Sonnet 130 Vs. Ars Poetica
Emilia Nallen
Ms. Ritson
English/P.3
02-03-13
Sonnet 130 vs. Ars Poetica
“Change what you see by changing how you see” (Huie). This quote relates to “Sonnet
130,” by William Shakespeare and “Ars Poetica,” by Archibald Mac Leish. Sonnet 130 is
about the faults of his mistress, but realizes by the end of the poem, that his love is all that
matters. This man did not see his mistress as an ugly woman, but instead saw her as
someone whom he loves dearly. In a different way, Ars Poetica states that “a poem should
not mean, but be” (MacLeish 23). People who read a poem may try to interpret its real
meaning, but there is really nothing to interpret. …show more content…
One similarity between “Sonnet 130” and “Ars Poetica” is their themes of
wanting nothing but simplicity in a poem and a mistress (stated in the last couplet),
and love and adoration. When reading “Sonnet 130” one might think that this man
spends his time complaining about his mistress, and clearly dosen’t love her,
however, by the end of the poem he realizes that his mistress may not be beautiful,
but their love is beautiful, and that is all that matters. “And yet, by heaven, I think
my love as rare” (Shakespeare 13). In “Ars Poetica,” MacLeish explains that “a poem
should be wordless” (7) and “a poem should be motionless in time” (9). One might
be confused by what the poem is actually trying to say, but he ended the poem by
saying, “a poem should not mean, but be” (23), which was a clearer statement. …show more content…
This
compares his mistress’ cheeks to the beauty of a rose. “Ars Poetica” has many lines
that use imagery, one of which compares words to the flight of birds, “a poem
should be wordless as the flight of birds” (MacLeish 7). Both writers did an
impeccable job using imagery to enhance the readers understanding and
use descriptive words to make the poem more beautiful and interesting
sounding.
“Ars Poetica” and “Sonnet 130” are similar in the way that they both have a
similar theme of simplicity and adoration. “Ars Poetica” wanting a poem be in it’s
simplest terms and wanting it to mean only just what it says. Although in “Sonnet
130” Shakespeare does seem to expect a lot from a mistress, he states at the end of
the poem, that he wants nothing more than the mistress he has. Another similarity is
that they both compare beauty and nature. This device was used purely to entice the
reader, and make it easier for the reader to understand. One essential difference
between both poems, would be that in “Ars Poetica, the poet strongly believes that a
poem should be “wordless” and simple, almost careless. However, in “Sonnet
Ms. Ritson
English/P.3
02-03-13
Sonnet 130 vs. Ars Poetica
“Change what you see by changing how you see” (Huie). This quote relates to “Sonnet
130,” by William Shakespeare and “Ars Poetica,” by Archibald Mac Leish. Sonnet 130 is
about the faults of his mistress, but realizes by the end of the poem, that his love is all that
matters. This man did not see his mistress as an ugly woman, but instead saw her as
someone whom he loves dearly. In a different way, Ars Poetica states that “a poem should
not mean, but be” (MacLeish 23). People who read a poem may try to interpret its real
meaning, but there is really nothing to interpret. …show more content…
One similarity between “Sonnet 130” and “Ars Poetica” is their themes of
wanting nothing but simplicity in a poem and a mistress (stated in the last couplet),
and love and adoration. When reading “Sonnet 130” one might think that this man
spends his time complaining about his mistress, and clearly dosen’t love her,
however, by the end of the poem he realizes that his mistress may not be beautiful,
but their love is beautiful, and that is all that matters. “And yet, by heaven, I think
my love as rare” (Shakespeare 13). In “Ars Poetica,” MacLeish explains that “a poem
should be wordless” (7) and “a poem should be motionless in time” (9). One might
be confused by what the poem is actually trying to say, but he ended the poem by
saying, “a poem should not mean, but be” (23), which was a clearer statement. …show more content…
This
compares his mistress’ cheeks to the beauty of a rose. “Ars Poetica” has many lines
that use imagery, one of which compares words to the flight of birds, “a poem
should be wordless as the flight of birds” (MacLeish 7). Both writers did an
impeccable job using imagery to enhance the readers understanding and
use descriptive words to make the poem more beautiful and interesting
sounding.
“Ars Poetica” and “Sonnet 130” are similar in the way that they both have a
similar theme of simplicity and adoration. “Ars Poetica” wanting a poem be in it’s
simplest terms and wanting it to mean only just what it says. Although in “Sonnet
130” Shakespeare does seem to expect a lot from a mistress, he states at the end of
the poem, that he wants nothing more than the mistress he has. Another similarity is
that they both compare beauty and nature. This device was used purely to entice the
reader, and make it easier for the reader to understand. One essential difference
between both poems, would be that in “Ars Poetica, the poet strongly believes that a
poem should be “wordless” and simple, almost careless. However, in “Sonnet