Compare and Contrast three of the “Best Words” poems on love relationships. Examine the natures of the relationships conveyed and the ways in which the poets present them. Which of the poems most interests you? (provide your reason).
Compare and Contrast three of the "Best Words" poems on love relationships. Examine the natures of the relationships conveyed and the ways in which the poets present them. Which of the poems most interests you? (provide your reason). The three poems that I have chosen to examine are: 'Ballad', which is anonymous, 'Shall I Compare Thee...' by William Shakespeare and 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' by John Keats. The three poems have both their similarities and their contrasts, which makes them a good selection to study. The first and most obvious contrast, and reason for contrast between the three pieces is the time they were written- with the Ballad being anonymous, we cannot say when it was written, but the other two were written a couple of centuries apart. 'Shall I Compare Thee...' during either the sixteenth or seventeenth century and 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' in the nineteenth. This gap, in the times they were written, means that some of the language used in the poems is different, both from each other and from language spoken now. A further reason for the contrast in language used is the audiences they were written for. The Ballad was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, and would have most likely been told in inns and taverns. 'Shall I Compare Thee...', being written by William Shakespeare was aimed at people who attended the theatre. This ranged
How does the poet convey his admiration for the young man's beauty in sonnets 7 and 19? Collectively, the first section of Shakespeare's sonnets tends to primarily
How does the poet convey his admiration for the young man's beauty in sonnets 7 and 19? Collectively, the first section of Shakespeare's sonnets tends to primarily consist of similar themes and ideas. The three key themes are time, love and poetry, together allowing the power of the poet's feelings towards the young man to be illustrated. One way, possibly one of the most effective techniques Shakespeare uses to do this, is by using the young man's beauty. Sonnet 7 is largely made up of an extended metaphor. Shakespeare compares human life to the daily journey of the sun, from sunrise to sunset. The sun's rising in the morning symbolizes the young man's youthful years. Just as the rest of the world watch the "sacred majesty" of the ever-heightening sun, this is how the poet views the young man, showing how in awe of the young man the he is. The sun's highest point in the sky resembles "strong youth in his middle age", however, after the sun reaches its peak, it has to descend. This downward movement represents "feeble age" in the youth. This stage in life is not only when beauty begins to fade, but when the people who looked with admiration at the youth's beauty will "look another way" when he has become old. Where is says "Unlook'd on diest" it is saying, in death, he will not be remembered. Then, as seen in some of the previous sonnets, the Shakespeare argues that the
“Love, time, death and loss have all been the inspiration for sonnets.” Discuss how this applies to the sonnets you have studied and comment on their technical variety.
"Love, time, death and loss have all been the inspiration for sonnets." Discuss how this applies to the sonnets you have studied and comment on their technical variety. The themes of love, time, death and loss are often and easily linked for obvious reasons. As far back as poetry and writing date, these themes will be clear within them. Often the inspiration for tragic or despairing poetry, one should perhaps observe the sonnets which are particularly linked to such subject matter. William Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 is about time bringing forth potential loss of love and the unavoidable consequences of age. The sonnet opens with a revelation of the time of year, imagery of autumn, the end of the year and the autumn of his own life. It is reflective almost to the point of wallowing; the sun is fading, the yellow leaves "do hang" and there is a poetic link to singing birds, highlighting the ever-present bitter sweet melancholy within the piece. The first quatrain begins to set the tune of the sonnet, using the concept of time within the seasons with an almost literal landscape foundation; the descriptions of nature are at their oldest, ravaged by time and nearing their ending. Shakespeare uses various parallels, drawing one in as the almost literal portrayal being in the 'autumn' of his own life. The second quatrain is also a careful parallel within these concepts of time,
Compare the ways in which the poets express strength of feeling in "Spring" and "Holy Sonnet 10"
ENGLISH COURSEWORK Compare the ways in which the poets express strength of feeling in "Spring" and "Holy Sonnet 10" "Spring", written by Gerard Manley-Hopkins, employs the ideas of the beauty of the season. Manley-Hopkins introduces references to his faith, portraying a religious approach. The feelings experienced within the sonnet are very intense, and the reader becomes progressively more engrossed amid the lines of the sonnet, as the poet delves into the peril that spring might be spoiled, and the innocence of youth might be lost. Manley-Hopkins addresses the Lord, in the hope that all sinning might cease forever, and hence the beauty of the season of spring might be maintained eternally. "Holy Sonnet 10", written by John Donne, similarly refers to the poet's faith. The strength of the feeling shown here is colossal, as Donne challenges to address Death as a coward. The sonnet is powerful, as Donne dares to think Death to be weak and feeble. The poet is so confident within his faith of God, and his apparent belief in the afterlife, that he is self assured that no harm will come to him from this one vain beast. Death will eventually be overcome; it is nothing to fear. The poet's feelings are vivid, and dangerous, and the reader is thrown into a reverie of shadows as such immoral thoughts are taken in. "Spring", a Petrarchan sonnet, contains an octave, which sets the
The word sonnet comes from the Italian word sonetto meaning a little song.
