The sonnet is a lyrical poetic composition, which emerged in Italy in the 13th century by Giacomo Lentino. Being one of the most developed and diffused compositions around the world, which has been very well used by different authors, remaining in force over the years.
The traditional Spanish sonnet is composed of fourteen hendecasyllable verses, divided into four stanzas: two quartets and two triplets with consonant rhymes. In the first quartet, the theme to be dealt with in the sonnet is raised, and in the rest of the poem it is expanded and reflected on, however this rule is not exclusive.
Originally, the sonnet was structured by an introduction, a development and a conclusion; This structure has been modified over time and the nature of the sonnet was relegated only to poetry with the same rhythmic work.
It is important to note that the leading figure par excellence of this literary genre was the Italian sonnetist Arezzo Francesco Petrarca, who managed to take this style to other parts of the continent, influencing great authors, especially Spanish poets. Petrarca is the author of the song book "canzoniere", which turned the sonnet into the purest form of manifestation of romance.
The Alexandrian sonnet is a variation of the sonnet introduced into Spanish by the famous poet Rubén Darío. Commonly used in modernist poems, characterized in that the hendecasyllables of the traditional sonnet are replaced by Alexandrian verses of fourteen syllables, divided into two hemistichs (verse divided in half by an intonation pause)
