Question

Read the first five lines of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 12,” and use the drop-down menus to mark the rhyme scheme.

When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night,
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls all silvered o'er with white:
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves

The dropdowns are marked with A B & C

Answer 1

Read the first five lines of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 12,” and use the drop-down menus to mark the rhyme scheme.1:a,
2:b,
3:a,
4:b,
5:c

Answer 2

Answer: ababc.

Explanation: When we want to determinate the rhyme scheme of a poem, we need to pay attention to the ending sound of each line and how it compares with the one of the other lines. In the given lines of Shakespeare's Sonnet 12, we have that the first and third line end with the same sound "time" and "prime". The second and fourth line also end with the same sound "night" and "white" and the last line has an unique ending sound "leaves" so the rhyme scheme would be: ababc.