How many lines does a sonnet typically consist of?

• Sonnet:
- A lyric poem of fourteen iambic pentameter lines.
- Often, sonnets use iambic pentameter: five sets of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables for a ten-syllable line.
- Sonnets were invented by the Italian poet Giacomo da Lentini during the 1200s.

• Types of Sonnets:

Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet: Named for the Italian Renaissance lyrical poet Francesco Petrarch, this sonnet pattern consists of an eight-line Octave with the rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA, followed by a six-line Sestet that follows one of two rhyme schemes, CDE CDE or CDC CDC.

English or Shakespearean Sonnet: Named for William Shakespeare and a variation of the Italian sonnet, this sonnet pattern consists of three four-line Quatrains and a concluding couplet with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Spenserian: Named for the English poet Edmund Spenser, a contemporary of William Shakespeare, this sonnet pattern is a variation of the Shakespearean sonnet and features a more challenging rhyme scheme, ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.

Miltonic: Named for the English poet John Milton, this sonnet pattern is considered an evolution of the Shakespearean sonnet. Milton used the Petrarchan form as well and expanded the traditional limits of rhyme and length in composing many of his sonnets. In addition, Miltonic sonnets often address themes of internal struggles and conflict rather than external world themes.

Occitan Sonnets: These sonnets appeared in Italy in the 13th century with ABABABAB, CDCDCD rhyme scheme and were written for singing.

Caudate Sonnets: These sonnets comprise a total of fourteen lines with a coda. Francesco Berni first wrote these poems and popularized them.

Curtal Sonnets: Written by Manley Hopkins, these sonnets comprise eleven lines with amendments to Petrarchan standards.


Source: literarydevices.net