Exploring Shakespeare's Sonnets: Understanding the Italian and Shakespearean Sonnet Forms

Exploring Shakespeare's Sonnets: Understanding the Italian and Shakespearean Sonnet Forms
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Slide 1: Slide

This lesson contains 16 slides, with interactive quizzes and text slides.

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Exploring Shakespeare's Sonnets: Understanding the Italian and Shakespearean Sonnet Forms

Slide 1 - Slide

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Learning Objective
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to understand the difference between Italian and Shakespearean sonnets, identify iambic pentameter, and analyze Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.

Slide 2 - Slide

Introduce the learning objective and set expectations for the lesson.
What do you already know about sonnets?

Slide 3 - Mind map

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What is a Sonnet?
A sonnet is a 14-line poem that follows a specific rhyme scheme and structure.

Slide 4 - Slide

Define what a sonnet is and provide a brief overview of its characteristics.
Italian Sonnet
An Italian sonnet is divided into two parts: an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). The rhyme scheme is typically ABBAABBA for the octave and CDCDCD or CDEEDE for the sestet.

Slide 5 - Slide

Explain the structure and rhyme scheme of an Italian sonnet, and provide examples of the rhyme schemes for the octave and sestet.
Shakespearean Sonnet
A Shakespearean sonnet is divided into three quatrains (4 lines) and a final couplet (2 lines). The rhyme scheme is typically ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Slide 6 - Slide

Explain the structure and rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet, and provide examples of the rhyme scheme for each quatrain and the final couplet.
Iambic Pentameter
Iambic pentameter is a rhythm pattern that consists of 5 iambs, which are metrical feet made up of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

Slide 7 - Slide

Define iambic pentameter and provide examples of how it is used in poetry.
Shakespeare and Iambic Pentameter
Shakespeare wrote most of his sonnets in iambic pentameter. This rhythm pattern gives the sonnets a natural flow and makes them sound like spoken language.

Slide 8 - Slide

Explain how Shakespeare used iambic pentameter in his sonnets, and how it contributes to the overall effect of his writing.
Sonnet 18
Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, also known as 'Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?', is one of his most famous sonnets. It is a Shakespearean sonnet that follows the ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme and is written in iambic pentameter.

Slide 9 - Slide

Introduce Sonnet 18 and provide its title, common name, and structure.
Sonnet 18 Analysis: Part 1
The first quatrain of Sonnet 18 compares the subject of the poem to a summer's day, highlighting the subject's beauty and perfection.

Slide 10 - Slide

Analyze the first quatrain of Sonnet 18, and discuss how it contributes to the overall meaning of the poem.
Sonnet 18 Analysis: Part 2
The second quatrain of Sonnet 18 acknowledges that summer is fleeting and temporary, and contrasts it with the subject's eternal beauty.

Slide 11 - Slide

Analyze the second quatrain of Sonnet 18, and discuss how it contributes to the overall meaning of the poem.
Sonnet 18 Analysis: Part 3
The third quatrain of Sonnet 18 suggests that the subject's beauty will be preserved forever in the poem, and that the poem itself will become a way to immortalize the subject's beauty.

Slide 12 - Slide

Analyze the third quatrain of Sonnet 18, and discuss how it contributes to the overall meaning of the poem.
Sonnet 18 Analysis: Part 4
The final couplet of Sonnet 18 concludes that the subject's beauty will never fade, as long as people continue to read the poem and appreciate the subject's beauty.

Slide 13 - Slide

Analyze the final couplet of Sonnet 18, and discuss how it contributes to the overall meaning of the poem.
Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Slide 14 - Open question

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.
Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Slide 15 - Open question

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.
Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

Slide 16 - Open question

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.