Comparison of two shakespearian sonnets
Compare and contrast two pre-twentieth century sonnets by Shakespeare. Ensure you consider the significant aspects of the poet's style, including his intention and the tradition of the sonnet. A sonnet, from the Italian 'sonneto' meaning "little song", has been a dominant form of verse since the thirteenth century. Sonnets have a fixed form consisting of fourteen lines of iambic pentameter and a specific rhyme scheme depending on the type of sonnet it is. The three types are Spenserian, Petrachian or Shakespearian. In the sixteenth century, Shakespeare deviated from the form and created his own form of sonnet. He wrote over one hundred and fifty in his lifetime and became a master of the genre. Though usually written on the subject of love, sonnets are sometimes also written about beauty and nature. The themes of sonnet 130 - my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun'- are masked underneath Shakespeare mocking the unrealistic comparisons written by other poets of the time. It is only in line's 13 and 14 we realise that he is in fact praising his lover for being real and unlike the woman who are described in unrealistic fashions. However, in sonnet 18 -'shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' the theme of love is introduced from the opening line of the poem. This distinctly questioning line shows how Shakespeare uses a question to deviate from the conventional sonnet
Discuss the effects of the writing in sonnet 63; showing how far and in what ways this poem seems to you to be characteristic of Shakespeare's methods and concerns.
Discuss the effects of the writing in sonnet 63; showing how far and in what ways this poem seems to you to be characteristic of Shakespeare's methods and concerns. The expression of tone and imagery within the poem display the main techniques of concern and method from the speakers' point of view, within sonnet 63 and various other sonnets from the collection. The extent with which the speakers' concerns are expressed is due to how much enthusiasm is applied within the poem. This includes repetition, rhyme, punctuation and moreover rhythm. These ways gives us the insight to judge how much we believe whether the sonnet collections' opinions are valid to either the Young mans views or rather the speakers'. To further weight this argument, a close analysis can be done by comparing and contrasting to other sonnets. A significant method used by the speaker, within sonnet 63 is by preserving the Young Man within the poem, as it creates the effect of the speaker believing that this idea is possible. The idea is identified by the line, "they shall live, and in them, still green". The idea of the Young Man living forever, within the poem, creates an extremely powerful image as it shows the idea of immortality. This image gives a real sense as to what the speakers' views are, as he believes that the young man will literally be immortalised through his words. The method used shows
In an examination of the following sonnets, 'Shall I Compare Thee' and 'Let Me Not' by William Shakespeare and 'On His Blindness' by John Milton, establish the main style into which each falls and its themes.
In an examination of the following sonnets, 'Shall I Compare Thee' and 'Let Me Not' by William Shakespeare and 'On His Blindness' by John Milton, establish the main style into which each falls and its themes. Sonnets are fourteen-line poems. They originated in 15th century Italy and first became popular in England in the 16th century. Many English poets, including Milton, Keats, Wordsworth, Hopkins and Wilfred Owen, have used the form since the early Elizabethan period. Sonnets are so popular purely because the briefness of them means that their message has to be put across in a compact way. This makes the impact of the message so much more powerful. A sonnet can take one of two forms. One is Petrarchan, named after Petrarch, one of the Italian originators of the form in the late medieval period. Its fourteen-line structure, called an iambic pentameter, is split into two unequal sections. The first section, the octave, consists of eight lines and the second section, the sestet, consists of six. Sometimes, when printed, there is a break between the octet and the sestet. This is called the volta. Petrarchan sonnets often follow the rhyme scheme of ABBA, ABBA: CDE, CDE although, from time to time, the sestet follows a rhyme scheme of CD, CD, CD. The other form is Shakespearian. It is named after William Shakespeare who extensively used the sonnet form and wrote a
Compare and contrast Christina Rossetti 'remember' and William Shakespeare's sonnet 71 in detail, considering how the second poem functions as a rewriting of the sonnet form. Pay close attention to matters of form and style as well as content.
