Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry The Sonnet Sonnet Comparison Chart English Verse
The Heroic Sonnet departs from the quatorzain and stretches the verse for eighteen lines which could put into question whether or not it is a true sonnet. But, John Donne's The Token "sings" with the best of sonnets and convinced me this verse form easily qualifies. This longer sonnet form dates back to 16th century England.
The elements of the Heroic Sonnet are:
metric, iambic pentameter.
a poem in 18 lines made up of 4 alternate rhymed quatrains and ending with a rhymed heroic couplet.