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The first point of focus is how Shakespeare’s Sonnets de-automatized the traditional sonnet form in terms of poetic structure. As mentioned earlier, Petrarchan sonnets, which were named after the Italian poet Petrarch and were commonly used by English poets such as Sir Philip Sidney, typically consist of an octave (the first eight lines) with the rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA and a sestet (the remaining six lines) with various possible rhyme schemes, commonly CDE CDE or CDC CDC. Shakespeare’s sonnets, however, adhere to a different rhyme scheme, known as the English or Shakespearean sonnet form. They consist of three quatrains (four-line sections) and a final rhymed couplet (two lines), following the ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. The reader who expects the Sonnets to be traditional in structure is met by an unexpectedness, which constitutes a sense of irony. This ironic subversion of reader expectations further underlines the poetic ingenuity of Shakespeare’s Sonnets.

Shakespeare’s innovative structure also manifests in the way he divides his sonnets into quatrains and couplets. Shakespeare knew that “the four units of the Shakespearean sonnet can be set in any number of logical relations to one another”, and because he enjoyed exploring the potential of language, he “[manipulated the sonnet form] in ways unknown to his predecessors” (Vendler, 1997: 22). In general, each quatrain in a Shakespearean sonnet presents a unique idea or perspective that contributes to the overall theme of the sonnet. Shakespeare’s sonnet form allows a great degree of flexibility in presenting complex ideas. The distinct separation of quatrains allows Shakespeare to explore different facets of an argument or narrative within the same sonnet. For example, in Sonnet 73 (“That time of year thou mayst in me behold”), the three quatrains present three metaphors for aging: the autumn of one’s life (quatrain 1), the twilight of one’s day (quatrain 2), and the dying fire in one’s fireplace (quatrain 3). Each quatrain explores a different aspect of the theme, with each metaphor building upon the previous one to create a profound meditation on the passage of time.

1.2 Narrative Structure

Equally notable is Shakespeare’s innovation in the structure of his sonnet sequence. While other poets composed sonnets that were connected in clear and linear narratives, as in Astrophil and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney and Amoretti by Edmund Spenser, Shakespeare deviated from this convention and offered a more complex narrative structure in his sequence. He restrained from such a clear structure that has a discernible beginning and ending, and he instead plunges the reader straight into the speaker’s contemplations and musings on his subjects, thereby creating an ironic departure from the traditional sonnet sequence structure.

Both Astrophil and Stella and Amoretti exhibit a traditional narrative progression. Sidney’s sequence presents a conventional, albeit nuanced, story of unrequited love, while Spenser’s sequence is primarily a courtship narrative leading to marriage. They adhere to a linear an本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。