Sonnet Coursework The word sonnet comes from the Italian word sonetto meaning a little song. I am going to look at and assess different types of sonnets. The first type of sonnet, which I am going to look at, is called a Shakespearian sonnet. A Shakespearian sonnet consists of three quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end. In a Shakespearian sonnet each line has ten syllables, which is called cambic pentameter. The next type of sonnet, which I am going to look at, is called a petrochan sonnet. A petrochan sonnet is divided into two parts- * An octave- Lines 1-8, has a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA * The sestet- Lines 9-14, has a rhyme scheme of CDCDCD or CDECDE. In this type of sonnet the octave introduces the topic of the poem and the sestet sums it up. The sonnets which I have decided to assess and compare are- . Sonnet CXVI - William Shakespeare 2. Sonnet CXXX - William Shakespeare 3. "Phillis" - Thomas Lodge 4. "How Do I Love Thee" - Elizabeth Barret Browning To fully understand the sonnet written by Elizabeth Barret Browning we must first take a look into her past. Elizabeth Browning had a troubled childhood as her mother died when she was young and her father was very strict. Her father wanted to choose any potential husbands for his daughters and banned one of his daughters from marrying altogether. When Elizabeth Browning met a man whom she loved she knew
Consider the Development of the Sonnet from the 14th Century to the Modern Day
Consider the Development of the Sonnet from the 14th Century to the Modern Day. The word sonnet is the English translation of the Italian word sonetto, a 'little sound' or 'song'. A sonnet is a poem consisting of fourteen lines, ten syllables in English and Italian and generally twelve in French. There are three basic sonnet forms, the Petrarchan, which is an eight lined and a six lined (octave and sestet) sonnet with no rhyming couplet; the Spenserian, consisting of three quatrains and a couplet; finally the Shakespearian, consisting of three quatrains (four lines) and a couplet. There are different styles of sonnets all over the world. For example, France has its own unique structure that their sonneteers write in and the same with other countries. With all these different countries having different styles of writing that also means there are also different rhyming schemes. Reading sonnets is a great way of learning about different cultural aspects of life; for example during the seventeenth century the central theme of most sonnets was religion. During this time it gave people a great opportunity to learn about many different religions. The use of enjambment occurs in many sonnets. Enjambment is the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break The first sonneteer was Italian, his name was Francesco Petrarch. He was
Sonnets. One of Shakespeares most famous sonnets is his Sonnet No. 18 Shall I compare thee to a summers day?
Sonnets The sonnet was originally from Italy in the 16th century. The name "sonnet" comes from the Italian "sonneto" meaning little song. English travellers heard it and liked it so brought it to England. Since then, it has become one of the most widely used forms of poetry. The sonnet consists of 14 lines that use an iambic pentameter. There are two main types of sonnet, the Petrachan and the Shakespearean. The Petrarchan sonnet is in the original form that came out of Italy. It consists of an Octave and a sestet. That use a rhyme scheme abba abba then cdecde, though the sestet maybe cdcdcd. Usually an idea is developed in the Octave and then rounded off in the Sestet. The other form is the Shakespearean sonnet, developed by William Shakespeare. It has three quatrains and then ends in a rhyming couplet with a rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg. Often an idea is looked at in three different ways in the quatrains and then concluded in the rhyming couplet at the end. The most challenging thing for writers of sonnets is the strict format they must conform to. I have shown the format and it is a very tight and concise frame to write a poem in. It makes writing very constrictive but still appeals to a number of poets, perhaps because its rigid structure gives an extremely satisfying finished result. One of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets is his Sonnet No. 18 "Shall I compare thee
Sonnets: Are They More Than What They Seem?
