Imposing the thematic sequence of a Petrarchan sonnet in a more formal pattern, Shakespeare uses the first and second quatrain to build on an argument and then concludes this by the final couplet. ... Finally in the conclusive couplet he shows animosity towards the woman he loves, and turns his focus away from his physical being and towards her infidelity. ... In the Petrarchan style, rather than the volta appearing in the ending couplet, it usually appears in the center of the poem after a developing thought within the first six lines and then another in the six lines after it. ... It appears...

• Word Count: 1540
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate