History

Sonnets most likely have Italian origins, originating from Sicily. Some notable Italian poets are Dante Alighieri, Guido Cavalcanti, and most notably, Petrarch. People continued to write Petrarchan sonnets until the age of Shakespeare. Since then, the sonnet has spread across Europe and around the world.

The Format of a Sonnet

A traditional sonnet usually as 14 lines. The rhyming scheme has the follow format: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.