 Hi, welcome to another video lecture on Shakespearean Metrical Patterns. This time we want to look at the structure and the original pronunciation of Shakespeare's sonnets. And as usual I have an expert with me who can explain the theoretical aspects much better than I can do it. Welcome Sonja Philitz. Professor Philitz is our institute's expert on early modern literature. So, Sonja, what is a sonnet? Well, a sonnet is a poetic form and the term is derived from the Italian word sonnetto and translates to somewhat meaning small sounding composition. A sonnet always consists of one unit of 14 lines altogether. It originated in 14th century Italy and was brought to England in the 16th century by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard Earl of Surrey. The English sonnet can be structured as three quatrains, that is, units of four lines showing cross rhymes and one couplet, that is, a unit of two lines with a pair rhyme. The couplet introduces an unexpected turn of argument, the so-called Volta. Let us illustrate this structure by using Shakespeare's sonnet 18, probably his most famous one. Here it is read by my colleague Jürgen Huntke in what may come close to original pronunciation. In every fair from fair some tame declines may chance or nature's changing course untrimmed. But the eternal summer shall not fade nor lose possession of that fair of the host. Nor shall death brag though wondrous in his shed when in eternal lanes to tame though grossed. So long as men can brave or race can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee. As you could hear we have three cross rhymes and one pair rhyme. The Italian sonnet now by contrast can be structured as two quatrains and two tercets. Listen to the rhymes. Here is the first sonnet of Petrachos Canzionere read by Valentina Grazioso, one of our Italian MA graduates. As you can hear in both cases that is the Italian as well as the English sonnets, all lines use the Iambic That is a meter where an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed one. Each line contains five of these disyllabic units also referred to as feet. Here are the first two lines of Shakespeare's sonnet 18 again to illustrate this phenomenon. Shall I compare thee to Summersday, the word more lovely and more tempered. As indicated earlier inherent in the sonnet is the feature of rhyming. In the first two quatrains the last syllable of line one rhymes with the last syllable of line three. Then line two with line four and then again line five with line seven and so on. If you pronounce these words in present day English however at least one rhyme doesn't work and this is temperate and date. But if we use the original pronunciation and the sound system of early modern English we can clearly see that the first two quatrains use a perfect rhyming pattern. Shall I compare thee to Summersday, the word more lovely and more tempered. Roof winds do shake the dawdling buds of May and Summerslay's has all too short a date. Sumtein too hot the A of heaven shades and often is his gold complexion dimmed. And every fair from fair Sumtein declines by chance our natures changing course untrimmed. The rhyming pattern of the so-called cross rhyme applies to the third quartrain as well before the sonnet concludes with a couplet that is a pair rhyme. So let's listen to the original version of these last two lines. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see so long lives this and this gives life to thee. The awareness of these rhyming patterns in all of Shakespeare's sonnets allow us to draw important conclusions about the pronunciation of words in early modern English and vice versa. The original pronunciation helps us to identify perfectly matching rhymes that only appear incorrect to us who are used for the pronunciation of the 21st century. Well, thank you very much, Sonja. I hope you have now not only gained an idea about the metrical organization of Shakespeare's sonnets, but at the same time have understood in what way rhyme and meter can tell us more about the pronunciation of early modern English. Thanks for your attention.