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The section of the sonnet that sets the theme is called the?

Motet

Octave

Sestet

Octet

2 Answers

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The section of the sonnet that sets the theme is called the octave.

An octave consists of eight lines of iambic pentameter or hendecasyllables. The octave has a special purpose, especially in the Petrarchan sonnet. The function of an octave is to set up a problem to be resolved, to reflect on reality, or to express a feeling. In that way, the octave is the one in charge of introducing the theme of the sonnet.

User Liav
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That section is known as the Octave because it sets up the theme and elaborates what the theme is and puts context into the sonnet and what it is being written about 
User Speak
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