An Italian sonnet, also known as Petrarchan sonnet is a sonnet form that has the structure of an 8-lined stanza and a 6-lined stanza. The rhyming scheme of the sonnet is abba abba and cdccdc. This means that the first 8 lines will have the rhyme abba abba, and the next 6 lines will be cdc cdc.
John Milton's "Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent" is a Petrarchan sonnet with the same structure. Here, Milton talks about his sudden change in life- his blindness and the concerns he has when he will be blind.
