Sestet

A sestet is a group of six lines of poetry, most often the last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet.

The sestet of Wordsworth's sonnet begins with the turn, after eight lines of complaint.

Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

William Wordsworth, "The World Is Too Much with Us", 1807

What it is

In a Petrarchan sonnet the six lines of the sestet follow the eight of the octave. The volta, or turn, comes between them. Rhyme patterns for the sestet vary, such as CDECDE or CDCDCD.

How to spot it

Look for the line where the sonnet turns, then count six lines to the end. The sestet often shifts the speaker's attitude, turns from a problem to a solution, or moves from the general to the personal. Words such as "yet", "but" and "so" signal it. If you read the last six lines alone and they feel like a reply to the first eight, you have found it. If they do not, the poem may be a Shakespearean sonnet, which closes on a couplet.

Why it matters to a writer or editor

The sestet is where a sonnet pays off. If the turn does not change anything, the sestet only repeats the octave, and that is the point to rework.

Frequently asked questions

What does a sestet do in a sonnet?

It answers or reflects on the problem the octave set out. The turn between the two parts is called the volta.