Sonnet 130
Sonnet 130 Who is the speaker of the poem? The speaker of the poem could either be William Shakespeare or a love struck man whom Shakespeare is assuming the position of. What is he like? The persona in the poem uses a lot of negative comments to portray what he thinks about his wife. For example he says that "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun", which tells us that he does not like the colour of his mistress' eyes. Also by saying all this negative comments about his wife we can see that he does not care if his mistress finds. What is his attitude and his likes and dislikes? His attitude is mainly negative throughout the poem until the end where he praises the love that he and his mistress share. He dislikes the fact that his mistress' eyes are not like the sun, the way coral is redder that her lips, why her breasts are grey, why black wires grow on her head, why her cheeks aren't rosy red, why her breath smells, the way she speaks, and why she isn't elegant. What is the language used by the persona? The language used by the persona is mainly informal as he talks about the things that he dislikes about his wife easily and conversationally. There is no sign of polite language being used in the poem. What does he value/praise his mistress for? He values his mistress for the love that they share even though the persona in the poem does not like the way the
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
Compare the content, style, and language of two pre-twentieth century sonnets
Claire Weller 11E 2nd December Mrs Taylor Centre no. 52433 Candidate no. 7144 Assignment: Compare the content, style, and language of two pre-twentieth century sonnets There are two types of sonnets, Petrarchan and Shakespearian. The Shakespearian sonnets are famous throughout the world today. These comprise of three quatrains and a concluding heroic couplet. The quatrains rhyme either ABAB CDCD EFEF, or ABBA CDDC EFFE; the couplet will be GG. An example of the first rhyme scheme is Charlotte Smith's, To the moon: Queen of the silver bow! -by thy pale beam, Alone and pensive, I delight to stray, And watch thy shadows trembling in the stream, Or mark the floating clouds that cross thy way. And while I gaze, thy mild and placid light Sheds a soft calm upon my troubled breast; And oft I think-fair planets of the night, That in thy orb, the wretched may have rest: The sufferers of the earth perhaps may go, Released by death-to thy benignant sphere; And the sad children of Despair and Woe Forget, in thee, their cup of sorrow here. Oh! That I soon may reach thy world serene, Poor wearied pilgrim-in this toiling scene! This poem is about the way in which the poet, Charlotte Smith, portrays her thoughts and feelings of the moon and also to life. 'She says that the moon helps to ease all the worry and misery of the unhappy, just by being
How were some sonnets used to express different views on love?
How were some sonnets used to express different views on love? For hundreds of years poets have used the sonnet to express their feelings, usually placing emphasis on the theme of courtly love. It is estimated that the earliest sonnets date from around 1200 AD, and they were probably sung as expressions of romantic love in Italian courtyards. As the sonnet moved from country to country different poets attempted to ‘make it their own’, causing the variation of sonnets we are now familiar with; namely the Petrarchan, Shakespearean and Spenserian sonnet. One of the most acclaimed sonneteers is Shakespeare, who wrote one hundred and fifty-four sonnets that were published between 1599 and 1609. From these many sonnets the one Shakespeare is most remembered for is Sonnet 18, sometimes referred to as ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’ due to the opening line. The sonnet is in keeping with the traditional views of courtly love, where the man tried to win over the woman in whichever way he could, being described as a ‘highly conventionalised code of conduct for lovers’. This sonnet takes the form of a Shakespearean sonnet - the first of which were composed by Sir Thomas Wyat (1503-1542) and Henry Howard (1517-1547) – written in iambic pentameter, containing three four-line quatrains with a strict rhyme scheme and an ending rhyming couplet. Shakespeare uses
What View of Love Does Shakespeare Present in Sonnet 116 (Let Me Not)?
