Onegin stanza Onegin stanza does not divide into smaller stanzas of four lines or two in an obvious way. There are many different ways the sonnet can be divided: for example, the first four lines can form a quatrain, or instead join with the "cc" to form a set. The form's flexibility allows the author more scope to change how the semantic sections are divided from sonnet to sonnet, while keeping the sense of unity provided by following a fixed rhyme scheme. Also, being written in iambic tetrameter imparts a stronger sense of motion than other sonnets, which use the more common
Spenserian stanza Spenserian stanza The Spenserian stanza is a fixed verse form invented by Edmund Spenser for his epic poem "The Faerie Queene" (1590–96). Each stanza contains nine lines in total: eight lines in iambic pentameter followed by a single 'alexandrine' line in iambic hexameter. The rhyme scheme of these lines is ABABBCBCC. This example is the first stanza from Spenser's "Faerie Queene". The formatting, wherein all lines but the first and last are indented, is the same as in contemporary printed editions. <poem> Lo I the man, whose Muse whilome did maske, Fierce warres and faithfull loues shall moralize my song.