What is the definition of a sestet?

A sestet is a six-line stanza in poetry. It is most commonly associated with the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet, where it follows an octave (eight-line stanza) and usually deals with the resolution or turning point of the poem's theme.

Here are some key points to remember about a sestet:

* Structure: In a Petrarchan sonnet, the sestet typically follows the rhyme scheme CDECDE or CDCDCD.

* Function: It usually explores the implications or consequences of the ideas presented in the octave, providing a resolution, shift in perspective, or a new layer of meaning.

* Contrast: The sestet often contrasts with the octave in terms of tone, theme, or imagery.

* Flexibility: While it is most common in sonnets, sestets can be found in other types of poetry as well.

Here's an example of a sestet from a Petrarchan sonnet:

> But my love is such that rivers cannot quench,

> Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.

> Thy beauty’s form doth transitorily lie,

> While my love’s fire still burns eternally;

> So shall my love still live, though thou shouldst die,

> And after death, in black and mournful night.

(This sestet is from the sonnet "When My Love Swore" by Sir Philip Sidney. Notice how it contrasts with the octave's focus on the speaker's feelings of being "loved and yet unknowne" and how the sestet emphasizes the enduring power of his love.)