Spenserian Sonnet

Spenserian Sonnet: Examples & Poem

Although they are not seen as frequently as Petrarchan or Shakspearean sonnets, Spenserian sonnets are still a popular form of poetry. Examples of Spenserian sonnets can be found in both Spenser’s ‘Amoretti’ and ‘The Faerie Queene’ as well as some poems by King James VI of Scotland and William Thompson’s ‘Garden Inscriptions’ (1760). The features of a Spenserian sonnet are displayed in Edmund Spenser’s ‘Amoretti LXXV: One day I wrote her name’ found below:

Spenserian Sonnet: Structure

A key way to spot a Spenserian sonnet is to look at what structure is used. Spenserian sonnets use a similar structure to Shakespearean sonnets, as the stanzas are arranged as three quatrains (four lines) and one couplet (two lines). There is a similarity between these two sonnets as they were both created during the same time period, and so have influenced each other.

The first three stanzas in a Spenserian sonnet are written as Sicilian quatrains. These quatrains are written in iambic pentameter and rhyme ABAB.

Features of Spenserian Sonnets

What are the features of a Spenserian sonnet?

Spenserian sonnet meter

Spenserian sonnets use iambic pentameter in all their poems. It is the typical meter that is used in sonnets and is one of the key ways to spot this form. Iambic pentameter occurs when there are five metrical feet (or iambs) in each line. An iamb will consist of one unstressed syllable, followed by one stressed syllable.

In the example above, the non-bold represents the unstressed syllables, and the bold represents the stressed syllables. Try and count how many are in each line.

A strand

Spenserian Sonnet Rhyme Scheme

A key way to spot a Spenserian sonnet is to look at the rhyme scheme! The Spenserian sonnet follows a rhyme scheme of ABAB-BCBC-CDCD-EE. The rhyme scheme is significantly different from the one used for the Shakespearean sonnet, as here each of the quatrains is linked together by a rhyming couplet.

In the first stanza, lines 1 and 3 rhyme with each other (‘strand’ rhyming with ‘hand’), this will be the ‘A’ rhyme in the rhyme scheme. The rhyme in lines 2 and 4 (‘away’ and ‘prey’) continues into the second stanza, with lines 5 and 7 (‘assay’ and ‘decay’) following the ‘B’ in the rhyme scheme.

Spenserian Sonnet Tone

Spenserian sonnets should also include a device called a volta.

Voltas were first used in Petrarchan sonnets which influenced the creation of the Spenserian sonnet. As with Petrarchan sonnets, when a volta is used in a Spenserian sonnet, it is to show a climax or epiphany. In a Spenserian sonnet, the volta can be found at the end of the second stanza.

The turn or epiphany caused by the volta is resolved in the final declamatory couplet that the poem ends with.

Spenserian Sonnet Themes

Spenserian sonnets are typically love poems as many of Edmund Spenser’s original Spenserian sonnets focused on his marriage. Spenserian sonnets have expanded into different themes over the centuries. Due to the form’s popularity in Scotland, it has been used to discuss themes of nationality and identity. Spenserian sonnets have also been used to talk about themes such as politics, social issues and religion.

Key differences between Spenserian Sonnets and other Sonnets

All sonnets follow the same basic three characteristics, they are all fourteen lines long, written in iambic pentameter, with a strict rhyme scheme; however, there are differences in how this can be presented. Spenserian sonnets use characteristics that are present in other types of sonnets to create a different style of this form. Use the table below to remember the key differences between Spenserian sonnets and Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets.