What is the typical rhyme scheme for the octave of a Petrarchan sonnet?

What is the typical rhyme scheme for the octave of a Petrarchan sonnet?

• A. ABBAABBA
• B. ABABABAB
• C. ABCABC
• D. AABBCC

Answer: (A)

In a Petrarchan sonnet, the octave shows a situation or argument within a tightly mirrored frame, and the rhyme scheme that achieves that symmetry is ABBAABBA. This pattern binds the four lines into pairs that rhyme in a way that feels enclosed and balanced—the first line rhymes with the fourth, the second with the third, and the inner rhymes echo the outer ones as well. That geometric enclosure helps to set up the problem or theme before the turn in the sestet. This is distinct from the Shakespearean form, which uses an ABAB pattern across three quatrains plus a final couplet. The other patterns listed—ABABABAB, ABCABC, or AABBCC—don’t provide the same mirrored enclosure of the octave, so ABBAABBA is the standard choice for the octave in the Petrarchan sonnet.

In a Petrarchan sonnet, the octave shows a situation or argument within a tightly mirrored frame, and the rhyme scheme that achieves that symmetry is ABBAABBA. This pattern binds the four lines into pairs that rhyme in a way that feels enclosed and balanced—the first line rhymes with the fourth, the second with the third, and the inner rhymes echo the outer ones as well. That geometric enclosure helps to set up the problem or theme before the turn in the sestet. This is distinct from the Shakespearean form, which uses an ABAB pattern across three quatrains plus a final couplet. The other patterns listed—ABABABAB, ABCABC, or AABBCC—don’t provide the same mirrored enclosure of the octave, so ABBAABBA is the standard choice for the octave in the Petrarchan sonnet.