The sonnet is a form of lyrical poetry originating in Italy in the 13th century. In fact, "sonnet" is derived from the Italian word sonetto, meaning "little sound" or "little song." You can spot a sonnet by its 14-line arrangement.
Within those 14 lines, you'll note that traditional sonnets also follow iambic pentameter. That is, each line contains five iambs (or sets of two syllables) where the first syllable is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed (i.e., he ROSE). Even though modern poets sometimes deviate from this standard for effect, it's important to see how it all began.
