Sonnet Analysis Part I

• A sonnet is a form of poem that typically has 14 lines
• The most common type of sonnet is a "Shakespearean" sonnet
• 14 lines
• 10 syllables per line
• iambic pentameter
• usually deals with the juxtaposition of two ideas by either showing tension or resolving it
• Rhyme scheme:

a b a b
c d c d
e f e f
g g

• 3 quatrains of alternating rhyme and a couplet 
• Other sonnet types:
• Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet:
• First eight lines:

a b b a a b b a

• Remaining six lines 

c d c d c d
c d d c d c
c d e c d e
c d e c e d
c d c e d c 

Sources:
 http://www.sonnets.org/basicforms.htm
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/English+sonnet
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/sonnetstyle.html