National Poetry Month: Sonnets!

April is National Poetry Month!
And right now, we're focusing on Sonnets - woot!

Sonnets are super easy to write. You have a structure, you have a meter, you just need to find words that fit it all. :-)
(Well, maybe not so easy. But for me it's easier than writing free verse, and my sister - who is more of a poet than I - agrees. If you want to write poems, but don't know where to start - start with limericks, and then move on to sonnets. The structure definitely helps.)

I'm going to talk about three types of sonnets - Shakespearean, Italian, and Spenserian. There are others, but these are the main ones. But first, we need to start with a description of meter - specifically iambic pentameter. (If you know what this is, feel free to skip.)

Meter refers to the rhythm our words make when we speak. When the rhythm is da-DA da-DA da-DA, it's in iambs (each da-DA is called an iamb). For example, "ToDAY I ATE some BREAD with JAM." We usually talk in iambs. Take a random sentence, and see if it's in iambs. Most likely, it is.

"Hey! Did you buy some fruit?"
"I did not have a chance to."
"There was a sale today!"

That's all in iambs. Of course, we don't say "Hey! DID you BUY some fruit?" :-)

There are other kinds of feet (iambs are a type of feet). For example, there are trochees (DA-da DA-da DA-da). We sometimes speak in these, too. Then there's dactyls (DA-da-da DA-da-da DA-da-da). And anapests (da-da-DA da-da-DA). And a lot of others. But sonnets are usually (always?) written in iambs.

But I said they were written in iambic pentameter! What does that mean? It just means that for every line in a sonnet, there are five (pent-) iambs. (It can be tetrameter [three], quatrameter [four], even monometer [one iamb per line]. You can go as high as you like - heptameter [seven], octameter [eight], etc.) So a basic sonnet goes something like this:

da-DA da-DA da-DA da-DA da-DA
da-DA da-DA da-DA da-DA da-DA
...and so on and so forth...

Now that we understand iambic pentameter, let's move on to actual sonnets!

Sonnets usually deal with some conflict, and are divided into a part setting forth the conflict, and a part resolving the conflict in some way. Also, sonnets tend to be consistently 14 lines long. See what I meant about the strict structure?
Now, let's discuss...

Shakespearean (or English) Sonnets!

Obviously, the guy who wrote these a lot was none other than:

William Shakespeare himself!

He wrote 154 sonnets. Yup.
So, the Shakespearean sonnet is of the form ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, where each letter signifies a new line, and the lines with the same letter rhyme. Remember, every line is in iambic pentameter. Also, in a Shakespearean sonnet, the conflict generally makes up the first 12 lines (or three quatrains), and is quickly resolved in the last two (the final couplet, which is generally indented, to show its difference from the rest of the poem).

Here's an example of one of Will's sonnets. Do you "feel" the iambic pentameter?

Sonnet 73 

That time of year thou may'st 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.

You can probably see the conflict is about death and the fleetingness of life, and then the resolution is that it is this fleetingness that makes him love her so much more.

 Next up...

Italian Sonnets!

These are also sometimes called Petrarchian - after this guy:

Petrarch, an Italian scholar and poet

These are of the structure ABBA ABBA CDECDE. Well, the last sextet (or six lines) can sometimes have a different rhyme scheme, such as CDCDCD, or even CDECED. This one gives you some flexibility.
Here, generally the first two quatrains (the first eight lines) present the conflict, and the final sextet presents the resolution, though with this also there is flexibility.
Here's an example by Wordsworth:

"Scorn Not the Sonnet"
Scorn not the Sonnet; Critic, you have frowned,
Mindless of its just honours; with this key
Shakespeare unlocked his heart; the melody
Of this small lute gave ease to Petrarch's wound;
A thousand times this pipe did Tasso sound;
With it Camoens soothed an exile's grief;
The Sonnet glittered a gay myrtle leaf
Amid the cypress wtih which Dante crowned
His visionary brow: a glow-worm lamp,
It cheered mild Spenser, called from Faery-land
To struggle through dark ways; and when a damp
Fell round the path of Milton, in his hand
The Thing became a trumpet; whence he blew
Soul-animating strains--alas, too few!

And finally:

Spenserian Sonnets!

These were named after Edmund Spenser, who you may know as the author of the epic poem The Faerie Queen: 

Spenser

The Spenserian sonnet is basically a modification of the Shakespearean sonnet, where you use the last line of the previous quatrain to determine the rhyme scheme of the next one. Here's the structure:

ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. See how the rhyming sort of overlaps?

Here's an example:

"One day I wrote her name upon the strand" 

One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that dost 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 (quoth 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.

Here, I believe that the conflict is resolved in the 9th line. So it seems that there is flexibility with conflict/resolution structure here as well. 

