What are the similarities and differences between a Shakespearean and Petrarchan love sonnet in both structure and content?

AnswerBoth the Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets consist of fourteen lines and are written in iambic pentameter.  This means that each line, generally speaking, will have five (penta-) feet, with each foot consisting of one unaccented syllable followed by one accented syllable: this means that each line will typically have ten syllables.  The foot name is an iamb (this is where we get the word iambic), and each iamb has two syllables: one unaccented followed by one accented syllable.  

The Petrarchan sonnet is divided into an eight line octave (rhyme scheme: abbaabba) followed by a six line sestet (with a rhyme scheme that is more open: cdcdcd, cdecde, cdeedc—really, any combination of "c"s and "d"s and maybe "e"s is acceptable).  Then, there is usually some division of content between the octave and sestet.  The octave might pose a question that the sestet answers.  The octave might present a problem that the sestet solves.  The octave could present an issue from one angle, and then the sestet takes a different angle on the issue.

The Shakespearean sonnet is divided into three four line groups called quatrains (rhyming ababcdcdefef), followed by a rhyming couplet.  Each quatrain might present an example, and the couplet could present whatever ties the examples together.  Each quatrain might ask a question with the couplet providing the one answer to them all.  Generally, the couplet contains some key information that we need in order to understand the importance of the quatrains.:

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