This study
of Shakespeare's sonnets was of extreme interest to me. I love poetry, both
reading and writing it. I had no idea there was such a mathematical formula
behind Shakespeare's work and it's fascinating to see how strict it is. I am
also awed by the difficulty level that it creates. As someone who has
frequently written poems, I understand that rhyme schemes are sometimes
difficult to follow. Such a strict one, coupled with the strict iambic
pentameter consisting of a certain set of syllables, would certainly be too
difficult for me to follow. I really enjoyed finding the mathematics behind
Shakespeare's sonnets and perhaps I will attempt to use them sometime in the
near future.
Shakespeare's
sonnets have a unique and distinct pattern throughout them. One might not think
of poetry as having mathematical characteristics, but these sonnets certainly
do. The pattern Shakespeare uses is ruled strictly by numbers. These sets of
numbers add character to the poem, while also making the writing process much
more difficult because they set harsh guidelines that the writer must work
around. Luckily, these boundaries were not a problem for Shakespeare, as he wrote
154 sonnets using the exact same mathematical pattern.
Each sonnet contains fourteen lines.
For the first twelve lines, they rhyme every other line, with the last two
rhyming with each other. The rhyme scheme is as follows: abab cdcd efef gg.
This puts the lines in groupings of 4, 4, 4, and 2. Such a rhyme scheme is used
to put emphasis on the last two lines; usually a shocking conclusion.
Another numeric pattern within
Shakespeare's sonnets occurs within the lines themselves. The rhythmic pattern
used is known as iambic pentameter. An iamb is a metrical foot consisting of
one unstressed syllable, and one stressed syllable. The lines are pentameters
because they each contain five of these iambs. So, within each line,
Shakespeare has ten syllables, five stressed and five unstressed, creating five
iambs that complete the pentameter.
If one looks deep enough, they can
find the numbers behind anything. Poetry is certainly no different.
Shakespeare's sonnets have a distinct pattern, ruled by numbers and a strict
poetic formula. Such numeric restrictions result in beautiful poetry that flows
effortlessly and entices the reader.
Sonnet: L(lines) S(syllable) I(iamb) P(pentameter)
10S = 5I = 1P = 1L 1I = {2S} 1P
= {5I, 10S} 1Sonnet
= {14L, 14P}
nS = nL X (nI X 2) or nS
= nP X 10
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