A sonnet is a type of poem that has been a part of the literary repertoire since the thirteenth century. It is a 14-line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme and a tightly structured thematic organization. The name "sonnet" is derived from the Italian word sonetto, which means "a little sound or song". There are many different types of sonnets, but two sonnet forms provide the models from which all other sonnets are formed: the Petrarchan and the Shakespearean.

• Petrarchan Sonnet: This type of sonnet is divided into two stanzas, the octave (the first eight lines) followed by the answering sestet (the final six lines). The rhyme scheme is abba, abba, cdecde, or cdcdcd.

• Shakespearean Sonnet: This type of sonnet follows a rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef, gg.

Sonnets can communicate a sundry of details contained within a single thought, mood, or feeling, typically culminating in the last lines. They have allowed poets to examine religious, personal, and political problems, and they remain a popular form in literature.