Final answer:
A sonnet typically has fourteen lines, with variations known as the Shakespearian (with a specific ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme and a volta) and Petrarchan (with an ABBAABBA octave followed by a sestet with varied rhyme schemes). Sonnets are usually written in iambic pentameter.
Step-by-step explanation:
What Is the Structure of a Sonnet?
A sonnet is a form of poetry that traditionally has fourteen lines. There are different types of sonnets, but they all share this characteristic number of lines. The most commonly known types are the Shakespearian (or Elizabethan) sonnet and the Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet.
The Shakespearian sonnet is organized as three quatrains followed by a couplet, with a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Shakespeare's sonnets often contain a volta (a turnaround in thought) between the twelfth and thirteenth lines.
The Petrarchan sonnet, on the other hand, consists of an octave with a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA, followed by a sestet that can have varying rhyme schemes. The volta typically occurs between the octave and the sestet.
Furthermore, these types of sonnets are typically written in iambic pentameter, meaning each line has ten syllables with a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables. While traditional sonnets adhere to these rules, contemporary poets have experimented with variations in rhyme and meter, and sometimes do not follow these rules at all.