A-Z: General definitions
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A-Z: General definitions: Volta
Definition
Petrarchan sonnets are divided into an octave (8 lines), usually rhyming abba abba, and a sestet (6 lines) rhyming cde cde. The ideas in the octave change or develop in the sestet, and this change is called a volta or leap. Often the volta introduces a shift in tone as the speaker moves from uncertainty to resolution and voices a change in his or her ideas or plans. Frequently, the 6 line sestet presets an answer or a solution to the problem outlined in the 8 line octave.
A sonnet is a poem with a special structure. It has fourteen lines, which are organised in a particular manner, usually characterised by the pattern of rhyming, which changes as the ideas in the poem evolve.
The 8-line stanza of a Petrarchan sonnet, always occupying the first eight lines. It sometimes has a division halfway, creating two quatrains. It poses a problem or describes some single object or incident.
The 6-line stanza of a Petrarchan sonnet, occupying the last six lines, sometimes divided into tercets or couplets. It often resolves the problem posed in the octave or comments significantly on it.
