How to Write an Italian Sonnet
Learn the basic structure of an Italian sonnet., Understand iambic pentameter., Learn the rhyme scheme of an Italian sonnet., Create your sonnet's theme., Create your sonnet's response., Write a rough draft of your first Italian sonnet., Edit your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn the basic structure of an Italian sonnet.
An Italian sonnet is 14 lines long with 10 syllables per line.
Italian sonnets are written in iambic pentameter and consist of two parts:
Octave: a group of eight lines Sestet: a group of six lines. -
Step 2: Understand iambic pentameter.
The "meter" in "pentameter" refers to the rhythm of sets of two to three syllables in a line of poetry.
These sets of syllables are known as “feet.” Italian sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, so they have lines of five (penta) feet.
An iamb is a foot of two syllables, with the first syllable unstressed (de-emphasized) and the second syllable stressed (emphasized).
The rhythm of an iamb is often written out like a heartbeat: “da-DUM.” An iamb can stretch across two words or take place in one.
To understand the difference between stressed and unstressed syllables, try saying these examples of iambs slowly and out loud:
The couch She stopped Arise Release Employ Keep in mind that one-syllable nouns and verbs are usually stressed.
Here’s a famous line of iambic pentameter by John Milton (10 syllables total): "When I consider how my light is spent."
A rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhyming lines.
In a sonnet, rhyming lines have similar (rhyming) sounds at the end of each line.
The first eight lines of an Italian sonnet (the octave) follow the rhyme scheme A-B-B-A A-B-B-A, with each letter representing a different line.
The sestet can follow multiple rhyme schemes (more below).
Rhyming lines are grouped by the same letter.
For example, the last word of the first “A” line must rhyme with the last words of all other “A” lines.
Consider these rhymes in the famous Italian sonnet “On His Blindness” by John Milton: (A) When I consider how my light is spent(B) Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,(B) And that one talent which is death to hide,(A) Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent(A) To serve therewith my Maker, and present(B) My true account, lest he returning chide,(B) "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"(A) I fondly ask.
But Patience, to prevent(C) That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need(D) Either man’s work or his own gifts.
Who best(E) Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best.
His state(C) Is kingly, thousands at his bidding speed,(D) And post o’er land and ocean without rest;(E) They also serve who only stand and wait.” Note that the last six lines of the sonnet (the sestet) can follow multiple possible rhyme schemes.
Some standard examples include:
C-D-E-C-D-E C-D-C-D-C-D C-D-C-D-E-E , Italian sonnets develop a theme in the first eight lines (the octave).
Developing a theme might involve posing a problem, presenting a situation or raising a question.
For example, Milton’s “On His Blindness” develops a theme inspired by real events.
John Milton began losing vision in his 30s, and wrote “On His Blindness” after going completely blind at the age of
44.
In the octave of the sonnet, Milton (a religious man) questions how someone without vision can best serve God.
This theme is most clearly expressed in line seven, towards the end of the octave: "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?" Notice how Milton wraps up his theme with an explicit question, asking whether work (“day labor”) is demanded (“exact”ed) by the heavens from those who are blind (with “light denied”).
This line is an example of how you might present a question or concept in your sonnet in need of a response.
Brainstorm a few ideas for your sonnet’s theme on a piece of paper, and choose one theme to write on.
When choosing your theme, keep in mind that you will be developing a response to your theme in your sonnet's sestet. , After the octave, start off the first line of your sestet with a turn: a point at which an Italian sonnet starts responding to its theme.
The sestet might resolve a problem, comment on a situation or answer a question. “On His Blindness” literally responds to itself in the first line of the sestet, with Patience (a figure representing patience) answering Milton’s question:
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.” Notice the specific use of the word “replies” in the first line of the sestet.
In this sestet, Milton describes the response to his question: that he does not need to move nations to serve God.
To wait attentively is enough.
Brainstorm a few ideas for your sonnet’s response on a piece of paper, and choose one to write on.
You should pick the response that works best with your theme. , Now that you’ve created a theme and response for your first sonnet, it's time to write! Don’t worry too much about the exact content of your rough draft.
Do try to use iambic pentameter and correctly follow the rhyme scheme.
Look back to “On His Blindness” for reference on the rules of an Italian sonnet.
