In writing his sonnets Spenser was influenced by which poet? What was the rhyme scheme of the Spenserian sonnets? [British Poetry (2018-19) Assignment 1]

Edmund Spenser, a sixteenth-century English poet, was influenced by the Italian poet Petrarch in his writing of sonnets. In particular, Spenser was influenced by Petrarch's use of the sonnet form to express his unrequited love for a woman named Laura. Spenser also incorporated themes of love and the idealization of women into his sonnets, much like Petrarch had done.

The Spenserian sonnet, named after Edmund Spenser, is a fourteen-line poem with a rhyme scheme of ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. This rhyme scheme is unique to the Spenserian sonnet and differs from the traditional Petrarchan or Shakespearean sonnet forms. In the Spenserian sonnet, the first three quatrains establish a theme or problem, and the final couplet provides a resolution or conclusion. Spenser's most famous sonnet cycle is the "Amoretti," a collection of eighty-eight sonnets that chronicle his courtship of his wife, Elizabeth Boyle.

In addition to the unique rhyme scheme, the Spenserian sonnet also includes a volta or turn, which marks a shift in tone or focus in the poem. This turn typically occurs between the second and third quatrains and serves to develop or complicate the poem's central theme. The Spenserian sonnet's rhyme scheme and volta make it a flexible and adaptable form that can accommodate a range of subjects and moods.