The Shakespearean sonnet differs from the Petrachan sonnet by ending with a

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks how the Shakespearean (English) sonnet differs from the Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet in the way it ends.

Step 2: Explain the concept Both sonnets have 14 lines, but they are organised differently.

| Feature | Petrarchan (Italian) | Shakespearean (English) | |---|---|---| | Structure | Octave (8 lines) + Sestet (6 lines) | 3 quatrains (4 lines each) + 1 couplet (2 lines) | | Rhyme scheme | ABBAABBA, then CDECDE or CDCDCD | ABAB CDCD EFEF GG | | Ending | A sestet (6 lines) | A rhyming couplet (2 lines) |

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. Couplet: Correct. The Shakespearean sonnet closes with two rhyming lines (GG). This couplet often gives a conclusion, a twist, or a summary of the poem's message.
• B. Quatrain: Wrong. The Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains, but they come at the beginning and middle, not the end.
• C. Sestet: Wrong. The sestet is the closing six lines of the Petrarchan sonnet.
• D. Tercet: Wrong. A tercet is a three-line unit, which is not the closing unit of either sonnet type.

Step 4: Answer The Shakespearean sonnet ends with a couplet, while the Petrarchan sonnet ends with a sestet.

Example: Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 ends with: "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." These two rhyming lines (see/thee) are the couplet.

Exam tip: Remember "Shakespeare = 3 + 1 + 1... no, 4+4+4+2". A simpler way: Petrarchan = 8 + 6, Shakespearean = 12 + 2. The "2" at the end is the couplet. Also, Shakespeare's couplet is like his "final word" on the subject.