For help specifically with rhyming, read How to Find Rhyming Words for Poetry. , You will likely need to change and cut out some words you had in mind to fit the sonnet’s tight structure.
Here are some tricks you can use to fit the format of an Italian sonnet:
You can often choose how many syllables you want a word to have in your sonnet.
For example, the word “several” has three syllables, but adding an apostrophe to turn “several” into “sev’ral” takes off a syllable.
Milton uses this technique in line thirteen of "On His Blindness," turning the two-syllable “over” into the one-syllable “o’er”: “And post o’er land and ocean without rest;" You can swap around the elements of sentences in your sonnet to fit your rhyme scheme or to maintain iambic pentameter.
For example, instead of writing “She drove her car,” you can write “Her car she drove.” Don't be afraid to sound old-fashioned in a sonnet! Milton freely switches around sentence structure in “On His Blindness,” including in line fourteen.
In this line, Milton could have flatly written that “Those who only stand and wait also serve” (stressed syllables bolded).
But as we can see, this line would not have satisfied the rules of iambic pentameter.
Instead, Milton writes: “They also serve who only stand and wait.” You can freely leave out English articles (a, an, the) to save syllables or to maintain iambic pentameter.
For example, instead of writing “through the bright window (stressed syllables bolded), you might write ”through window bright.” Going back to line thirteen, you can see that Milton does not use the article “the” to refer to either “land” or “ocean”: “And post o’er land and ocean without rest;"
Pay attention to each syllable.
Reading your sonnet slowly and out loud will help you make sure you’ve followed the proper structure.
While you read, make sure that your Italian sonnet:
Has 10 syllables per line Is written in iambic pentameter Follows a proper rhyme scheme Turns from theme to response at line nine (the beginning of the sestet). , Now that you’ve had experience writing an Italian sonnet in proper form, it’s time to start adjusting the content of your sonnet.
It’s a good sign when every word in your sonnet has a clear purpose you could explain to someone else.
Also think about whether the mood of your sonnet matches its content.
For example, if the theme of your sonnet is joy, low-energy or gloomy phrases would drag down the mood.
The tone of “On His Blindness” matches Milton’s sad and reflective theme, especially in the octave.
Consider how the following phrases set the mood of the sonnet: “this dark world and wide” "one Talent which is death to hide" “Lodged with me useless" Each of these phrases helps create the sonnet’s mood.
If Milton had written “this shining world and wide,” he would have written a very different sonnet. , To take your Italian sonnet to the next level, try using literary devices in your work.
A literary device is any method a writer uses to get a message across to the reader.
You can use literary devices in many ways, including stirring your readers’ imagination by using words and expressions in non-literal ways.
For example, someone “feeling blue” is someone feeling sad, not literally blue.
Consider these examples of literary devices used in “On His Blindness”:
Metaphor:
A metaphor is a literary device that identifies one thing as being the same as another, even when the two “things” being compared are unrelated.
In line one of “On His Blindness,” Milton uses metaphor when he identifies his lost vision as “light” that is now “spent.” Personification:
Personification involves attaching human characteristics with anything from natural phenomena to inanimate objects.
For example, the phrase “the raging hurricane” personifies the hurricane by giving it the human emotion of rage.
In line eight of “On His Blindness,” Milton personifies patience, giving it a capitalized name and a voice.
Alliteration:
Alliteration is a stylistic literary device involving grouping together words starting with the same letter or a similar sound.
The tongue-twister ”She Sells Seashells By the Seashore” features multiple examples of alliteration.
The second line of "On His Blindness” features alliteration in the phrase "days in this dark world and wide." For help specifically with writing metaphors, read How to Write a Metaphor.
To learn more about literary devices, try browsing through a long list of literary devices. , Showing your sonnet to people you trust is a great way to express yourself and get constructive feedback on your work.
The more constructive feedback you receive, the more you’ll understand what you’re doing well and what you might consider trying in your next piece.
No one, including John Milton, was born knowing how to write sonnets.
While sonnets follow a strict and precise form, they reward your patience with song-like ("sonnetto") poetry.
The more you practice writing Italian sonnets, the easier it will become -
Step 3: Learn the rhyme scheme of an Italian sonnet.
