“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”…
“Idea: Sonnet 61” by Michael Drayton is a fourteen line Petrarchan sonnet that dramatizes the conflicting emotions that arise from an intimate relationship coming to an abrupt end. After analyzing and doing several closer readings, I learned that “Idea: Sonnet 61” is actually about the poet’s own conflicting emotions and feelings from a harsh break up. However, it was no ordinary and flippant relationship. It was a serious relationship that involved great amounts of passion that came to a sudden abrupt end. It was a relationship that had a great amount of importance to the poet, whether he is talking about his first wife or even his first love. I believe I confidently can determine and come to the conclusion that this poem is about the poet’s love of his life and his contradicting feelings he is having during and after their separation.…
Sonnet 146 is well known for its deeply intriguing religious aspect, as it is one of Shakespeare’s religious sonnets and almost the only religious one. It is religious as its tone mentions its concern with heaven, asceticism and also the progress of the soul all through out the sonnet. The idea that the poet was trying to convey to his audience is that the body exists at the expense of the soul, so that adorning or worrying about its beauty can only be accomplished at the souls expense. The poem is an internal monologue, which makes it first person point of view. This helps the audience understand that he is talking to himself and whom he is talking about. This sonnet can also be referred to as mediation between the soul and the body relationship.…
[Joanne Woolway is a freelance writer who recently earned her Ph.D. from Oriel College, Oxford, England. In the following essay, Woolway analyzes how, in “Sonnet 130,” Shakespeare “succeeds...in turning traditional poetic conventions around.” She also takes a close look at the ways Shakespeare's versification—his skill patterning of stressed and unstressed syllable—supports the poem's meaning]…
One for each quatrain and the concluding two sentences for the final couplet. By splitting the couplet apart, the author is able to add more stress to the meaning behind the couplet. The speaker starts the couplet by asking a question, then proceeds to answer his own with a statement. “But what's so blessed-fair that fears no blot? Thou mayst be false, and yet I know it not.” (13-14). He questions his “perfect” love and finally being able to through his ignorance. Seeing that there could be a possibility that his lover maybe having a different affair with someone else. The syntax keeps the flow of the poem at a steady rate that can be described as linear to show the reader his “boldness” and “courage” in each sentence. Each one increasing the standards of which he thinks his love one see him. By saying he will die the moment his lover thinks poorly of him, he is indirectly stating that she loves him. This sort of backward thinking is required to fully understand the meaning behind the…
Examine the view that Shakespeare's sonnet 116 is what a love poem should be: an expression of perfect love.…
Williams Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 29” is Shakespeare starts the first quatrain with himself talking of disgrace in his fortune and in the eyes of others. In the second quatrain, Shakespeare takes the inward thoughts and looks outward with coveting eyes and wishes he could be a different man. By the third quatrain, the poet thinks upon the young man to whom the poem is addressing, which makes him assume a more optimistic view of his own life. The speaker compares such a change in mood to a lark rising from the early morning darkness at sunrise. Finally, the speaker masterfully closes the sonnet by declaring an emotional remembrance of his friend's love which is enough for him to value his position in life more than a king’s friendship. Several poetic devices enhance his use of poetic imagery, figurative language, and sounds to create a unifying effect throughout his work, thus enabling him to express many intricate emotions in simply fourteen lines.…
In the third quatrain, this is where he starts the comparison of nature to the women. He begins to say that her youth will not die or that she will stay looking and feeling young for a long period of time. Then he goes on to say she’ll never lose the…
First off, this sonnet follows the typical form of most Shakespearean sonnets. It has 14 lines, which the typical rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. The sonnet is also written in Iambic Pentameter. This sonnet deals with the traditional sonnet topic of love. Many sonnets throughout time have dealt with the topic of love. In this sonnet there are several examples of repetition of words within the same line.…
The three quatrains of the poem employ three different forms of sensory imagery: the first is sights; the second, smells; and the third, sounds. These images are interwoven with other literary devices to paint a more complete picture of the lady. Shakespeare did not rely merely on her looks to characterize his ladylove, but proposes a contrast to the bombast of pedestal poetry. The diction has a simple elegance that suggests the same qualities are exemplified in the woman who he holds in such high esteem. Parallel structure contributes to the meaning of the poem without overwhelming the natural flow of the verses. His smooth transition from single to double line comparisons serves to capture the reader’s attention as the contrasts are further developed.…
Shakespeare is a name that is familiar to anyone who has a high school education, at the very least. What makes Shakespeare timeless and relevant to every generation since his, is that his works speak universal truths. But how well would he be received in today’s society if it were known that he was homosexual? Would our country’s homophobia change the way we appreciate Shakespeare’s work? In this essay I will argue that Shakespeare was indeed a homosexual. Although this is a radical conclusion, it is one that has been argued before. Acting under the premise that Shakespeare’s sonnets were published without his knowledge and consent, we can make the assumption that the speaker in his sonnets is the poetic persona, himself. Sonnet 20 is addressed to a man whom Shakespeare is in love with. With this in mind, Sonnet 20 is an admission of bisexuality at the very least and homosexuality at the most. Through Shakespeare’s combination of language and tone we can make the assumption that the poem is addressed to an androgynous male, most likely an actor from the theatre, whom Shakespeare loved.…
Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare is a love story. He describe the girl as someone who is not attractive, but he still loves her none the less. The purpose of the poem is to tell people that you don’t need to be worried about appearance. It’s what’s on the inside that really matters.…
This poem has no set pattern that is constant throughout. It has eleven sections in which are broken down into quatrains. Some verses are very different from others adding a trace of a story. Therefore, the verses do not follow the same rhyming scheme, making the poems emotion serious and mature. The lack of verse form also adds to these emotions.…
“Western composers-Mendelssohn and Schumann, for example-wrote works using national color characteristics of various countries. In so doing they came to fabricate some imaginary national atmosphere, as in the making-believe Hungarian and Spanish music of Liszt, Brahms, Bizet. But above all, new national styles of their own developed in the various countries of East as well as West Europe”. The Years of Pilgrimage is a collection of Liszt’s trip. During the years of travelling performances in various countries, Liszt composed a set of large divertimento which depicts the artist’s lifestyle travelling. Among these tunes many are derived from the years Liszt spent with his lover Marie d'Agoult in Switzerland and Italy. These poetic tunes are based on the composer’s impression and perception of natural landscape.…
Edmund Spenser is one of the most widely known Elizabethan poets. He often put himself in the center of his poems, expressing very personal thoughts, emotions, and convictions. Such poetry, known as 'lyric,' became popular during Spenser's time where poems were more focused on the individual. In his poem known as Sonnet 75, Spenser proclaims his love to his woman with the use of symbols, her name and heaven, external conflicts, and alliteration.…