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Arts & Culture

The Evolution of the Sonnet: From Petrarch to Shakespeare

Quick fact

The Shakespearean sonnet, also known as the English sonnet, was actually popularized by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, decades before Shakespeare used it, and its final couplet often delivers a surprising turn.

Why this is interesting

You’ve probably heard of a sonnet, but did you know that the most famous sonnets in English are actually a mutated version of an Italian original? How did a love poem change so much that it became a whole new beast?