For my final project in Shakespeare: Love, Myth, and Metamorphosis, I decided to write a Shakespearean sonnet. I was inspire by his Sonnets about “the dark lady,” because I am dark and a lady, and have never thought to even try to write a sonnet. Along with my interests in race theory, Black womanhood, and my personal experiences of being in interracial relationships, my goal was to write poems exploring those ideas that may challenge or play off of Shakespeare’s themes. After a few Google searches and reading some of his work, I learned that the basic structure of his sonnets consist of three quatrains and a couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, and every line is 10 syllables long. The subject matter of sonnets varies, but is typically about love. Shakespeare has used this form to explore many subjects by expanding on the state of the subject, asks a question, and then answers it. For more information click here.
With this rudimentary understanding, I went off and wrote my first sonnet, which took me three days. I am more familiar with free verse and had always shied away from rhyming– a complex I internalized because of a former teacher’s preferences.
My process was to first break down the sentiment of each stanza, and then I crafted many revisions of each line in long hand until it was 10 syllables, and matched the rhyme scheme. Thesaurus.com and Rhymezone.com was my best friend for this entire process.
Although the class and project is over, I am still inspired by the work of crafting words to fit into the puzzle of this form. Over the following weeks I will publish my collection sonnets inspired by themes about Black womanhood, interracial relationships, and other things that transpires.
the black honey project 