Hughes 1 Compare and contrast Christina Rossetti 'remember' and William Shakespeare's sonnet 71 in detail, considering how the second poem functions as a rewriting of the sonnet form. Pay close attention to matters of form and style as well as content. Shakespeare (15 64 - 1616) has made a large and varied use of the sonnet form. In many ways he has conformed to the traditional Pentrachian form and in other ways he has rewritten that tradition. In doing so he has formed the Shakespearean sonnet form that has become a tradition in its own right. Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894) has used the Shakespearean sonnet and rewritten it to form a style that both conforms to that tradition and drastically differs form it. This essay will consider the ways in which Shakespeare's sonnet 71 and Rossetti's sonnet 'Remember' are examples of the traditional convention and rewriting of the sonnet form and style. The main theme of sonnet 71 (1609) is the death of the speaker. It has not happened yet, this we can tell the use of future tense visible in the first line, 'when I am dead' (l. 1). He is telling his lover that when he dies they should morn for him much longer after he is buried. This use of theme for poetry makes me question whether the speaker means he thinks he will die in the near future, or whether this is just a melancholic thought into the unavoidable? Is it Shakespeare's
The Presentation of Women in Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 and Griffin's Sonnet 39
The Presentation of Women in Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 and Griffin's Sonnet 39 What attitude do their presentations of women reflect? Discuss in detail how the poets' choice & use of language influences your reading of poems. It is evident in both Griffin's poem and Shakespeare's poem that their love for their beloved is matchless; however the presentations and the personal interpretations of the two poets give a totally different message to its readers. It is often in Shakespeare's sonnet 130 that we realize he ridicules his mistress and praises her in a way that misleads its readers to believe that Shakespeare doesn't love her. Whereas, in Griffin's Sonnet 39, he puts his lady as the central motive of the poem and this is obvious as almost every line in his poem begins with the word "her." Without a doubt, the first line in both poems portrays a direct contrast from each other. In Griffin's poem, he compares his lady's hair to "threads of beaten golds" (line 1), which suggests the high status and attractiveness of his lady. On the contrary, Shakespeare begins his sonnet by depreciating the status of his mistress as she is "nothing like the sun" (line 1). This is also seen in the latter lines of the sonnet; her lips are not as red as coral, her breasts are dun-colored and the black wires growing on her head. (lines 2-4). In Griffin's sonnet, we can see how he praises
Looking at Sonnet 12 by William Shakespeare and I Look into my Glass by Thomas Hardy, explore how the poets treat the theme of time in their works
Looking at Sonnet 12 by William Shakespeare and I Look into my Glass by Thomas Hardy, explore how the poets treat the theme of time in their works First of all the most obvious theme in these poems is time. The poem Sonnet 12 is set in the 16th century and was written by Shakespeare. I Look into My Glass was written in 1898 by Thomas Hardy. These two poems are both quite dark and depressing. In I Look into My Glass is about a person who is suffering from the affects of time. We learn this because he tells us by saying that he looks in to his mirror his "glass". In the rest of the poem he attracts the reader's attention by focusing on himself and his looks. In the second line he describes a bit of himself, "And view my wasting skin", suggesting that his skin is old and wrinkled which suggests that he is old. In the third line the persona describes how he is disappointed at how he looks he describes it through a prayer, "Would God it came to pass", "My heart had shrunk as thin" This presents him as a very sad person who is almost begging for God to help him. Moreover he also conveys a feeling of loneliness through the same words, this time the persona is focusing on his feelings rather than his looks. In the next verse then again the persona talks about his loneliness which is portrayed through the words, "By hearts grown cold to me". He also mentions the word "equanimity" in
The Mysteries of the Sonnets Vargo
The Mysteries of the Sonnets Vargo 1 William Shakespeare's sonnets may have been the best poetry ever written. The sonnets are beautifully written with many different feelings expressed in them. Although they may have been the most autobiographically written poems of all time, they still present a number of questions. Many Elizabethan historians and Shakespeare enthusiasts often wonder who Shakespeare was writing about when he wrote the sonnets. There are three main questions which come to mind when one is reading the sonnets. The mysterious dark lady, Mr. W. H., and the young man that Shakespeare wrote of are three of the sonnet mysteries. Although William Shakespeare did not write the sonnets to be a puzzle for the reader to solve, the dark lady of the sonnets is perhaps the most puzzling of the mysteries. There is a whole sequence of sonnets that mention the dark mistress. Sonnets 127-154 are the sonnets that deal with the dark lady. From these sonnets, a good description of the dark lady is given. The first of the dark lady sonnets, Sonnet 127, gives a good physical description of the mistress. "...Therefore my mistress' eyes are raven black, / Her eyes so suited, and they mourners seem/ At such who, not born fair, no beauty lack,/ Slandering creation with a false esteem./ Yet so they mourn becoming of their woe,/ That every tongue says beauty
With close reference to at least three appropriate poems, discuss and illustrate the different ways language is used in Tudor and Elizabethan love poetry.