Sonnets: Are They More Than What They Seem? Sonnets are not just poems that rhyme. They are not simply rhyme schemes, voltas and sestets. Sonnets have larger ideas at work than simply sounding pretty. The poets work larger stories and figures of speech into only a few lines. Making the average, unassuming reader fall prey to the idea of a simple, rhyming, pretty poem. This type of reader would not even notice the larger figures of speech, and the stories they create within these sonnets. So, read carefully; sonnets are not always what they seem. Three of the sonnets we read are perfect examples of images within a sonnet working to create the larger figures of speech. Stories are created by the larger figures of speech. The larger figures of speech in these sonnets may have different effects on different readers. However, I feel that each sonnet helps the reader to come to a realization about some aspect of life. As long as the reader takes it upon himself to find the story within the sonnets and think about it, he should find a deeper meaning behind the sonnet. The images in Wadsworth's, The World Is Too Much With Us, create a larger figure of speech that attempts to show the reader that society takes nature for granted and Wadsworth feels we should not. The images in Hopkins' sonnet, God's Grandeur, also attempt to show the reader that society's appreciation of nature has
Compare the presentation of love within the three sonnets studied.
Kayleigh White 11R January 2004 Compare the presentation of love within the three sonnets studied. The three sonnets that I studied were, "How do I love thee?" by Elizabeth Barret-Browning, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" by William Shakespeare and "Since there's no help let us kiss and part" by Michael Drayton. Of these three there are numerous differences and similarities. It is known that at the time of writing her sonnet, Elizabeth Barret-Browning was happily married to Robert Browning, but without the consent of her father. They moved to Italy where she began to use the Petrachan form of sonnet. At the time when William Shakespeare wrote he was known to have already established himself as an actor and playwright and was working for the leading company, the Lord's Chamberlain's Men. In Drayton's sonnet we see that he was a contemporary of Shakespeare, this poem comes from a long sequence of sonnets called 'Idea's Mirror'. These sonnets were all inspired by his unrequited love for Anne Goodere, although he himself never married. As with Shakespeare his use of personification is extremely effective. Although their styles differ all three poets are speaking of their love for another person. Elizabeth Barret-Browning writes to her husband and as a women writing, it is written in a tender and soft tone. Her language and style used is incredibly dramatic.
Compare ‘Shall Icompare thee to a summer’s day?’ by W. Shakespeare, ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways’ by E. Barrett Browning, and ‘Sonnet’ by Drayton - Which of the three sonnets made the strongest impression o
Compare 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' by W. Shakespeare, 'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways' by E. Barrett Browning, and 'Sonnet' by Drayton. Which of the three sonnets made the strongest impression on you? Explain your preference. All three of the sonnets are love poems. They are all dramatic monologues in which a poet apparently addresses a person he/she loves. Both Drayton and Shakespeare wrote Shakespearian sonnets whereas E Barrett Browning chose to write a Petrarchan sonnet. Drayton and Shakespeare also include a reversal of meaning in their sonnets but E Barrett Browning has no reversal. Shakespeare and E Barrett Browning also consider that love relates to time and think about the immortality of love. E Barrett Browning's Petrarchan sonnet is unconventional as it is written by a lady to a man. It's also unconventional because it is sincere and has no Volta which emphasizes the authenticity of her love to her husband. On the other hand Drayton and Shakespeare's sonnets are conventional and conform to the structure of a typical sonnet. They both start with one meaning and then cleverly change to another. Another similarity between Shakespeare and Drayton's sonnets is that they use a great deal of elaborate imagery. Yet E Barrett Browning uses direct and tender language and very little imagery. She also sets a romantic and sincere mood. While