Look again at 'first Love' by John Clare. Compare this poem with one other poem from the Pre 1900 section which presents a mans love for a woman in a very different light. You should look closely at the language used.

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Look again at ‘first Love’ by John Clare. Compare this poem with one other poem from the Pre 1900 section which presents a mans love for a woman in a very different light. You should look closely at the language used.

I have chosen to compare ‘Shall I compare thee…?’ by William Shakespeare to ‘First Love’ by John Clare, because they display contrasting views on the theme of love. ‘Shall I compare thee…?’ is a representation of love poetry in the Elizabethan times and shows the difference in the style of love poetry in the time periods these poems were written.

The main contracts between the two poems are the ideas about love that the two poems put forth. ‘Shall I compare thee…?’ portrays a very romantic idea of love, and talks about how eternal and everlasting it is. It is a celebration of love, and how wonderful it is. However ‘First Love’ conveys the opposite idea of love; that it fades and does not last. Again, the way in which the two poets describe their lovers is extremely different. Shakespeare describes his friend as “more lovely and more temperate” than a “summers day”, and talks about how much better they are than anything. Shakespeare thinks of his friend as better than conventional descriptions of love used by other poets and that there is no comparison between his friend and “a summers day”.

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‘First Love’ is a story of unrequited love, and has a sombre tone whereas ‘Shall I compare thee…?’ is someone expressing their love and adoration for another person.

Another main contrast between the two poems is that ‘First Love’ has a much darker tone than ‘Shall I compare thee…?’. ‘First Love’ has a darker tone that ‘Shall I compare thee…?’ because it is about unrequited love. ‘Shall I compare thee…?’ has a much happier tone and paints a much nicer picture of love. Shakespeare is not only constantly complimenting his lover, but says that they will never be forgotten ...

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