All sonnets have 14 lines which can be broken down into four sections called quatrains. You can identify a sonnet if the poem has the following characteristics: Learning about sonnets can be a fun activity and a great lead in to understanding Shakespeare Sonnets.Ī sonnet is simply a poem written in a certain format. Literally a “little song,” the sonnet traditionally reflects upon a single sentiment, with a clarification or “turn” of thought in its concluding lines. So what exactly is a sonnet anyways? A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy and brought to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, earl of Surrey in the 16th century.