And those are the basic forms of sonnets.
I strongly suggest you try one - especially the Shakespearean kind. They aren't too hard. But a rhyming dictionary like this one might be useful; English isn't a very rhyme-friendly language.

Later on, I might post some of my sister's excellent sonnets. And maybe one of mine as well :-)

I talked more about writing sonnets than actually reading them, but understanding meter and the whole conflict/resolution business can make reading sonnets a bit easier.

~Sophia
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Since it is National Poetry Month, I thought I'd start a collective poetry effort. Make your contribution HERE! All you need is a pinch of creativity to write a line or two. 

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

Today is the 450th birthday of none other than the great Bard: William Shakespeare!



Some of our most commonly used words and phrases were invented by this ingenious fellow ("upstairs" and "downstairs," anyone?). His works are probably some of the most quoted (second to the King James Bible, of course).

I actually had the chance to see Merchant of Venice at the Globe Theater when I was in London a few years ago - it was SO SPECTACULAR.

Why don't you read some of his works today in his honor? If you have some time, read one of the plays - or if you're a bit busy (as I am), try a sonnet! Actually, I'll post more on reading (and writing) sonnets tomorrow.
If you'd like some recommendations, my personal favorite plays are Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet, and Sonnet 130 is very unique.

And here's a post back from January with tips on reading Shakespeare.

Finally, the ultimate question:



~Sophia

Shakespeare's Language

(This is a post for the Classics Club's Twelve Months of Literature Event... January's theme is Shakespeare!)

So I meant to write this post yesterday, but got a little busy. Anyway, reading Shakespeare (and other Elizabethan period lit) can be difficult and daunting, so I thought I'd give some tips to anyone struggling with it (or nervous about it).

I've been reading Shakespeare since I was nine or ten, when I started a homeschool class lead by an awesome young lady. When she went to college the class ended, but we had a good four years or so of reading Shakespeare's works in depth. :-) It's been a good introduction, and I credit that class for all the following knowledge.

Okay, here we go!

Common Problems

1. Words don't always mean what you think they mean. In Shakespeare's time, many words had different meanings than they do today. Cousin just means family, not necessarily a cousin. Soft means wait! Hold! as in: "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" from Romeo and Juliet. The list goes on and on.

Tip: Use context clues to determine what the word would mean. If the sentence doesn't make sense with the current definition of a word, try to think what else it could mean. Look up the word, and see if there's an archaic definition. (Also, see my final tip on Folger Editions.)

2. Sentences are twisted. Generally, we speak with the subject coming before the predicate: "He said...", "I go...", etc. Shakespeare flips it around. "Said he...", "Go I..." But this isn't the biggest twist. Shakespeare also might put the object in the beginning of a sentence, instead of at the end. For example, we say, "I tapped him on the shoulder." Shakespeare might say, "On the shoulder tapped I him." Huh? But wait, there's more! Shakespeare also likes to disconnect the subject and predicate. Not just with one adverb or something, but really throw them MILES away from each other. Take this bit from Hamlet:

Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,
Th' imperial jointress to this warlike state,
Have we (as 'twere with a defeated joy,
With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole)
Taken to wife... 

Now, look at it this way:

 Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,
Th' imperial jointress to this warlike state,
Have we (as 'twere with a defeated joy,
With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole)
Taken to wife... 

The italics show the vital parts of the sentence: Our sometime sister have we taken to wife.
Or, flipping it around, and getting rid of the royal we: I have taken to wife my sometime sister (i.e. my former sister-in-law).
We finally get to the meat-and-potatoes: He's married his sister-in-law.
Shakespeare might also delay the main bit of the sentence, to add suspense and tention, as in this line, also from Hamlet: "Within a month,/ Ere yet the salt of most unrightious tears / Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, / She married."
This can be simplified down to: She married within a month. But Shakespeare held back the "She married" part for emphasis.

Tip: Read it out loud. Personally, the first time I read any Shakespeare play, I read it out loud to myself. When you read it - or more importantly, hear it - out loud, you get a sense of where things should go. And you can try it a couple times to see which emphasis sounds right.
Also, if you can, go see a play. The actors have already figured out the emphases and structure of the sentences, and it might help you to get a better idea of what Shakespeare's trying to say. If you can't go see a play, you'll have to do what the actors do, and read it out loud a couple times.

3. Shakespeare likes puns. And some of them don't make sense because they use archaic words (see #1). Anyway, Shakespeare's puns are less of a problem than they are a deeper layer that you will miss if you don't look closely. One of my favorite plays for puns is Twelfth Night, because the Fool speaks practically entirely in them. But also other characters in the play speak in puns, even Orsino:

That instant was I turned into a hart,
And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,
Ere since pursue me.

The pun here is on hart (a dear) and on his actual heart. Puns in Shakespeare aren't always funny.

