The Sonnet has been a popular form in Western literature for five centuries. There are many reasons for the popularity of the sonnet and one is certainly its form. The history of the sonnet form's development shows that it has outlived all the periods of literature. The sonnet form was developed in the early 13th century among the Sicilian school of court poets. The first person to write sonnets was Francis Petrarch. He wrote the first sequence of love sonnets addressing an idealized woman called Laura. In his sonnets Petrarch praises her beauty and perfection by using various metaphors (usually connected with natural beauties). The sonnet form spread throughout Europe to England where Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced it to readers in translating Petrarch in the 16th century. He and also Henry Howard u
Sonnets were also written during the height of classical English verse by for example Pope and Dryden, and the sonnet form outlived even the Romantic period when they emphasized freedom and usually did not prefer a very strict form like sonnets. Two kinds of sonnets have been the most popular: Shakespearean sonnets and Petrarchan/Italian sonnets. Perhaps the most important reason for the sonnet's popularity is the rigidity of the form; a ready made form which has proved efficient of different kinds of diverse content (love, death, religious themes, philosophical ideas and satirical comments on life) makes the poet's work easier. The sonnet form also presents a challenge the poet has to fill in; artists usually love challenges, so it is no wonder the sonnet form has proved fascinating. The poet has
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