Keats's Poetic Forms

Keats's Poetic Forms

1. Petrarchan Sonnet (Italian)

   • An octave followed by a sestet: 14 lines total
   • The transition from octave to sestet usually coincides with a 'turn' in the argument or mood of the poem
   • To Leigh Hunt
   • On Seeing the Elgin Marbles
   • ABBAABBACDCDCD
   • IAMBIC PENTAMETER

2. Shakespearean Sonnet (English)

   • Made up of three quatrains , with a couplet at the end: 14 lines in total
   • ABABCDCDEFEFGG
   • When I have fears that I may cease to be
   • IAMBIC PENTAMETER

3. Spenserian Sonnet

   • ABABBABCCDCDEE

4. Octave: A group of 8 verse lines forming the first part of a Petrarchan Sonnet - rhymes ABBAABBA

5. Sestet: A group of 6 verse lines forming the latter part of a Petrarchan Sonnet - rhymes CDECDE or CDCDCD