A sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric poem with a single theme. Sonnet vary but are usually written in iambic pentameter,following one of two traditional patterns.
The Shakespearean English or English sonnet has three four-line quatrains plus a concluding two line couplet. The rhyme scheme of such a sonnet is usually abab ,cdcd,efef ,g g . Each of the three quatrains usually explores a different variation of the main theme . Then the couplet presents a summarizing or concluding statement.
The Petrarchan or Italian sonnet is divided into two parts,an eight-line octave and six-line sestet. The octave rhymes abba ,while the sestet generally rhymes c de c de or use mor combination of cd rhymes. The octave raises a question,solves the problem,or comments on the narrative.
Syllable—foot—line—stanza—poem=音节-音步-诗行-时节-诗
Stanza 诗节：
A stanza is a group of lines in a poem,seen as a unit. Many poems are divided into stanzas that separated by spaces.Stanzas often function like paragraphs in prose. Each stanza state and develop one main point.
英诗的分类
Poetry is one of the four major types,the others being prose,fiction,drama. Types of poetry include narrative poetry,dramatic poetry and lyric poem.
Typical characteristics
William Shakespear（1564-1616）
Introduction of the author
莎士比亚一生创作了37部戏剧，2首长诗和154首十四行诗。
他的戏剧创作分为三个时期
第一时期（1590-1600）以历史剧，喜剧为主，基调是乐观向上的，充满着以人文主义理想解决社会矛盾的信心。《仲夏夜之梦》（ a mid-summer night’s dream) <威尼斯商人〉（the merchant of Venice) 〈皆大欢喜〉（as you like it) 〈第十二夜〉（twelfth night)
