In the example below, one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets, he collapses several words with apostrophes so they fit within the requisite number of ten syllables per line: the two syllables of owest down one for ow’st, the three syllables of wanderest down to two for wand’rest, and the two syllables of growest down one for grow’st. Poem Quotes, Life Quotes, Beautiful Poetry, Beautiful Words, Aesthetic Words. Iambic pentameter also de-emphasizes the rhyme at the end of each line, since it falls on one of the regularly accented syllables, therefore giving it no more weight in the line than any of the other accented syllables. See more ideas about sonnets, poetry examples, poetry. This allowed the flow of each line of poetry to seem as familiar as possible to both readers and listeners. In the poem, the speaker tries to convince herself that she is not actually attracted to the object of her affection because she does not want to become a victim of the poisonous effects. Writers in Shakespeare’s era believed that iambic pentameter most closely matched the normal speaking patterns of native English speakers. Sonnet I is an innovative Petrarchan sonnet that follows the theme of loving beauty and how it can be a devastating poison. Each line is written in iambic pentameter, meaning that each lines contains exactly ten syllables, every other one accented. the Swan and the most accomplished sonnets are poems, like these, that. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets published in his ‘quarto’ in 1609, covering themes such as the passage of time, mortality, love, beauty, infidelity, and jealousy. intense imaginative life, and with an intimate exploration of thought and. Shakespeare also followed another rule that was popular during his era but far less now. Take your pick of Shakespeare’s sonnets below, along with a modern English interpretation of each one aid understanding.