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Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget'st so long

To speak of that which gives thee all thy might?
Spend'st thou thy fury on some worthless song,
Darkening thy power to lend base subjects light?

Return, forgetful Muse, and straight redeem
In gentle numbers time so idly spent;
Sing to the ear that doth thy lays esteem
And gives thy pen both skill and argument.

Rise, resty Muse, my love's sweet face survey,
If Time have any wrinkle graven there;
If any, be a satire to decay,
And make Time's spoils despised every where.

Give my love fame faster than Time wastes life;
So thou prevent'st his scythe and crooked knife.

—“Sonnet 100,”
William Shakespeare

Which statements accurately describe the sonnet’s rhyme scheme and its effects? Check all that apply.

The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.
The rhyme scheme is abba cddc effe gg.
The lines in the couplet do not include a rhyme.
The second quatrain rhymes redeem and team, spent and document.
The regular rhyme scheme makes the sonnet sound musical and memorable.

1 answer

Let's analyze the provided options regarding the rhyme scheme of Shakespeare's "Sonnet 100":

  1. The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.

    • Incorrect. The rhyme scheme of this sonnet is actually abba cddc effe gg.

  2. The rhyme scheme is abba cddc effe gg.

    • Correct. This accurately describes the rhyme scheme of the sonnet.

  3. The lines in the couplet do not include a rhyme.

    • Incorrect. The couplet (the last two lines) does include a rhyme, specifically the words "life" and "knife."

  4. The second quatrain rhymes redeem and team, spent and document.

    • Incorrect. The words "redeem" and "spent" do rhyme, but the word "team" does not appear in the sonnet at all, and "document" does not rhyme with anything either.

  5. The regular rhyme scheme makes the sonnet sound musical and memorable.

    • Correct. The regularity of the rhyme scheme contributes to the musical quality and memorability typical of sonnets.

So, the correct statements are:

  • The rhyme scheme is abba cddc effe gg.
  • The regular rhyme scheme makes the sonnet sound musical and memorable.