Year 7

The Features of a Shakespearean Sonnet

Year 7

The Features of a Shakespearean Sonnet

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, we will learn about some of the features of the Shakespearean sonnet. We will read Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 130' and identify key sonnet features within it, such as the rhyme scheme, the use of quatrains and the overall length of the poem.

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7 Questions

Q1.
Which of these features would you always expect to see in every poem?
Correct answer: Imaginative ideas
Perfect grammar
Repetition
Rhyme
Q2.
Is there one standard definition of poetry?
Correct answer: No
Yes
Q3.
Which of these topics could you come across in a sonnet?
Correct answer: All of the above
Love
Nature
Religion
Q4.
Which country did sonnets originate in?
England
France
Correct answer: Italy
Rome
Q5.
Which of these writers is know for writing sonnets?
Charles Dickens
Charlotte Bronte
Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle
Correct answer: William Shakespeare
Q6.
Are Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnets the same?
No - Shakespeare didn't write sonnets, he was a playwright.
No - they are completely different
Correct answer: They share some similarities but there are differences in their structure and rhyme scheme.
Yes - they are identical
Q7.
Do sonnets have a specific structure?
No
Correct answer: Yes

7 Questions

Q1.
How many lines are there in a Shakespearean sonnet?
10
Correct answer: 14
28
It's different every time
Q2.
Which of the below explanations best describes a rhyme scheme?
A rhyme scheme is the number of lines in the poem.
Correct answer: A rhyme scheme is the pattern according to which end rhymes (rhymes located at the end of lines) are repeated in a poem.
A rhyme scheme is the rhythm of the poem.
A rhyme scheme is the sounds in the poem.
Q3.
Which of the below rhyme schemes is correct for a Shakespearean sonnet?
AABBCCDDEEFFGG
Correct answer: ABABCDCDEFEFGG
ABBABBACDECDE
ABCABCEFGEFGGG
Q4.
There are 3 _______________ in a Shakespearean sonnet.
quarters
quartets
Correct answer: quatrains
quatres
Q5.
The final two lines of a Shakespearean sonnet share an end rhyme and are called _________________.
a couple of rhymes
a rhyme
Correct answer: a rhyming couplet
a rhyming pair
Q6.
Which of the descriptions below is the correct definition of a 'volta' in poetry?
A change in the rhyme scheme
A repeated idea
Correct answer: A turn or change in thought or argument
The number of lines in the poem
Q7.
Where does the volta occur in a Shakespearean sonnet?
After each quatrain
At the start
Correct answer: Between lines 12 and 13
Between lines 4 and 5