Shakespearean sonnets, or Elizabethan or English sonnets, are a form of verse popularized by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan era. These sonnets consist of 14 lines written in iambic pentameter. The structure is divided into three quatrains (4-line stanzas) followed by a rhymed couplet (2-line stanza).
The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFEFGG. Shakespearean sonnets are celebrated for their eloquence, emotional depth, and profound exploration of themes such as love, beauty, mortality, and the complexities of human emotions.
The closing couplet often serves as a poignant resolution or a twist that provides a new perspective on the preceding quatrains. Shakespeare’s collection of 154 sonnets remains a masterpiece of English poetry and significantly influences subsequent generations of poets.
Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 18’ praises timeless beauty, rooted in virtues that endure beyond the fleeting beauty of the youth.
The Shakespearean sonnet is a form of poetry that consists of three quatrains and a concluding couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. 'Sonnet 18' is a classic example of the form and reflects Shakespeare's mastery of the sonnet tradition. The Shakespearean sonnet was a popular form of poetry in the 16th century and remains a staple of English literature today, valued for its elegance, concision, and emotional intensity.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 1, ‘From fairest creatures we desire increase,’ appeals to the Fair Youth to procreate and preserve his beauty.
'Sonnet 1' bears the traditional characteristics of the English or Shakespearean sonnet. It consists of fourteen lines written in iambic pentameter following the rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The poem is divided into three quatrains (four-line stanzas) followed by a final rhymed couplet (two-line stanza). Interestingly, 'Sonnet 1' bears the shift in content challenging traditional gender expectations of poetry, where women were often the subjects of admiration and beauty.
Sonnet 73, ‘That time of year thou mayst in me behold’, explores love’s resilience in the face of human transience.
'Sonnet 73' is one of the most significant of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, which are the most famous works to be written in English Sonnet form, changing its name to Shakespearean sonnet. This sonnet's profound expression contributed to popularizing the Shakespearean sonnet form consisting of three quatrains and a final couplet in the end, written in iambic pentameter with ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme.
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 ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
Sonnet 12, ‘When I do count the clock that tells the time,’ explores the impact of time on beauty and the potential for immortality.
'Sonnet 12' is written as an English or Shakespearean sonnet with fourteen lines split into three quatrains and a couplet employing alternate rhymes and iambic pentameter. The sonnet is replete with nature imagery complemented by rhyme, rhythm, and iambs. Moreover, 'Sonnet 12' is structurally positioned in the sequence of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets at number 12, likely symbolizing 12 hours of the clock.
Sonnet 130, ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,’ satirizes and subverts traditional love poetry, presenting a new perspective.
'Sonnet 131' is written as a Shakespearean or English sonnet. It follows the pattern of fourteen lines arranged in three quatrains with alternate rhymes and a final couplet employing iambic pentameter. Shakespeare also uses trochee between iambs, making the sonnet flow effortlessly sans any obtrusion. It harbors an unconventional, profound expression of love in the form of content.
In ‘Sonnet 129,’ William Shakespeare describes the nature of lust and its effect on an individual’s mind and spirit.
Shakespeare's ‘Th’ expense of spirit in a waste of shame’ is one of the “Dark Lady” sonnets (127-152). This sonnet is about the harm of having lustful thoughts and the way it starts an inescapable chain of events.
Sonnet 138, ‘When my love swears that she is made of truth,’ explores the complex dynamics of love, deception, and trust in a relationship.
'Sonnet 138' is part of Shakespeare's original works wherein he popularized the English Sonnet form, now widely known as Shakespearean sonnet. Likewise, it bears the characteristic rigid structure of fourteen lines, iambic pentameter, and an ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme with three rhyming quatrains (first twelve lines) and one rhyming couplet (last two lines).
‘Sonnet 131,’ also known as ‘Thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art,’ is a poem about how the Dark Lady’s beauty moves the speaker. He knows she’s untraditionally beautiful but he doesn’t care!
‘Sonnet 131’ belongs to Shakespeare’s Dark Lady sequence which encompasses sonnets 127 to 152. Thematically similar and addressed to the Dark Lady, ‘Sonnet 131’ is about the tyranny of love. Besides, it also sheds light on how society views women and judges those who are not as beautiful as they expect them to be.
