A sonnet is a lyric poem of fourteen lines, following one of several set of rhyme-schemes. Critics of the sonnet have recognized varying classifications, but the two characteristic sonnet types are the Italian type (Petrarchan) and the English type (Shakespearean). Shakespeare is still nowadays seen as in idol in English literature. No one can read one of his works and be left indifferent. His way of writing is truly fascinating. His sonnets, which are his most popular work, reflect several strong themes. Several arguments attempt to find the full content of those themes. Shakespeare’s themes are mostly conventional topics, such as love and beauty. Nevertheless, Shakespeare presents these themes in his own unique fashion, most notably by addressing the poems of beauty not …show more content…
She is Shakespeare’s subject of passion, a woman of questionable attractiveness and virtue: “And in some perfumes is there more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks” (book). The use of “reeks” was probably not quite as harsh and damaging to the concept of beauty as it seems to a modern ear. The word was not as suggestive of fetid exhalations as it is now. However, even from an early date, it tended to be associated with steamy, sweaty and unsavory smells. To second the concept of her bad breath, her voice was not special at all as Shakespeare points out “That music hath a far more pleasing sound” (book). However much better music is, Shakespeare would much prefer listen to her voice, and his knowledge of the superiority of music is irrelevant. Several other factors continue to emphasize on her questionable attractiveness. Yet, Shakespeare still loves her. Shakespeare’s Dark Lady is not perfect, but he adores her despite her imperfections, and he credits her with a sense of humor. It’s obvious that Shakespeare’s love for her is purely erotic, not romantic. He knows that she doesn’t have to be lied to and compared to goddesses. She walks on the
Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations: William Shakespeare's Sonnets. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. pg. 12-13
Never to go unnoticed, the name William Shakespeare describes an experienced actor, an exceptional playwright, and a notable philosopher. As one of the most influential men of the sixteenth and seventeenth century, Shakespeare impacted many artists with his riveting masterpieces. Shakespeare captured the attention of the people through his exquisite work in blank verse, and he inspired them with universal truths of the human condition. His sonnet sequence, consisting of 154 poems, is arguably the finest collection of love poems in the English language. Shakespeare continuously impressed his audience with his explorations of life’s complexities. Such an intricate man; however, he never wrote about himself. He would not discuss his composition methods and only through careful analysis could one understand the underlying truths to his work. Shakespeare was often known to use plots from other sources and enrich them to masterpieces with his genuine knowledge of literature. Although he completed many poems in his lifetime, each one of them was rich in quality and very complex in structure. The play, Macbeth, reveals the uniform structure of a typical Elizabethan tragedy with five acts that carefully reflect the pyramid organization of an exposition, a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a denouement.
Willen, Gerald and Victor B. Reed, eds. A Casebook on Shakespeare’s Sonnets. New York: Crowell, 1964.
Fineman, Joel. Shakespeare's Perjured Eye : The Invention of Poetic Subjectivity in the Sonnets. Berkeley, U of California P, 1988.
The sonnet is a form of poetry that is vastly used among poets. There are usually two types of sonnets in poetry, the Shakespearean sonnet and the Italian sonnet. Sonnets are typically defined as poems made up of 14 lines that rhyme in a specific way. William Butler Yeats’ “Leda and the Swan” is an example of an Italian sonnet. It consists of 14 lines and the rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFGEFG. In his poem, Yeats’ uses the sonnet form in many traditional ways. However Yeats’ also revises the sonnet form in order to help readers understand the main theme of the poem, which is rape.
The first image of her love tells us that her love has no bounds and
Shakespeare’s sonnets are some the most widely analyzed and debated works in Western Literature. Taking a poem at face value with a literal interpretation can belittle the work, so including an exploration of figurative language and multiple definitions will bring about new observations and analyses. Also, if only analyzed as a single piece of literature certain arguments will become invalid, however when all of the sonnets are analyzed as en entity, there will be a wider range of support for what was once an unsound analysis.
William Shakespeare’s sonnets are considered to be some of the most beautiful poems in English literature. Although little is known about the poet, many seem to put their focus on Shakespeare’s inner life; wondering why he wrote the things he did. William Shakespeare is mostly known for his plays; however, he did accomplish a lot in poetry. William Shakespeare was powerful with his words, and knew how to express things in great depth. Why or who he wrote about is still a mystery. Scholars only know so much about his life, and are still trying to put the unknown pieces together.
Wilson, John Dover. An Introduction to the Sonnets of Shakespeare: For the Use of Historians
In his most famous sonnet of all time William Shakespeare uses imagery, metaphors and changes in meter and tone to effectively communicate to his audience and to the recipient of this poem. Sonnet 18 is a classic love poem without a clear subject. One reason that this sonnet is so popular even today is Shakespeare’s first 17 sonnets were all written as if he was talking to a young man, but in this Sonnet he never comes out and establishes the sex of his subject leading some critics to assume that he was homosexual. Aside from the controversy another reason this Sonnet is so popular is because of its content. In a mere 14 lines Shakespeare was able to uses his prominence to demonstrate that his subject’s beauty, which he compares to a summer’s day, will live eternally.
...ve channelled portions of Plato’s Symposium into his sonnets which guides in the pursuit of beauty and truth. The sonnets even help in a better understanding of Symposium. The sonnets which are addressed to the fair youth mostly talks about desire, immortality, and deception in seeking love. In a way it gives the message that in order to find true beauty we must look with our hearts and not eyes since eyes can be deceive us but not heart as Plato says. Shakespeare’s sonnets, although they are mainly about the speaker’s love for the fair youth and dark lady, have been believed to be a replica of Plato’s idea of truth and beauty, their meaning and interpretations may change with the passage of time but they remain universal in thought and argument.
Much has been made (by those who have chosen to notice) of the fact that in Shakespeare's sonnets, the beloved is a young man. It is remarkable, from a historical point of view, and raises intriguing, though unanswerable, questions about the nature of Shakespeare's relationship to the young man who inspired these sonnets. Given 16th-Century England's censorious attitudes towards homosexuality, it might seem surprising that Will's beloved is male. However, in terms of the conventions of the poetry of idealized, courtly love, it makes surprisingly little difference whether Will's beloved is male or female; to put the matter more strongly, in some ways it makes more sense for the beloved to be male.
William Shakespeare was an excellent writer, who throughout his life created well written pieces of literatures which are valued and learned about in modern times. One of his many works are 154 Sonnets, within these Sonnets there are several people Shakespeare “writes to”, such as fair youth, dark lady and rival poet. Sonnet 20 is written to fair youth, or in other words a young man. The idea of homosexuality appears in Sonnet 20 after the speaker admits his love towards the young man.
Shakespeare's sonnets are a romantic and charming series of poems. His use of rhyme and passionate, eloquent language serve to illuminate his strong feelings. These techniques were probably the most fluent way for such a writer as him to express the immeasurable love that he obviously felt for his mysterious lady. Examining the numerous ways Shakespeare found to describe it, the reader believes that this love was undoubtedly lasting and authentic. He often made heart-felt comments about his emotions that could also suit lovers in the present day. Because of this, and the fact that people read them yet, Shakespeare's sonnets are timeless and universal, just like the concept of love itself.
Although both sonnets have the common theme of nature, Shakespeare used his words to distinguish the differences in his two lovers. One could say that he was ahead of his time with his writing because he did not bow down to convention. Because he wrote the way he wanted to and was not concerned with other writer's styles Shakespeare has become one of the most influential English writers of all time. He pushes his readers beyond the norms in a great deal of his writing, forcing them to take a closer look at what he actually implies with his words.