Ozymandias

A traditional sonnet contains fourteen lines and follows one or several set rhyme schemes. However, not every sonnet follows these guidelines. There are two basic types of sonnets which are Italian and Shakespearean. A third type is Spenserian, which combines the two styles and is very rare. The sonnet "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley qualifies as an Italian or Petrarchan sonnet due to the author's traditional use of an octave, to relate an anecdote, and a sestet, to reinforce the point of the poem. His rhyme scheme however, is not the normal Italian style. …