaker cannot recall the details of her past relationships but feels the emptiness left behind.

The concluding lines summarize her experience: she cannot name the loves that have passed, but she knows that “summer sang in me / A little while,” referring to a period of passion, joy, or vitality associated with those relationships. The final poignant line, “that in me sings no more,” emphasizes the loss of that feeling. This sonnet example is a modern take on the theme of lost love, focusing not on the lost individuals themselves but on the vanished feeling and vitality they represented for the speaker.

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.

Our final sonnet example is a contemporary piece by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, published in 1999. This poem is meta—it’s a sonnet about writing a sonnet and reflecting on the form’s conventions. Collins humorously counts down the lines (“fourteen lines, well, thirteen now”), likening the process to launching a small ship or counting “rows of beans.”

He contrasts the apparent ease of writing a sonnet with the strict demands of the “Elizabethan” style, playfully referring to iambic pentameter as “iambic bongos” and mandatory end rhymes (“one for every station of the cross”).

The volta is explicitly announced (“But hang on here while we make the turn / into the final six”). Collins describes the sestet as the place “where all will be resolved,” mentioning typical sonnet themes like “longing and heartache.” He then humorously breaks from tradition, imagining Petrarch’s idealized beloved, Laura, urging him to abandon his poetic efforts (“put down his pen”), shed his historical attire (“crazy medieval tights”), and embrace reality. This whimsical ending subverts the typical sonnet resolution, bringing the focus from elevated themes to a more mundane, humorous closure. This sonnet example is a witty exploration of the sonnet form itself, demystifying its rules and traditions for a modern audience while showcasing the possibility of playful innovation within the structure.

Resources for Further Exploration of Sonnet Examples

Sonnets are a rich and vast subject, and the sonnet examples discussed here are just a starting point. If you’re interested in learning more, here are some valuable resources:

Poetry Foundation logo, representing a key online resource for exploring various sonnet examples and analysis.

The Poetry Foundation

The Poetry Foundation’s website is an extensive, free online database and resource for all things poetry. You can find countless sonnet examples by searching for the term “sonnet” or specific poets. The site offers poem texts, biographical information, articles, essays, and even audio recordings. It’s an excellent place for self-directed exploration of various sonnet examples and their historical context.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets

This dedicated website focuses specifically on William Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. It provides the full text of each sonnet alongside line-by-line commentary and analysis. It also includes information on other Elizabethan poets who wrote sonnet examples. If you want a deep dive into Shakespeare’s works or that specific era, this site is a focused and structured resource.

The Making of A Sonnet: A Norton Anthology

Norton Anthologies are well-regarded for their comprehensive coverage. This particular anthology traces the history and evolution of the sonnet over five centuries, featuring 300 sonnet examples and critical essays. It’s a substantial resource suitable for serious study and provides broad historical context for the form.

Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins On Your Favorite Songs

For a fun and accessible approach, this book reimagines popular song lyrics as Shakespearean sonnet examples. It’s a creative blend of traditional form and modern culture, demonstrating the sonnet’s adaptability and timeless appeal. This resource can be particularly engaging for students or anyone looking for a lighthearted entry point into understanding sonnets.

Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Retold

This book offers modern English translations of Shakespeare’s complete sonnet sequence. It aims to make the language accessible to contemporary readers while retaining the original rhythm and rhyme schemes. If you find the original Elizabethan language challenging but want to experience the flow and structure of Shakespeare’s sonnet examples firsthand, this can be a helpful tool.

Graphic with question marks, signaling the concluding thoughts on understanding and appreciating sonnet examples.

Continuing Your Journey with Sonnets

Exploring these sonnet examples provides a solid foundation for understanding this important poetic form. You’ve seen how poets across centuries have used the 14-line structure to explore universal themes like love, time, mortality, and art itself.

To further your poetry analysis skills, consider familiarizing yourself with common literary devices such as imagery, metaphor, personification, and assonance. Understanding these tools will help you uncover deeper layers of meaning in any poem you read, including complex sonnet examples. Analyzing how other readers interpret poems, as seen in our examples, is also a valuable practice.

Engaging with poetry is a journey of discovery. We encourage you to reread these sonnet examples, explore others, and perhaps even try your hand at writing your own. The more you read and interact with sonnets, the more their beauty and craft will reveal themselves.