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Delayed volta

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A turn or shift in thought or argument that occurs later than expected in a sonnet or similar form

Detailed Definition
Delayed volta refers to the strategic postponement of a poem’s thematic or argumentative turn—typically expected in a sonnet’s ninth line—until later in the structure, thereby heightening tension, extending contemplation, or subverting formal expectations to amplify emotional or intellectual impact.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29, the volta is delayed until the ninth line (“Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising...”) rather than the traditional turn at line 9; John Donne’s “Holy Sonnet XIV” delays its volta to the final couplet for intensified plea; Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43 (“How do I love thee?”) delays emotional climax until the closing lines; Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “Carrion Comfort” delays its volta until near the end to sustain spiritual struggle.
Additional Notes
Delayed volta postpones the traditional “turn” in a sonnet (usually at line 9) to build tension or subvert expectations; found in Shakespearean and Petrarchan variants; effective for sustaining emotional conflict or surprise; analyze how delay affects argument or feeling.
Also Known As
Postponed turn Deferred volta Late pivot Suspended shift Postponed shift
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