Significance of the sonnet

The Significance of the Sonnet                                                                                  Blaine Koen

My research into the impact which certain forms of poetry have had throughout history shows that the most prominent and well-established sub-category of poetry is the Sonnet. Students may be reluctant to consider the Sonnet today as the word instantly conjures up images of ambiguous and confusing Shakespearean-type language which is hard to decipher. However, whilst Shakespeare wrote 154 Sonnets, he is only one in a community of Sonnet writers he took inspiration from including Keats and Donne. The word 'Sonnet’ can be translated as 'little song' which is indicative of its rhythmic quality. The form was pioneered in 14th century Italy by the poet Francisco Petrarch.

A&E Networks stated Petrarch was the "The Father of Humanism", highlighting his philosophical ideology which went on to initiate the Renaissance literary as well as social period in which it was believed humanity could reach the accomplishments which Petrarch believed they had in the past and formed a bridge from the middle ages.

Whilst researching Petrarch, I discovered his biography and therefore the original story of what inspired him to write this revolutionary style of literature. Interestingly, it stemmed from a glimpse of a lady from across a church who Petrarch had never spoken to. His sonnet suggests that her name was Laura and that he was taken aback by her beauty and presence. Further research shows that there was a woman in the community named Laura De Noates who was the wife of a rich count. However, the connection between Petrarch’s vision of Laura and the actual person has never been established.

From then on, it became known in the literary community that language which referred to the love of an unknown woman was 'Petrarchan Convention', therefore introducing a style which went on to inspire later influential Sonnet writers. The example below is from Petrarch’s early collection of sonnets which contain key themes of ‘nature’ and ‘purity’:

O joyous, blossoming, ever-blessed flowers!                     A ’Mid which my pensive queen her footstep sets;                B O plain, that hold’st her words for amulets                         B And keep’st her footsteps in thy leafy bowers!                   A O trees, with earliest green of springtime hours,                C And all spring’s pale and tender violets!                             B O grove, so dark the proud sun only lets                             B His blithe rays gild the outskirts of thy towers!                  C O pleasant country-side! O limpid stream,                         D That mirrorest her sweet face, her eyes so clear,                E And of their living light canst catch the beam!                   D I envy thee her presence pure and dear.                              E There is no rock so senseless but I deem                            D It burns with passion that to mine is near.                           E

You might be reading this with a yawn and wondering what the significance is of these 14 lines! It seems unfathomable that this short piece of writing went on to influence one of the most iconic forms of literature throughout history. However, when analysing this classic poem, one gains an understanding of its importance at the time.  

As shown, the poem has the standard ABBA rhyming pattern which relies on the alternate rhyming of each sestet. This brings the language full circle at the end of each section before embarking on a new rhyme scheme. This pattern as well as language range lends fluidity to the reading of the poem and is in keeping with the theme of the poem.

In my view, the main content of the poem focuses on the theme of natural beauty being likened to the aesthetic beauty of the mysterious ‘Laura’. Petrarch writes on the 9th line: “O Limpid stream/That Mirrorest her sweet face”, inferring an omnibenevolent quality to the beauty of Laura as she is compared with the tranquillity of a calm stream in the country and perhaps the only thing which is worthy of reflecting such God-like beauty. Furthermore, Petrarch uses the words of “Blossoming, ever-blessed Flowers” which describe the “blossoming” of love which is a beautiful and natural thing which can’t be corrupted due to its “blessed” nature.

Jumping forward a century, the Sonnet style of writing began a trend amongst writers of the Renaissance period including Keats and Donne. However, a writer who made perhaps the largest contribution to this artform is Shakespeare, who is iconic in both the play format as well as poetry. Below is one of his most recognised pieces of work, the opening line of which you may recognise as a cliché that many literary enthusiasts quote in a cheesy fashion:

SONNET 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?                                     A

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:                                  B

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,                         A

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:                              B

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,                                C

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;                                  D

And every fair from fair sometime declines,                               C

By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;                   D

But thy eternal summer shall not fade                                         E

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;                                 F

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,                       E

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;                                  F

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,                                G

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.                               G

William Shakespeare

Again, the themes here are heavily indicative of ‘Petrarchan Convention’ despite this being written over a century after Petrarch’s time in the 15th century. Themes aside, this poem is revolutionary in its use of Iambic Pentameter which can be defined as having lines which consist of an “unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable”. This technique of Sonnet writing allows the alternating lines to return full circle as line repeats one which came before it which adds a clear and organised presentation as well as a rhythmic-sounding reading of the poem. In addition, the poem ends with a rhyming couplet, bringing the poem to a clear conclusion that feels like a finished piece of writing and not an open-ended story.

Furthermore, when reading Sonnet 18 you might have picked up that the themes are very similar to Petrarch’s Sonnet which I analysed above. The 8th line which reads “thy eternal summer shall not fade” is particularly powerful and refers to the all-powerful quality that the narrator feels from having witnessed the woman’s beauty as it is an “eternal” feeling. This is further likened to the joy and happiness of summer, which the poet claims will “never fade” and grants an element of supernatural power to the bond which the poet has with this lady as this intense happiness is not limited to a season, but is stretched out for eternity. Shakespeare uses this word several times throughout.

Reading various Sonnets, I suggest that this form of poetry is approached with an open mind to ensure that 'deeper meaning' is explored, but also to understand the context in which they were written. The work of Francesco Petrarch and the subsequent poets was a steppingstone towards a level of literary understanding which we had not yet experienced in history. A forum that I discovered on the subject states that the Sonnet can “strengthen close reading and analytical skills, build a better appreciation for poetry, and derive more meaning from your reading”. I feel that the last part of this quote is especially true to the art of poetry as well as Literature as, without meaning or even any understanding of emotion in writing, this can lead to a meaningless and unsatisfying experience in the way these types of poems are digested and understood.

Bibliography

Biography. (2019). Petrarch. [online] Available at: https://www.biography.com/scholar/petrarch [Accessed 5 Oct. 2019].

 Petrarch, F. (2015). Fifteen Sonnets of Petrarch, translated by Thomas Wentworth Higginson. A Project Gutenberg eBook.. [online] Gutenberg.org. Available at: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50307/50307-h/50307-h.htm [Accessed 6 Oct. 2019].

Shakespeare, W. (2019). Shakespeare Sonnet 18 - Shall I compare thee to a summer's day. [online] Shakespeare-online.com. Available at: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18.html [Accessed 6 Oct. 2019].

Augnet.org. (2019). AUGNET : 4361 Francesco Petrarch. [online] Available at: http://www.augnet.org/en/history/people/4361-francesco-petrarch/ [Accessed 12 Oct. 2019].

No Sweat Shakespeare. (2019). What Is Iambic Pentameter? A Definition & Explanation With Examples. [online] Available at: https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/sonnets/iambic-parameter/ [Accessed 13 Oct. 2019].

Petrarch.petersadlon.com. (2019). Francesco Petrarch - Father of Humanism. [online] Available at: http://petrarch.petersadlon.com/laura.html [Accessed 13 Oct. 2019].

Kassem, M. (2016). What was the importance of sonnet in the Renaissance period?. [online] Quora. Available at: https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-importance-of-sonnets-in-the-Renaissance-period [Accessed 13 Oct. 2019].

Sawer, P. (2016). New portrait of William Shakespeare as 'flesh and blood' man you might see down the pub. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/william-shakespeare/12166254/New-portrait-of-William-Shakespeare-as-flesh-and-blood-man-you-might-see-down-the-pub.html [Accessed 13 Oct. 2019].