The Sonnet XXVI belongs to which type?

• A. Shakespearean
• B. Spenserian
• C. Petrarchan or Italian
• D. Miltonic

Answer: (C)

Understanding the different sonnet forms helps you spot the form by structure. A Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet is built from an octave of eight lines followed by a sestet of six lines, with a turn (volta) between them that shifts the argument or mood. This division—octave then sestet—defines the Italian design, more than any fixed rhyme pattern like the English Shakespearean’s three quatrains plus a couplet or the Spenserian’s interlocking rhymes. In Sonnet XXVI, the argument unfolds in the octave and then pivots in the sestet, signaling that classic turn. That clear octave–sestet structure and the resulting shift align with the Petrarchan form, making it the best fit. Miltonic is not the standard label for this pattern, so it doesn’t match as closely.