A sestet is a stanza of six lines. In an Italian sonnet, it is the final six lines, following the octave. The octave presents a problem or question; the sestet responds. The turn between them is called the volta.

The sestet often rhymes CDECDE or CDCDCD. It can offer a resolution, a reflection, or a counterargument. Petrarch’s sonnets perfected this structure. Later poets adapted it. The sestet is not limited to sonnets. It can appear as a standalone stanza in other forms. In music, a sestet can refer to a group of six performers. In poetry, the word comes from the Italian sestetto, meaning “little six.” The sestet is a unit of thought as much as a unit of form. It gives the sonnet its two-part architecture, like a question and an answer.

In the sonnet

• Follows the octave
• Often rhymes CDECDE
• Contains the volta
• Offers resolution or reflection