Introduction Renaissance + Sonnets

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

5V Literature

Introduction Renaissance + Sonnets

What comes to mind when you hear renaissance?

Which of these does not fit the Renaissance Period?

1. Focus on individual
2. Critical thinking
3. Focus on reason
4. Man in the centre

How many wives did Henry VIII have?

1. 2
2. 4
3. 6
4. 8

Henry VIII

The Tudors

The English Language

• Used in the street, not in the library --> Thomas More's Utopia
  
• New inventions/concepts led to new words in English language
  
• Classical works translated to English
• Books cheaper and more plentiful

How many lines are in a sonnet?

1. 4
2. 6
3. 10
4. 14

What is iambic pentameter?

1. something to eat
2. a way to measure distance
3. a rhyme scheme
4. a rhythm

Early renaissance sonnet

From translatio, imitatio and aemulatio to own verses in slightly altered form

Contents: personal feelings, beauty of sound and form, carpe diem

Italian/Petrarchan Sonnet

• 14 lines of Iambic Pentameter
• an octave (two quatrains) + a sestet (two tercets)
  
• clear break in the middle
  
• Rhyme scheme: abba abba break cde cde

English/Shakespearean Sonnet

• 14 lines of Iambic Pentameter
  
• three quatrains, clear break, couplet which gives a conclusion
  
• Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef break gg

Late renaissance sonnets

• Metaphysical poetry
• Topic of sonnet changed to more serious subjects
• More figurative language
• Poets used intellect and wit to get message across

Sonnets

Read along with the sonnets and indicate their rhyme scheme

After reading all three sonnets, turn to the questions on page 28 of your booklet