how many lines make up the sestet of an italian, or petrarchan, sonnet
The original Italian or Petrarchan sonnet form divides the poem's 14 lines into two parts, the first part being an octet and the second being a sestet. The Italian sonnet is made up of two sections, grouped by different rhyming sounds. The first 8 lines is called the octave The last 6 lines are known as the sestet and can have two or three rhyming sounds which can be arranged in a number of ways.