All of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets adhere to a strict form of 14 lines. This is one of the defining features of the English, or Shakespearean, sonnet. Each sonnet consists of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final rhymed couplet (two-line stanza), making up a total of 14 lines. The rhyme scheme is typically ABABCDCDEFEFGG.
It's worth noting that the sonnet form was not created by Shakespeare but was a popular form during the Renaissance. Shakespeare's sonnets are particularly well-known and celebrated for their thematic complexity and deep exploration of human emotions.
So, to answer your question, all of Shakespeare's sonnets do indeed have 14 lines.
No, this response is incorrect. Although it accurately defines sonnets and their context in regard to Shakespeare, it is in error when it states that all of Shakespeare's sonnets contain 14 lines.
Sonnet 126 departs from the standard 14-line sonnet. This shorter sonnet is composed of just 12 lines, making it one of the few atypical sonnets in Shakespeare's collection.
We cannot be entirely sure why Shakespeare chose to deviate from the 14-line convention with Sonnet 126. He may have been experimenting with different poetic elements. This could explain his abandonment of quatrains in Sonnet 126, which is composed of six couplets. However, like all other Shakespearean sonnets, this one is still in iambic pentameter.
Sonnet 126 serves as an example of how Shakespeare occasionally experimented with the sonnet form, deviating from the traditional 14-line structure without compromising the essence of his poetic expression.
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