The treatment of love in four or more poems.

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Examine the treatment of love in four or more poems

        

Love is a very popular theme that is often used in poetry. In this piece of coursework I will examine it’s treatment in Sonnet’s 18 and 130 (William Shakespeare), My love is like a Red Red Rose (Robert Burns) and First Love (John Clare.

Sonnets were first devised in Italy in and Shakespeare was key in their evolution. Shakespeare wrote 154 Sonnets, I will be only looking at 18 and 130 because they are most appropriate because they differ greatly in their treatment of love.

        The Sonnets are both written by William Shakespeare and are based around the theme of love. However the loves expressed is not only expressed differently but are different types of love. I will first look at their similarities; They both have the same rhyme structure – ABABCDCDEFEFGG. They both consist of a single stanza made up of four Quatrains and have are written in iambic pentameter.

        Sonnet 18 is a very traditional type of Sonnet in so far as it lavishes flattery and complements upon the woman (or man?) Shakespeare was writing it to “thou art more lovely and temperate”. Shakespeare starts by saying how she’s lovelier than a summer’s day. He says that, in fact, a summer’s day isn’t perfect, because sometimes the sun shines too brightly, and Summer will inevitably change into Autumn. He gives the poem it’s meaning in the final rhyming couplet by saying that just as Summer fades, so will her beauty and she will eventually die, but so long as the poem is read, her beauty will always be kept alive through the poem. It is similar to a snapshot of her whilst she is at her most perfect, which people will be able to see. Thus she will never truly die as she will live on through the poem.

        Sonnet 130 contrasts with 18 in that it has a different type of love; Whilst 18 lavishes hyperbolated praise on her, 130 simply tells he thruth; Shakespeare simply tells her “I’m not going to lie to you; Your lips aren’t as red as coral, your skin isn’t snow white and your breath doesn’t smell of perfume, but I love you for who you are and it doesn’t matter about anything else.” Thus it is that while 18 lies to her about how beautiful and lovely she looks, the love is more for her beauty than for who she really is, 130 is completely honest and shows a much deeper, unconditional love than 18.

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        In Sonnet 18 Shakespeare uses a lot of imagery to convey across his love; He first compares the woman to a summer’s day, giving the reader a tranquil, relaxing and beautiful image in their mind, he then augents it with the second line “thou art more lovely and more temperate”. He goes on to make her seem like a Goddess – using personification of the sun “eye of heaven” “gold complexion” and relating her to celestial bodies, giving her a godesslike quality. Shakespeare also personifies death “Nor shall death brag tou wanderst in his shade”. “Shade” is the ironic word ...

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