The Volta: Turning Point

A volta is the "turn"—where perspective shifts, argument changes direction, everything before is recontextualized. In a sonnet, it typically happens at line 9. But every strong poem has a volta.

It might be subtle: a question becomes a statement. It might be dramatic: a poem praising love suddenly becomes about loss. The volta gives a poem movement. Look for where your thinking shifts. What line forces new realization? Plant that moment deliberately. Make it clear but not obvious.

In "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day," the volta is "But thy eternal summer shall not fade." Comparison becomes promise. That's the volta's power.