Shakespearean sonnets, contrarily is simpler in terms of rhyme scheme than Petrarchan’s. Instead of having octave and sestet, it consists of ‘3 quatrains of alternating rhyme and a couplet’ (Miller). The typical rhyme scheme for the sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg. Shakespeare introduces his main point in the quatrains and sums up his idea in the couplet. The couplets are used to tie the ideas in the quatrains together to create meaning and to interpret the idea’s significance. The statement of issue is presented repeatedly in each of the three quatrains while the final couplet imposes concise, witty remarks at the end of the poem.  

Sequence

            As in the aspect of sequence of the sonnets, both of the poets wrote their sonnets based on their personal life and their perspective of life itself. Furthermore, sonnets will be more meaningful and make se sense if read according to the order the poet arranged it. It’s like a story from A to Z about life. Looking at Shakespearean sonnets, they can be classified into three groups; the first 126 sonnets are addressed to a young man, urging him to get married and have children, followed by the dark lady, talking about infidelity between the lady and the young man, lust and also the last two sonnets, envoi, which is closer to God that concern about the adaptations of Greek classical poems, stating that nothing can satisfy his burning love. 

            Meanwhile, in his Canzoniere or Song Book, Petrarch wrote his sonnets by starting to express his falling for a woman called Laura. So, the sonnets are full of description of Laura and her admired beauty. The love at first sight however was turned down by Laura because she’s already married. So, the following sonnets described the unrequited love and obsession towards a forbidden love. However, the changing and twist of the sonnet’s category comes in the form of mourning for the death of his beloved Laura, just like how Shakespeare turned his last sonnets into classic Greek tales, making it become more spiritual based sonnets.

Proportioning

‘In the Petrarchan sonnet, the problem is often solved by reasoned perception or by a relatively expansive and formal meditative process, for the sestet allow enough room for the undertaking of prudent, highly reasonable kinds of solutions. But in the Shakespearean sonnet, because resolution must take place within the tiny compass of a twenty-syllable couplet, the ‘solution’ is more likely to be the fruit of wits or paradox or even a quick shaft of sophistry, logical cleverness or outright comedy..’ (Fussell, 1979). From this explanation by Fussell, it was concluded that Petrarchan sonnets structure has enough spaces to direct the reader gradually to the solution. That means the entire efforts to convey the message is quite easy because there are six lines for explanation of resolution. However, in Shakespearean sonnet case, the has different proportioning of lines for resolution, which is little and it is a wonder how Shakespeare managed to conclude a twelve lines of an idea using only two lines.

            As explained above on the structure of Petrarchan sonnets, there are octave and sestet; octave tells the problem and another six lines in sestet slowly direct the readers into the solution. As for Shakespearean sonnets, the three quatrains state the problems in many perspectives and the remaining couplet, which are the remaining two lines, bring the readers to shock due to concise, brief and short statement of resolution. The difference in terms of proportioning in both poems is the lines allocated for statement of idea and resolution.