Literature Glossary

Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.

Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.

Sestet

Definition:

A sestet is the last six lines of a sonnet, and you can't have a Petrarchan sonnet without one. Don't let anybody try to tell you otherwise—not your mom, not your soccer coach, not even the United States Supreme Court.

What about the first eight lines? That's called an octave. Ready to scope out a sonnet—and a sestet—in action? Try John Donne's "Batter my heart (Holy Sonnet 14)."