-
Step 4: Create your sonnet's theme.
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Step 5: Create your sonnet's response.
-
Step 6: Write a rough draft of your first Italian sonnet.
-
Step 7: Edit your sonnet for structure.
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Step 8: Read your sonnet out loud.
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Step 9: Edit your sonnet for content.
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Step 10: Experiment with literary devices.
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Step 11: Share your Italian sonnet with others.
Detailed Guide
An Italian sonnet is 14 lines long with 10 syllables per line.
Italian sonnets are written in iambic pentameter and consist of two parts:
Octave: a group of eight lines Sestet: a group of six lines.
The "meter" in "pentameter" refers to the rhythm of sets of two to three syllables in a line of poetry.
These sets of syllables are known as “feet.” Italian sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, so they have lines of five (penta) feet.
An iamb is a foot of two syllables, with the first syllable unstressed (de-emphasized) and the second syllable stressed (emphasized).
The rhythm of an iamb is often written out like a heartbeat: “da-DUM.” An iamb can stretch across two words or take place in one.
To understand the difference between stressed and unstressed syllables, try saying these examples of iambs slowly and out loud:
The couch She stopped Arise Release Employ Keep in mind that one-syllable nouns and verbs are usually stressed.
Here’s a famous line of iambic pentameter by John Milton (10 syllables total): "When I consider how my light is spent."
A rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhyming lines.
In a sonnet, rhyming lines have similar (rhyming) sounds at the end of each line.
The first eight lines of an Italian sonnet (the octave) follow the rhyme scheme A-B-B-A A-B-B-A, with each letter representing a different line.
The sestet can follow multiple rhyme schemes (more below).
Rhyming lines are grouped by the same letter.
For example, the last word of the first “A” line must rhyme with the last words of all other “A” lines.
Consider these rhymes in the famous Italian sonnet “On His Blindness” by John Milton: (A) When I consider how my light is spent(B) Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,(B) And that one talent which is death to hide,(A) Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent(A) To serve therewith my Maker, and present(B) My true account, lest he returning chide,(B) "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"(A) I fondly ask.
But Patience, to prevent(C) That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need(D) Either man’s work or his own gifts.
Who best(E) Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best.
His state(C) Is kingly, thousands at his bidding speed,(D) And post o’er land and ocean without rest;(E) They also serve who only stand and wait.” Note that the last six lines of the sonnet (the sestet) can follow multiple possible rhyme schemes.
Some standard examples include:
C-D-E-C-D-E C-D-C-D-C-D C-D-C-D-E-E , Italian sonnets develop a theme in the first eight lines (the octave).
Developing a theme might involve posing a problem, presenting a situation or raising a question.
For example, Milton’s “On His Blindness” develops a theme inspired by real events.
John Milton began losing vision in his 30s, and wrote “On His Blindness” after going completely blind at the age of
44.
In the octave of the sonnet, Milton (a religious man) questions how someone without vision can best serve God.
This theme is most clearly expressed in line seven, towards the end of the octave: "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?" Notice how Milton wraps up his theme with an explicit question, asking whether work (“day labor”) is demanded (“exact”ed) by the heavens from those who are blind (with “light denied”).
This line is an example of how you might present a question or concept in your sonnet in need of a response.
Brainstorm a few ideas for your sonnet’s theme on a piece of paper, and choose one theme to write on.
When choosing your theme, keep in mind that you will be developing a response to your theme in your sonnet's sestet. , After the octave, start off the first line of your sestet with a turn: a point at which an Italian sonnet starts responding to its theme.
The sestet might resolve a problem, comment on a situation or answer a question. “On His Blindness” literally responds to itself in the first line of the sestet, with Patience (a figure representing patience) answering Milton’s question:
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.” Notice the specific use of the word “replies” in the first line of the sestet.
In this sestet, Milton describes the response to his question: that he does not need to move nations to serve God.
To wait attentively is enough.
Brainstorm a few ideas for your sonnet’s response on a piece of paper, and choose one to write on.
You should pick the response that works best with your theme. , Now that you’ve created a theme and response for your first sonnet, it's time to write! Don’t worry too much about the exact content of your rough draft.
Do try to use iambic pentameter and correctly follow the rhyme scheme.
