Limitations on Desire In the 16th century the nature and origin of desire are commonplace. There are many types of desire represented within the major works, which include the desires for wealth, power, holiness, status and, of course, the flesh. While these desires may have been felt by many citizens, such intimate desires were rarely spoken in public. The literary beacons of the period addressed these desires both discreetly and overtly, but were tame compared to the explicit expression of desire found in present day. There are many ways modern day society differs from that of the 16th century and although the same desires would be addressed differently today, the way these desires are handled is shaped by the occurrences of the 16 century and the portrayal of desire in literature. Various forms of desire were present in much of 16th century literature. William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Edmund Spenser are three of the authors responsible for illuminating these often unspoken desires. This was particularly true of Shakespeare and Marlowe, along with the other playwrights of their generation. A large number of citizens in 16th century were illiterate and did not have access to the written works advocating …show more content…
Shakespeare used little discretion within his sonnets and plays in regards to his expressions of desire. His sonnets tell the tale of what is believed to be a romantic interlude with a young male (Shakespeare’s Sonnets, 2011), but in Sonnet 130 Shakespeare espouses on the feminine form in explicit although unflattering, detail (2006. p. 507). . His description of his love is much kinder. One of Shakespeare’s most famous lines “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? /Though art more lovely and more temperate:” (2006, p. 499) is much more flattering and represents the desire he feel for another
Parmisano, S. F. "Desire." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 689-690. Gale World History In Context. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.
What values and world-views characterized the Middle Ages, such that they came to be rejected and termed “dark” by the world of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment? As Julius Evola (2010) writes, “with the en...
In this brief monograph, we shall be hunting down and examining various creatures from the bestiary of Medieval/Renaissance thought. Among these are the fierce lion of imperious, egotistical power, a pair of fantastic peacocks, one of vanity, one of preening social status, and the docile lamb of humility. The lion and the peacocks are of the species known as pride, while the lamb is of an entirely different, in fact antithetical race, that of humility and forgiveness. The textual regions we shall be exploring include the diverse expanses, from palace to heath, of William Shakespeare, the dark, sinister Italy of John Webster, and the perfumed lady's chambers of Ben Jonson and Robert Herrick.
Hailing from France, the correlation between the development of culture and literature, in a place that would eventually epitomize Western culture and serve as the mecca for high-society and wealth, can begin to be developed. Marie writes tales of love, but tales of love that surround wealth, seduction, and adultery – tales and themes that do not parallel that of the Catholic church and will eventually be themes which develops Western culture. Furthermore, one of the major differences between Marie’s work and that of previous texts such as the Roman epics or religious foundational texts is that they tell stories that are reflective of a culture and are meant to be enjoyed, not to serve a political purpose or preserve history. These stories will resonate more as they are meant to be enjoyed and read for pleasure, and appeal to a much wider audience for they are not specific to a region or people. In writing in such a way, Marie will begin the culture development of Europe by creating stories that serve as reflection of a culture, but appeal to an audience beyond regional
Writers of the seventeenth century had varied approaches to the relationship between reason and emotion. Most writers included the use of both reason and emotion throughout their works, but emphasized the dominance of either reason or emotion. In Shakespeare’s King Lear, for example, many characters that become dominated by emotional needs make poor decisions, while characters with rational stances tend to thrive based upon their wise decisions. Robert Herrick’s poem, “To the Virgins, to make much of Time,” is another work that focuses on the dominance of rational actions and decisions over emotional needs. The dominance of reason as the essential method of making decisions becomes apparent in the works of both Shakespeare and Herrick. Some writers emphasized emotion as the dominant factor in regards to what should influence an individual’s decision the most. For instance, in John Donne’s Poem, “The Flea,” the speaker attempts to convince his lover through the use of rational thought, however, his intention of emotional ‘satisfaction’ is obviously his primary goal. Donne emphasizes the need for emotional satisfaction as being more important than the need for reasonable thought, however, Donne’s rational approach demonstrates his intermingling of both reason and emotion into one work. Other writers emphasize the importance of both emotion and reason. For example, in Thomas Hobbes’ work, Leviathan, Hobbes evaluates the equal importance between both emotion and reason in regards to human nature. Hobbes realizes that men are motivated by many desires including happiness, an emotional need, and power, a rational need, and thus evaluates the significance of both when observing human nature. Writers of the seventeenth century addressed b...
When he writes "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she, belied with false compare." (lines 13-14) in the final couplet, one responds with an enlightened appreciation, making them understand Shakespeare's message that true love consists of something deeper than physical beauty. Shakespeare expresses his ideas in a wonderful fashion. Not only does he express himself through direct interpretation of his sonnet, but also through the levels at which he styled and produced it. One cannot help but appreciate his message of true love over lust, along with his creative criticism of Petrarchan sonnets.
Sexual Manifesto: Homosexual Desires in William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 135 William Shakespeare, an English writer born in 1564, had written numerous works that have been dedicated to an individual named Henry Wriothesley, a nobleman from the United Kingdom. Shakespeare’s first published books, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, each began with a short appreciative note to Wriothesley, expressing his gratitude and love. Shakespeare continued his praise and admirableness towards Wriothesley in his sonnets. However, Shakepseare disclosed his speaker’s attraction towards a character named the Golden Young Man. Many believe this character to be Wriothesely himself due to hints Shakespeare makes towards the identity of the Golden Young Man.
