The section of the sonnet that sets the theme is called the octave.
An octave consists of eight lines of iambic pentameter or hendecasyllables. The octave has a special purpose, especially in the Petrarchan sonnet. The function of an octave is to set up a problem to be resolved, to reflect on reality, or to express a feeling. In that way, the octave is the one in charge of introducing the theme of the sonnet.