Final answer:
The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, consisting of three quatrains followed by a rhymed couplet, all in iambic pentameter, often with a volta before the couplet.
Step-by-step explanation:
A Shakespearean sonnet is a form of poetry that is structured with 14 lines, following a specific rhyme scheme and rhythm. The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet consists of an octave and a sestet patterned as ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. This means that lines 1 and 3 rhyme with each other, as do lines 2 and 4, continuing this pattern through the quatrains, with the final two lines forming a rhymed couplet. This structure is composed in iambic pentameter and includes a volta, or a shift in thought, typically occurring between the twelfth and thirteenth lines, which ushers in the concluding couplet. The strict rhyme scheme requires poetic discipline and serves to emphasize the theme, often centered around love or other profound personal emotions, within the sonnet's tightly woven structure.