Throughout Shakespeare's poetic playwriting, the sonnet and blank verse evolved, elevating the iambic form to new possibilities. The combination of this introspective form and the action of a play were not only perfectly suited to express and maintain the integrity of Shakespeare's masterpieces 400 years after his death, they mark his artistic growth and continue to inspire poets today. What has become of the modern sonnet, and how does it resemble or evolve from the work of William Shakespeare? How far can the sonnet stretch and still be a sonnet?

The sonnet in the Twentieth century is alive and well, spanning the gamut from the strictly traditional to the experimental, at times barely recognizable but for the line count.

Kathryn Guille is an American writer living in Limerick. She is the 2016 winner of the Cuirt International New Writing Award in poetry. Kathryn was a fight director and actress for over ten years before moving to Ireland, having worked with many New York Theaters, She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The City College of New York.