Question

Label the rhyme scheme of the poem, beginning with a.

SONNET 19
When I consider how my light is spent,
E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide,
Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present 5
My true account, least he returning chide,
Doth God exact day labour, light deny'd,
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts, who best 10
Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly.

Answer 1

The correct answer is ABBA ABBA CDE CDE.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Sonnet 19, also known as "When I Consider How My Light is Spent," John Milton uses a Petrarchan form, which divides the fourteen lines of the poem into two parts, the first part being an octave (eight lines with two stanzas) and the second being a sestet (six lines with two stanzas).

Although this rhyme scheme is used by many authors during the Renaissance, it clearly differenciates from the typical sonnet's rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, which was more commonly used by many authors, including Shakespeare.

Answer 2

The rhyme scheme in this poem is

ABBAABBACDECDE

This was a common rhyming scheme in writing sonnets.