What view of love does Shakespeare present in Sonnet 116? In Sonnet 116, Shakespeare presents a personal view of love. He immediately puts himself inside the poem where he says, ‘let me not’. The start of the poem, ‘admit impediments’, echoes the words of the marriage service, where the priest asks if anyone has reasons against the marriage. The antithesis, or opposites, used throughout (‘alters not’ … ‘but bears it out’) also suggests the style of the wedding service, ‘for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health’. It is as if Shakespeare presents his view of love through playing with the words of the Wedding Service. The reference to marriage at the start makes us wonder whether his lover was planning to get married. If so, the start of the poem could take on a more sinister tone, almost as if Shakespeare is threatening to ‘admit impediments’ to the wedding, and questioning whether it is in fact a ‘marriage of true minds’. The sinister effect is increased by the use of the subjunctive (let) and conjunction (to), which makes ‘let me not’ dependent on whether or not the marriage it is, in fact, a ‘marriage of true minds’, or a more lustful, physically inclined love of ‘rosy lips and cheeks’. Shakespeare warns the reader that what seems ‘love’ may not be true ‘love’. This idea is laid out by the ploce in ‘love is not
William Shakespeares sonnet My Mistresss Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun illustrates that the perception of beauty is subjective and true love is blind.
Poetry Analysis of “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” William Shakespeare’s sonnet “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” illustrates that the perception of beauty is subjective and true love is blind. The sonnet expresses a deeper meaning than what is stated on the surface as it effectively describes the speaker’s mistress’s appearance and his love for her while mocking the commonly held ideas of beauty. Shakespeare’s sonnet is very powerful and complex, yet its message is comprehensible. The speaker, a man in love with his mistress, emphasizes his mistress’s physical characteristics and his affection for her by initially noting strong negative contrasts between her and items normally perceived as beautiful and then shifts to describe his intense feelings of love for her. The speaker, a man in love with his mistress, portrays the physical characteristics of his mistress and the affection that he has for her. The speaker ironically contrasts his mistress to items of nature which are commonly perceived as beautiful: “My Mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun” and “coral is far more red than her lips red.” Initially, his tone seems negative and insulting. However, his tone transitions to passion as he claims he “loves to hear her speak” and then ends by expressing that his love for her is “rare.” After he proves that
Sonnet 130 analysis - William Shakespeare satirises the convention of a traditional love poem
Sonnet 130 Sonnet 130 is a poem written in a “Shakespearian” form and being a sonnet is about his love for another woman, however William Shakespeare satirises the convention of a traditional love poem. He describes his loved one in a surprising way, informing that she is not the possessor of good looks or godly features that idealise a loved one but describes his loved one as a simple woman who is a flesh and blood mortal, ‘i grant i never saw a goddess go.’ Sonnet 130 praises her beauty in real terms in the way he exposes these exaggerated clichés as empty praise that suggest a kind of realism that have a deeper moral value to them. Overall, appearance does not matter where true love is concerned. We normally expect poets to praise the woman they love by comparing them with natures most beautiful things. However, in this sonnet Shakespeare is frank and honest. The sonnet presents us with a number of cliché inversions. Shakespeare opens the poem with a bold statement about the eyes of his mistress and how they are ‘nothing like the sun.’ And continues this way to present her attractions honestly following a typical Blazon style. Her lips are red but ‘Coral is far more red than her lips.’ Her breasts (a feature if a woman body that would show immense beauty during Shakespeare period) are not as white as snow but ‘are dun.’ Shakespeare describes the
Ozymandias
Ozymandias 'Ozymandias' is a petrachan sonnet, evident from the 10 syllable lines and the shift in argument past line eight. It is full of imagery and mystery. Set in context, similar to the framing of 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Coleridge. Shelley tells a story or at least that is how I perceive the sonnet. 'I met a traveller from an antique land Who said:' Immediately the framing of the sonnet allows the story to become more tangible and believable. The context of somebody else's words emphasises Shelley's use of a Greek translation ('Ozymandias' - meaning Rameses II), maybe a connection to the passing on of Greek myths and legends. As the tale is introduced 'Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert...' Shelley uses a caesura or break in the sonnet to distinguish the story from what he wants us to believe is the reality of the 'traveler's' story. The setting has changed. Rameses II ruled Egypt in the 13th century, the way Shelley describes the statue's shattered reputation 'a shattered visage lies' but how at the same time reveals the legacy, 'Which yet survive...' illustrates the impact that 'Ozymandias' had on the country. We know from historical evidence that he was a forceful leader, Shelley describes a perspective of him when referring to the statues appearance 'A wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command'. When I read this line I think of