14 Lines & 611 Years: Understanding Shakespeare’s “Sonnet Form”
If William Shakespeare were alive today, he’d have turned 611 years old this week! Born on 23 April 1564, and still inspiring millions of performers, poets, and playwrights across the globe.
We know him for his plays, but Shakespeare was also a poet at heart. His 154 sonnets are little masterpieces—packed with rhythm, rhyme, emotion and insight into love, jealousy, time and truth. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or a curious student, Shakespeare’s sonnets are a brilliant place to discover the power of words in just 14 lines.
WHAT'S A SONNET?!
Good question! It’s probably the most well known verse form of all time! A sonnet is 14 lines long. It’s often split into an OCTAVE and a SESTET (an 8 line section and a 6 line section). Sometimes the octave poses a question that the sestet answers and sometimes they present different points of view.
And, it turns out that old Shakespeare wasn't just a prolific playwright, he also loved writing sonnets... in fact, he wrote 154 of them! The sonnet is traditionally seen as a love poem. When Romeo and Juliet meet each other for the first time they accidentally speak a sonnet to one another!
DID SHAKESPEARE INVENT SONNETS?!
Uh, no. He didn't. The form had been around in Italy since the 13th Century but it's fair to say that Shakespeare made the 'Sonnet form' his own. One of the most distinguishing factors of Shakespeare's sonnets is the rhyme scheme! In Italy (where the form originated) lots of words rhyme so the 'rhyme scheme' didn't have to change very much. In fact, in the Italian 'Petrarchan Sonnet' the first 8 lines (which was called the... OCTAVE!) had just two rhyming sounds in it!
In English, rhyming is a little trickier so Shakespeare used a rhyme scheme that included lots of different rhyming sounds: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
SONNET 130
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; (A)
Coral is far more red than her lips' red; (B)
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; (A)
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. (B)
I have seen roses damasked, red and white, (C)
But no such roses see I in her cheeks; (D)
And in some perfumes is there more delight (C)
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. (D)
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know (E)
That music hath a far more pleasing sound; (F)
I grant I never saw a goddess go; (E)
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. (F)
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare (G)
As any she belied with false compare. (G)
The GG at the end sounds good doesn't it? It's called a RHYMING COUPLET! It’s one of the most distinctive things about the Shakespearean Sonnet - it allows the poem to end with a strong concluding statement in the final two lines of the poem!
Okay, I'm interested, tell me more...
Shakespeare’s sonnets aren't just about love. He also writes about time, ageing, change, lust, absence, infidelity and some of his sonnets even deal with issues we're still dealing with on Instagram today like FILTERS (imagination) vs REALITY.
The first 126 sonnets appear to be addressed to a YM or Young Man - which many take as a possible indication of Shakespeare's bisexuality. Sonnets 127 - 152 are addressed to the 'Dark Lady' - a person who seems to cause Shakespeare a great deal of inner conflict. The last two sonnets, 153 and 154 are addressed to Cupid himself, the wingéd baby of luuuurrve.
And, guess what... it's not just Shakespeare who writes 'Shakespearean Sonnets'. He's still influencing writers today - we suggest checking out PURGATORY by Maxine Kumin as it uses the Shakespearean Sonnet form to take a sideways look at Romeo and Juliet!
USEFUL LINKS:
TO READ...
Poetry Foundation's Guide to Shakespearean Sonnets
British Library's in-depth "intro" to Shakespeare's Sonnets
TO WATCH...
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📚 You might love working towards a LAMDA Verse & Prose exam—they're a fantastic way to explore performance, build confidence and communication skills, and develop a lifelong love of literature.
