Compare the Italian & English sonnet refering to 2 poems

The Italian or Petrarchan sonnet form consists of two parts: an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines), between which there is a distinct change in the poet’s tone/subject whereas the English or Shakespearean sonnet is composed of three quatrains and a couplet. These two forms we can see demonstrated in “On his Blindness” and “Shall I compare”.

Milton ponders his purpose in life as he comes to terms with his early loss of sight in “On His Blindness”. It is clear throughout the poem by the way in which he questions God and his capability without vision that he is not sure how he should continue to live a Christian life. The octave focuses around Milton’s individual thoughts: “When I consider/ my days/ with me useless” whereas the language and tone in the sestet are more generalised, relating to all of humankind. The rhyme scheme reflects the shift in emphasis: abba abba/cde cde. There are ten syllables per line. When the sonnet is spoken accents fall on every second syllable; the rhythm is therefore iambic pe

Shakespeare and Milton write about entirely different personal subjects: trying to overcome blindness and comparing a woman’s beauty to nature. However both poets write using the traditional metre of sonnets: iambic pentametre. They also similarly use the techniques of similes and personifications which promote imagery. The main difference between their sonnets is their rhyme schemes. The Shakespearean sonnet rhymes alternately for three quatrains and concludes with a couplet. The Petrachan sonnet’s rhyme scheme changes as the sestet’s focus in view does. The structure of “On his Blindness” is different in that it is made up of an octave and a sestet and the Shakespearean sonnet consists of three four line units and a couplet. Sydney, Shakespeare, Keats, and Milton are among the most famous poets who have influenced English literary history through writing many sonnets and the form has remained popular.

The second and third lines of the sonnet relate to the parable of the talents from the Old Testament (Matthew 25: 14-30) in which the third unprofitable servant was cast out into the darkness because he did not use his talent and fulfil his master’s

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