Which is NOT a characteristic of both Italian sonnets and Shakespearean sonnets? A. 14 linesB. three quatrainsC. iambic pentameterD. strict rhyme scheme

The answer is letter B. An Italian sonnet has only two quatrains while the English or the Shakespearean sonnet has three. Both sonnets have 14 rhyming lines, the iambic pentameter and both followed rhyme scheme.

A sonnet is a lyric poem comprising 14 rhyming lines of equal length. In English, it is called iambic pentameters, hendecasyllables in Italian and alexandrines in French. An Italian sonnet, also known as the Petrarchan sonnet constitutes an 8-line "octave" of two quatrains. It is rhymed abbaabba which is followed by a 6-line"sestet" (usually) rhymed cdcdcd or cdecde. On the other hand, an English sonnet or the Shakespearean sonnet is composed of three quatrains and a final couplet which is rhymed ababcdcdefefgg. Of all sonnets, the English sonnets has the most flexible pattern but has the simplest.