Also, there are lots of puns dealing with dirty inappropriate stuff. Elizabethans were a rather rowdy bunch, and enjoyed having an abundance of that sort of stuff in their entertainment. (Twelfth Night is full of it.) But it's not obvious at all (which is why Shakespeare is fine for kids).

Other Wordplay that Shakespeare Uses:

• Metaphors (comparing two things without using "like" or "as.") The pun above regarding hart/heart is also a metaphor, because Orsino really wasn't turned into a deer. Another example is from Romeo and Juliet: "It is the East and Juliet is the sun." Obviously Juliet isn't really the sun. 
• Similes. These are like metaphors, except they compare two things using "like" or "as." The one that always comes to mind for me is from King Lear: "Thou art damned, like an ill-roasted egg, all on one side."
• Malapropisms: See This Post
• Echophonesis: See This Post

4. These are plays, not novels, but there are still no stage directions. Usually, in a script, it says when to sit, stand, fight, etc. Well, Shakespeare doesn't. He expects you to know by the dialogue what to do, if you are an actor. For example, in Twelfth Night, Toby says to Sir Andrew: "Let me see thee caper. Ha, higher! Ha, ha, excellent!" Though there is no direction to that effect, you'd expect Sir Andrew to be dancing.

Tip: Be on the lookout for action words: "Draw and fight!" etc.

Folger's Editions

What I have found invaluable in reading Shakespeare is the Folger editions:

(here's my Twelfth Night)

I don't have a Folger for every single one of Shakespeare's plays (that's where my Complete Works of William Shakespeare comes in), but when reading one of his plays, I naturally gravitate towards the Folger, if I have it. Here's why:

The Folger editions are written in such a way that the play is on the right page, and the definitions of weird words, the explanations of puns, as well as some pictures to help you better visualize outdated objects and dress are on the left. This is SOOO useful, and will diminish many of the problems that I outlined above. I'm sure that there are a few other versions out there like the Folgers. However, I don't recommend the No Fear Shakespeare. These are in a similar format to the Folgers, but instead of having just definitions and explanations on one side, they have the entire play written out in modern language. I think that just takes out all the fun! Also, there's a certain temptation to just read the modern side and completely skip the Shakespearean side. So are you really reading Shakespeare's play, then?

Folger's also has a bunch of introductions that explain basically more in depth what I said here, regarding Shakespeare's language (and from which I took many of my examples). There's also a nice biography of Shakespeare, as well as a bit on the particular play. 

Good luck on your Shakespearean reading! Let me know which play(s) you are tackling this month. I think I'm going to be reading either Othello  or Henry V  later on in January (maybe both!), since I've never read either. 

Happy New Year, and happy reading!

~Sophia

Echophonesis!

Weird Literary Terms Part 3

My sister said that Echophonesis was her favorite Literary Term, so I thought I would do a quick post on it.
It's not really used nowadays. I first discovered it in Shakespeare. It is the expression "O!"

"O!" may look like "Oh!" but they are not the same (at least when reading them out loud).
"Oh!" is pronounced exactly how you would think. "Oh!"
When you see "O!" however, it means you have the freedom to make whatever sound you want:
"Oooooohhhh..."
"Sheesh."
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"GAH!"
"Uuuugghhh..."
"Woooooooooooo...."

Take your pick :-)

"...the rest is silence./ O! O! O! O!" 

~Hamlet's last words (Hamlet 5.2.395-6)

(Note: These last O!'s are often omitted by editors, as they are just an indication for the actor to make sounds appropriate to dying.)

Hamlet's death

 ~Sophia

Do any of you know of any weird literary terms? Let me know in the comments and I'll do a post on them!

Malapropisms!

Weird Literary Terms Part 1

"O villain! Thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this!" 

-Dogberry, Much Ado About Nothing

Dogberry "respects" the villains (i.e suspects)

The word "Malapropism" comes indirectly from the French phrase mal a propos, which means inappropriate. It is defined by when a person uses an incorrect, but similar sounding word. Richard Sheridan's character, Mrs. Malaprop, is where the word comes from, and she uses malapropisms in abundance.

Here are some examples. 

"Oh, he will dissolve this mystery!"  -i.e. resolve

"It gives me such hydrostatics to such a degree!" -i.e. hysterics

Dogberry, from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, is probably the most famous user of malapropisms. Here are some of his gems. See if you can figure out what he actually means, and post your guesses in the comments!

"Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons, and we would have them his morning examined before your worship."

"Is the whole dissembly appeared?"

"Only get the learned writer to set down our excommunication, and meet me at the jail."

Have any of you heard (or used yourself) any malapropisms in everyday speech? Please share!

Next up is a unique type of malapropism called a mondegreen. Stay tuned!

~Sophia

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Post Script: I am going on a family vacation to Quebec tomorrow, and won't be returning for ten days. However, I will have blog posts scheduled to be published for every few days, and Weird Literary Terms Parts 2 and 3 will be coming soon!

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