The opening line of Twelfth Night by Shakespeare is an example of iambic pentameter: “If music be the food of love, play on.” It consists of 5 iambs or 5 pairs of syllables with an alternating pattern of an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable.
Continue reading: What is an example of iambic pentameter?
The rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet is usually ABBA ABBA CDE CDE. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of two parts or stanzas:
- An octave (8 lines): here, the rhyme scheme is typically ABBA ABBA. This part introduces the reader to a problem or conflict.
- A sestet (6 lines): here the rhyme scheme follows the pattern CDE CDE or CDC DCD. The sestet provides the solution to the problem introduced in the octave– this is why they have separate rhyme schemes.
Continue reading: What is the rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet?