Keats’ ‘When I Have Fears that I May Cease to Be’ contemplates existential fears concerning mortality and how they thwart aspirations.
This sonnet follows the structure of a Shakespearean Sonnet (also known as an Elizabethan or English Sonnet), which consists of fourteen lines following iambic pentameter, with each line consisting of ten syllables and following a pattern of unstressed-stressed syllables and a rhyme scheme—ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Lines can be divided into three quatrains, followed by a final couplet. Additionally, the volta, or the thematic shift, occurs slightly earlier than usual in line 12, where the speaker resolves the beginning 'when' of the poem with a 'then.'
Sonnet 116: ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’ by William Shakespeare is easily one of the most recognizable sonnets of all time. It explores the nature of love and what “true love” is.
This poem is a classic example of the Shakespearean sonnet, following a strict rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter. This form allows for a concise and impactful exploration of love's nature, culminating in a definitive couplet.
Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 14’ ‘Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck,’ prophesies the end of the fair youth’s truth and beauty if they don’t procreate.
Like all other Shakespearean sonnets, 'Sonnet 14' also follows the form called Shakespearean Sonnet or English Sonnet. It features iambic pentameter, i.e., five iambs following a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables and a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Although it is similar to Shakespearean sonnets, providing the final resolution in the last couplet, i.e., the foreboding prophecy of the speaker here, it is somewhat similar to the Petrarchan sonnets, too, where the volta or turning point occurs in sestet (last six lines) as after rejecting the astrology in the Octave (first eight lines) the speaker introduces the addressee's eyes and death in the sestet.
‘Sonnet 150,’ also known as ‘O! from what power hast thou this powerful might,’ explores the ways the Dark Lady controls Shakespeare’s speaker. She makes him love her even though she’s cruel to him
This poem follows the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet, consisting of fourteen lines divided into three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet. This arrangement allows the speaker to explore his emotions in stages, revealing his struggle with unreturned love. The rhyme scheme, ABABCDCDEFEFGG, and the steady rhythm of iambic pentameter create a musical flow, helping the speaker express his emotional turmoil and deep attachment in a restrained yet powerful way.
O! from what power hast thou this powerful might, With insufficiency my heart to sway? To make me give the lie to my true sight, And swear that brightness doth not grace the day?
Read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 21, ‘So is it not with me as with that muse,’ with a summary and complete analysis of the poem.
This poem is a Shakespearean sonnet, which means it has fourteen lines and follows a clear rhyme pattern. It is divided into three four-line sections, called quatrains, and ends with a two-line conclusion, called a couplet. Each line has ten syllables and follows a natural rhythm that sounds smooth and steady. This structure helps the speaker express his thoughts clearly and build up to a strong final statement.
Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 30’ describes the speaker’s most depressed state and what finally lifts him out, relieving his sorrows.
'Sonnet 30' adheres to the traditional structure of a Shakespearean sonnet, comprising fourteen lines (three quatrains and a couplet) written in iambic pentameter with ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. The three quatrains present different facets of the speaker's sorrows, setbacks, and regrets, offering a gradual buildup of emotion and intensity. The volta, occurring between lines 12 and 13, or in the couplet, marks a crucial turning point where the speaker finds relief.
In Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 106,’ ‘When in the chronicle of wasted time,’ the speaker exalts the Fair Youth’s beauty to quasi-divine status unmatched in history.
Adhering to the form of Shakespearean Sonnet, also known as English Sonnet, 'Sonnet 106' features a total of fourteen lines across three quatrains and a final couplet, consistently following iambic pentameter and ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. Notably, here, like a classic Petrarchan Sonnet, the volta occurs at line 9 when the speaker reveals that ancient poetry is prophesying the Fair Youth, shifting the focus from the ancient poets. Moreover, like a typical English Sonnet, another shift occurs in the last couplet, offering a final resolution to the articulation of the Fair Youth's beauty as the speaker humbly claims that neither they nor anyone in the present can accurately articulate the Fair Youth's beauty.
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