With close reference to at least three appropriate poems, discuss and illustrate the different ways language is used in Tudor and Elizabethan love poetry. This period in history, which was approximately between the years of 1540 and 1600, saw an explosion of literature, particularly in the genres of drama and poetry. Shakespeare, the dominant and most famous writer of this period, is regarded by many as the greatest ever writer in the English language. Although the period is recognised for its great dramatic works, poetry experienced a certain renaissance. This provided an outlet for the fantastic growth of the language as a whole. The Elizabethans, much like their society, favoured structure, order and decoration. Indeed as Puttnam put it in his "The Art of Poesy", "Our vulgar poesy cannot show itself either gallant or gorgeous if anything be left naked and bare." As well as describing the then reigning monarch's dress sense, this provides an important insight into how the Elizabethans saw themselves as poets. This attitude is certainly in agreement with the Elizabethan fervour for the sonnet. A precise structure is adhered to. It was Shakespeare who was the leading exponent of the form writing 154 of them. As with the majority of other Elizabethan poetry, the poetic efforts were centred primarily on the sentiments and expressions of life. Since the response is focused on
Sonnet 19 and 63 consider the destructive nature of time and the effect on the man's beauty. Compare and contrast the two sonnets focusing on the poet's intention and use of language and structure.
Sonnet 19 and 63 consider the destructive nature of time and the effect on the man's beauty. Compare and contrast the two sonnets focusing on the poet's intention and use of language and structure. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast sonnet 19 and 63 focusing on the poets intention and use of language and structure considering the destructive nature of time theme and the effect on the mans beauty. Sonnet 19 is about the destructive power of time and in, which is very explicit in this particular sonnet. The sonnet is based upon the personification of time used by Shakespeare. Sonnet 63's theme is again about time and personifies time and performs beauty as an image. In Sonnet 19 Shakespeare represents Time as wild animals, like Lions and Tigers, because these animals are powerful just like Time. For example "Devouring Time blunt thou the Lion's paws". This quote portrays Time as an animal devouring its prey - Time is the animal and the young mans beauty is the animals prey. Shakespeare uses Time as a hunting killing machine. Another reference to wild animals is "Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws". Time is portrayed as destructive and at some stage in the poets young friend he will become blunt and time will take away its ability to survive therefore destructive power is being torn away which emphasis's on times power. Whereas in Sonnet 63 the
Compare the treatment of time in Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias", Shakespeare's Sonnet LXV "Since Brass nor Stone", Shakespeare's Sonnet II "When Forty Winters", Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time".
"Compare the Treatment of time In the Selection of poems you have Read" The four poems I will be doing are: Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias" Shakespeare's Sonnet LXV "Since Brass nor Stone" Shakespeare's Sonnet II "When Forty Winters" Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" All of these poets talk about the destructive power of time. There are two very different ways that you can look at the destructive power of time. One is where time can mature and enrich people or wine, generally a good view of time. The other is where time destroys everything in its path, like the fall of an empire. All of the poems we have studied focus on the destructive power of time. I believe that the passage of time is a destructive force and that the poems using that view are better as they are more powerful and display strong images about time. Even though a child will grow and mature they will die in the end like everything in the world. So I believe "There is no defence against time's scythe." In "Ozymandias" Shelley writes ironically about how time can ruin the greatest men in their day. It talks about a ruined statue of an ancient ruler of an "ancient" city. This means that time has destroyed his city and his entire empire has been reduced to "lone and level sands" that "stretch far away." Shelley uses alliteration here to speed up this line and it makes you read it