Writing

Shakespearean
Sonnets:
A How-To Guide

The man who writes a

good love sonnet needs
not only to be enamored
of a woman, but also to
be enamored of the
sonnet.
~C.S. Lewis~

Thank you for choosing this guide to

assist you in your sonnet-writing
journey! This step-by-step guide
should be an excellent source for
you as you embark on this exciting
endeavor!

Now, before we get started writing

a sonnet, its important to
understand how sonnets are set
up. Lets take a look at one of
Shakespeares most famous
sonnets so that you can visually
see how the poem should look.

Sonnet 73
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

On first glance, this might just seem like a

regular old poem, but we would be doing the
sonnet a great injustice if we thought that. The
sonnet is actually a carefully crafted argument
that builds in a very particular way. Lets take a
look at the format of a sonnet and use
Shakespeares Sonnet 73 as an example of how
each section functions.
Once you understand how each section of a
sonnet is supposed to work, you will be able to
write one on your own!

Quatrain #1: These four lines introduce the

main metaphor and theme of the sonnet.
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do
hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the
cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet
birds sang.

Here, we find out that this poem is about a man

whos growing old. Hes comparing his life to the
changing of the seasons. The year is coming to a
close as fall slowly gives way to winter, and so too
is his life. In the first line he makes it clear that he
is addressing another person, as he uses the word
thou. This is the first stage of the sonnets
argument.

Quatrain #2: The metaphor and the theme are

continued and a creative illustration is usually given
to further the ideas of the first quatrain.
In me thou seest the twilight of such
day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take
away,
Death's second self, that seals up all
We see the same theme
continued here, only
in rest.

now the man has shifted from comparing

himself to the end of the year to the end of a
day. He has narrowed down his argument from a
year to a day. This makes the poem seem more
urgent because days pass much more quickly
than years do. The creative example we see
here is the reference to night being deaths
second self.

Quatrain #3: Here, one of two things occurs: the

metaphor is extended, or a twist or conflict is
brought into the sonnet, known as the peripeteia,
or the volta. This turn is vital and must be in the
sonnet, though some writers prefer to place this in
the closing couplet.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such
fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must
expire
Consumed with that which it was
Here, the argumentnourish'd
continues
by.and the

metaphor shifts to something even more

fleeting than a daya dying fire. Shakespeare
chooses not to include the volta here; he
decides to keep it for the last two lines of the
poem. Lets take a look at it that so you can see
how it functions in the sonnet.

Couplet: These two lines summarize the entire

sonnet and give the reader something new to think
about. They often act as the thesis of the poem.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love
more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere
long.

Here, Shakespeare does not continue with

another metaphor. Rather, he gives us the volta
that must be in the sonnet. The speaker explains
that the reason the other person loves him so
strongly is because he/she knows that the
speaker will soon die. They must experience all
the love they can now, before he passes away.
This acts as the thesis because he states that
their love is strong, and uses the first three

Now that you know all the different sections of the

Shakespearean sonnet and understand how each
one functions, youre almost ready to write one of
your own. We just need to go over a few things
about style and form first.
All sonnets require the following stylistically:
1. 3 quatrains
2. 1 couplet
3. 14 lines
4. ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
5. Iambic pentameter
Lets take one more look at Shakespeares Sonnet
73 so that you can see how each of these are

Sonnet 73
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Lets start by brainstorming. Make sure you have a

paper and pencil handy. A good eraser is also
recommended! Now, lets begin. What do you want
to say in your sonnet? A lot of sonnets pertain to
love in some way, but yours doesnt have to. If you
are having trouble coming up with some ideas,
here are some things to think about:
-school
-sports
-losing a loved one
-falling in love
-a pet
-a problem
-an emotion

Now that you have your topic, think of a

metaphor that you want to use
throughout your sonnet. Try to think of
something that wouldnt normally be
compared to your topic, and then figure
out ways that they are similar. Once you
have your metaphor and how you want
to compare it to your topic, write it
down so you dont forget it later.

Now you are ready to begin composing. Make sure that

you use only 10 syllables in each line, and do your
best to keep them all in iambic pentameter. Also,
choose your words that come at the end of each line
carefully; remember that another word will need to
rhyme with it. Also remember that you want to
introduce your topic and your metaphor here.
Hint: If youre having trouble with iambic pentameter,
go back to Shakespeares Sonnet 73 and read each
line to this beat: duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duhQuatrain 1:
DUH-duh-DUH.
1.
2.
3.

a
b
a

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Here, you want to continue your metaphor and your

argument, but you want to build on what you wrote
in the first quatrain. Remember that you are setting
up for an eventual turn that will come either in the
next quatrain or in the couplet, so be preparing for
that.

Quatrain 2:
5. ___________________________________________________________
c
6. ___________________________________________________________
d
7. ___________________________________________________________
c
8. ___________________________________________________________

Here is where it starts getting even more exciting!

Hang tough; its hard to write a sonnet and you
may be feeling frustrated, but you can do it. This
is where a lot of Shakespearean sonnets bring in
the volta, or the turn. How can you shift your
argument through the use of your metaphor? Do
that here in this quatrain. Or, if you wish, save the
twist for the final couplet, and build up your
metaphor some more here.

Quatrain 3:
9. ___________________________________________________________
e
10. ___________________________________________________________ f
11. ___________________________________________________________
e
12. ___________________________________________________________ f

Okay, weve come to the final couplet. Make sure to

put your turn here if you havent done so yet. This
is where you need to summarize your argument
remember to think of it as your thesis. Why do the
previous twelve lines matter? Also remember that
this is a couplet, so both lines will rhyme at the
end.

Couplet:
13. ___________________________________________________________
g
14. ___________________________________________________________
g

Now put your sonnet together. All of your lines should

come together in the following manner:
1. ______________________________________________________________ a
2. ______________________________________________________________ b
3. ______________________________________________________________ a
4. ______________________________________________________________ b
5. ______________________________________________________________ c
6. ______________________________________________________________ d
7. ______________________________________________________________ c
8. ______________________________________________________________ d
9. ______________________________________________________________ e
10.______________________________________________________________ f
11.______________________________________________________________ e
12.______________________________________________________________ f
13.______________________________________________________________ g
14.______________________________________________________________ g

Congratulations! Youve just written your own

Shakespearean sonnet! Now remember, just
because youve finished doesnt mean youre
done. Good writing is all about revision. Go
back and make sure your sonnet is as strong in
all areas as you would like it to be. Feel free to
edit and revise until you feel like youve
perfected it.

The
End.
We hope that this guide has

helped you learn how to write a

Shakespearean sonnet. Please
contact us if you have any
questions or concerns.
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