In sonnet sequences, what is the 'volta'?
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Correct answer: A shift or 'turn' in the poem's argument or tone
The volta is the dramatic turning point of the sonnet. In Petrarchan sonnets it occurs at line 9; in Shakespearean sonnets it most distinctively appears at line 13, where the couplet delivers a sudden reversal or resolution.
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More Shakespearean Sonnets questions
- Sonnets 127 through 152 are famously associated with which character?
- In Sonnet 18 ('Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?'), what is the primary reason the subject's 'eternal summer' will not fade?
- Which figure is introduced in Sonnets 78–86 as a competitor for the Fair Youth's patronage and affection?
- What is the standard metrical foot used in Shakespeare's sonnets?
- In Sonnet 130 ('My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun'), what traditional poetic convention is Shakespeare satirizing?
- Which of the following describes the relationship between the quatrains and the couplet in a Shakespearean sonnet?