Look back to “On His Blindness” for reference on the rules of an Italian sonnet.
For help specifically with rhyming, read How to Find Rhyming Words for Poetry. , You will likely need to change and cut out some words you had in mind to fit the sonnet’s tight structure.
Here are some tricks you can use to fit the format of an Italian sonnet:
You can often choose how many syllables you want a word to have in your sonnet.
For example, the word “several” has three syllables, but adding an apostrophe to turn “several” into “sev’ral” takes off a syllable.
Milton uses this technique in line thirteen of "On His Blindness," turning the two-syllable “over” into the one-syllable “o’er”: “And post o’er land and ocean without rest;" You can swap around the elements of sentences in your sonnet to fit your rhyme scheme or to maintain iambic pentameter.
For example, instead of writing “She drove her car,” you can write “Her car she drove.” Don't be afraid to sound old-fashioned in a sonnet! Milton freely switches around sentence structure in “On His Blindness,” including in line fourteen.
In this line, Milton could have flatly written that “Those who only stand and wait also serve” (stressed syllables bolded).
But as we can see, this line would not have satisfied the rules of iambic pentameter.
Instead, Milton writes: “They also serve who only stand and wait.” You can freely leave out English articles (a, an, the) to save syllables or to maintain iambic pentameter.
For example, instead of writing “through the bright window (stressed syllables bolded), you might write ”through window bright.” Going back to line thirteen, you can see that Milton does not use the article “the” to refer to either “land” or “ocean”: “And post o’er land and ocean without rest;"
Pay attention to each syllable.
Reading your sonnet slowly and out loud will help you make sure you’ve followed the proper structure.
While you read, make sure that your Italian sonnet:
Has 10 syllables per line Is written in iambic pentameter Follows a proper rhyme scheme Turns from theme to response at line nine (the beginning of the sestet). , Now that you’ve had experience writing an Italian sonnet in proper form, it’s time to start adjusting the content of your sonnet.
It’s a good sign when every word in your sonnet has a clear purpose you could explain to someone else.
Also think about whether the mood of your sonnet matches its content.
For example, if the theme of your sonnet is joy, low-energy or gloomy phrases would drag down the mood.
The tone of “On His Blindness” matches Milton’s sad and reflective theme, especially in the octave.
Consider how the following phrases set the mood of the sonnet: “this dark world and wide” "one Talent which is death to hide" “Lodged with me useless" Each of these phrases helps create the sonnet’s mood.
If Milton had written “this shining world and wide,” he would have written a very different sonnet. , To take your Italian sonnet to the next level, try using literary devices in your work.
A literary device is any method a writer uses to get a message across to the reader.
You can use literary devices in many ways, including stirring your readers’ imagination by using words and expressions in non-literal ways.
For example, someone “feeling blue” is someone feeling sad, not literally blue.
Consider these examples of literary devices used in “On His Blindness”:
Metaphor:
A metaphor is a literary device that identifies one thing as being the same as another, even when the two “things” being compared are unrelated.
In line one of “On His Blindness,” Milton uses metaphor when he identifies his lost vision as “light” that is now “spent.” Personification:
Personification involves attaching human characteristics with anything from natural phenomena to inanimate objects.
For example, the phrase “the raging hurricane” personifies the hurricane by giving it the human emotion of rage.
In line eight of “On His Blindness,” Milton personifies patience, giving it a capitalized name and a voice.
Alliteration:
Alliteration is a stylistic literary device involving grouping together words starting with the same letter or a similar sound.
The tongue-twister ”She Sells Seashells By the Seashore” features multiple examples of alliteration.
The second line of "On His Blindness” features alliteration in the phrase "days in this dark world and wide." For help specifically with writing metaphors, read How to Write a Metaphor.
To learn more about literary devices, try browsing through a long list of literary devices. , Showing your sonnet to people you trust is a great way to express yourself and get constructive feedback on your work.
The more constructive feedback you receive, the more you’ll understand what you’re doing well and what you might consider trying in your next piece.
No one, including John Milton, was born knowing how to write sonnets.
While sonnets follow a strict and precise form, they reward your patience with song-like ("sonnetto") poetry.
The more you practice writing Italian sonnets, the easier it will become
About the Author
Kayla Baker
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
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