Shakespeare’s sonnet 130 is a sonnet much different than the normal love sonnets of that time. A well-known re-occurring them in Shakespeare’s sonnets is love. Shakespeare’s sonnet 130 can be interpreted many different ways. Sonnet 130 describes what love is to Shakespeare by making the poem a joke in order to mock other poets. In sonnet 130, Shakespeare spoke of a courtly love. Shakespeare goes against the usual style of courtly love writing in this sonnet. “In comparison to Petrarch’s Sonnet 90 and Shakespeare’s own Sonnets 18 and 20, Sonnet 130 is a parody of courtly love, favoring a pastoral love that is austere in its declaration, yet deep-rooted in sincerity” (Dr. Tilla Slabbert 1). Sonnet 130 mocks the men who use the traditional
William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130”, was published in the mid-1590, and published with the rest of Shakespeare’s sonnets in 1609. The sonnet has fourteen lines, and divided into three quatrains and one couplet at the end. The rhyme scheme is cross rhyme, with the last two lines being couplets that rhyme. The sonnet compares between nature and the poets’ lover or mistress. He shows a more realistic view of his lover. Needless to say his significant other wasn’t physically attractive, yet he loved her inside beauty. Today we may use the term, “It’s not all about looks, but what’s inside”.
Both Sonnets have different styles. Sonnet 18 is a much more traditional poem, showing the reader a picture of his muse in the most divine way. Shakespeare uses a complex metaphor of comparing his subject to the summer, but at the same time making it easy to understand. The poet goes as traditional as possible; his friend surpasses the beauty of summer, as summer will fade and turn to winter. Sonnet 130 is just as easy to understand as the former. The use of straightforward comparisons that go from line to line, instead of one metaphor elaborated through the entire poem, makes this sonnet quite different in style. Sonnet 130, in contradiction to Sonnet 18, purposefully branches off from the traditional romantic love poem for he does not describe the subject as a true beauty but as his true love.
It can be noted that in a certain way, pornography has always been connected to advancement in technology as well as means of communication. Its critical history can be traced to an author known as Nicolas-Edme Rétif de la Bretonne who wrote a pornographic novel in 1798. Arguably, he played a great role in defi...
At the time of its writing, Shakespeare's one hundred thirtieth sonnet, a highly candid, simple work, introduced a new era of poems. Shakespeare's expression of love was far different from traditional sonnets in the early 1600s, in which poets highly praised their loved ones with sweet words. Instead, Shakespeare satirizes the tradition of comparing one's beloved to the beauties of the sun. From its opening phrase "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun", shocks the audience because it does not portray a soft, beautiful woman. Despite the negative connotations of his mistress, Shakespeare speaks a true woman and true love. The sonnet is a "how-to" guide to love.
In William Shakespeare’s sonnet “shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” the audience is introduced to a poem in which he himself goes into depth about the person he is infatuated with. The author does not give any type of hints telling the audience who the poem is towards because it can be for both male and female. That’s the interesting part about William Shakespeare’s work which is to second hand guess yourself and thinking otherwise. Making you think and think rational when you read his work. The sonnet “Shall I compare thee to a summers day” is one of his most famous and published poem. Shakespeare’s tone of voice at the commence of the poem is somewhat relaxed and joyful because he is going on talking about the person he is intrigued by. Throughout the passage Metaphors, similes and imagery can all be found in the poem itself
Overturning the medieval ideal of prudent restraint of emotion, society in 16th century England increasingly encouraged expressiveness under the ideal of sincerity. These priorities were very different to those of the Middle Ages, where, in the words of Jacob Burckhardt, human consciousness ‘lay dreaming or half awake beneath a common veil woven of faith, illusion and childish prepossession.’3 The emerging emphasis of not only the existence of an individual self, but also its capacity to be developed4 (Greenblatt, p. 1) no doubt encouraged greater personal reflection in literature, which to this purpose is interpreted as increased sincerity. While personal writings had existed in the culture of the Middle Ages, what was novel about the sixteenth century view of self was the way in which men and women in the Renaissance began to conceptualise the connection between their interior selves and the expression of their beliefs and em...
Through the form of sonnet, Shakespeare and Petrarch both address the subject of love, yet there are key contrasts in their style, structure, and in the manner, each approaches their subjects. Moreover, in "Sonnet 130," Shakespeare, in fact, parodies Petrarch's style and thoughts as his storyteller describes his mistress, whose "eyes are in no way as the sun" (Shakespeare 1918). Through his English poem, Shakespeare seems to mock the exaggerated descriptions expanded throughout Petrarch’s work by portraying the speaker’s love in terms that are characteristic of a flawed woman not a goddess. On the other hand, upon a review of "Sonnet 292" from the Canzoniere, through “Introduction to Literature and Arts,” one quickly perceives that Petrarch's work is full of symbolism. However, Petrarch’s utilization of resemblance and the romanticizing of Petrarch's female subject are normal for the Petrarchan style.