Shakespearean sonnet


Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.

Shakespearean sonnet

n.
The sonnet form used by Shakespeare, composed of three quatrains and a terminal couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg. Also called Elizabethan sonnet, English sonnet.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Shakespearean sonnet

n
(Poetry) a sonnet form developed in 16th-century England and employed by Shakespeare, having the rhyme scheme a b a b c d c d e f e f g g. Also called: Elizabethan sonnet or English sonnet
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Shakespear′ean son′net


n.
a sonnet form used by Shakespeare and having the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, gg. Also called English sonnet.
[1900–05]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.Shakespearean sonnet - a sonnet consisting three quatrains and a concluding couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg
sonnet - a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
The other, the English or Shakespearean sonnet, consists of three quatrains followed by a couplet, and its rhyme scheme is ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG.
Early on, the Earl of Surrey altered the Italianate rhyme scheme to be suitable for English, creating what is, unfairly, known as the "Shakespearean sonnet." After half a century of lovers' eyes shining like the sun, Shakespeare frankly declared that his mistress's "eyes are nothing like the sun." Early in the seventeenth century, John Donne turned the sonnet's erotic energies into devotional verse, and, at century's end, Milton made the sonnet political.
The primary skill to approach a Shakespearean sonnet is to focus on its poetic forms and syntactical structures, which can lead the careful readers and engaged scholars to the important meanings of the poem, upon which they can dig into different channels leading to the treasures hidden in the complex labyrinth of Shakespeare's poetry.
Shakespearean sonnet, despite the regularity of the end-stopped rhyme
KYLIE TURNS SHAKESPEARE Chris loved embarrassing his guests, so when pop princess Kylie turned all indie and cropped her hair, he made her recite I Should Be So Lucky in the style of a Shakespearean sonnet. Genius.
By contrast, the Shakespearean sonnet is best recognized by its rhyme scheme, ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, which suits the relative poverty of English rhymes.
My medical and scientific training had instilled in me an aversion to verbosity and gobbledegook, so much so that, as far as poetry was concerned, I was drawn towards the Shakespearean sonnet form because it was able to explore any subject and express its findings clearly and succinctly.
A Shakespearean sonnet is constrained by the dimensions of its form: 14 lines, iambic pentameter, clear rhyme scheme, closing couplet.
Bambrough's daughter, Hannah, read a Shakespearean sonnet.
Frost uses the form of the Shakespearean sonnet to put man at the center of his meaning.