As with the structure of the Petrarchan sonnet, that of the Shakespearean sonnet influences the kinds of ideas that will be developed in it. For example, the three quatrains may be used to present three parallel images, with the couplet used to tie them together or to interpret their significance. Or the quatrains can offer three points in an argument, with the couplet serving to drive home the conclusion
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Sonnet 147
My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease,
Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill,
Th' uncertain sickly appetite to please.
My reason, the physician to my love,
Angry that his prescriptions are not kept,
Hath left me, and I desperate now approve
Desire is death, which physic did except.
Past cure I am, now reason is past care,
And frantic-mad with evermore unrest;
My thoughts and my discourse as mad men's are,
At random from the truth vainly expressed.
For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright,
Who art as black as hell, as dark as night.
Directions: Please choose a sonnet by Shakespeare (see link below). Cut and paste it into your post, and analyze it using the terminology we learned in class (see "The Poetry Cheat Sheet"). Most importantly, include a detailed personal analysis of the poem in your post.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete69
ReplyDeleteThose parts of thee that the world's eye doth view
Want nothing that the thought of hearts can mend;
All tongues, the voice of souls, give thee that due,
Uttering bare truth, even so as foes commend.
Thy outward thus with outward praise is crown'd;
But those same tongues, that give thee so thine own,
In other accents do this praise confound
By seeing farther than the eye hath shown.
They look into the beauty of thy mind,
And that in guess they measure by thy deeds;
Then, churls, their thoughts, although their eyes were kind,
To thy fair flower add the rank smell of weeds:
But why thy odour matcheth not thy show,
The soil is this, that thou dost common grow.
The tone of the poem is haunting, as the individual’s essence of their character is revealed. Shakespeare’s use of repetition highlights several extended metaphors and symbols in the poem. One of these is his use of “tongues” to comment on the communication of truth. He frequently mentions the “eye,” which represents what is seen outwardly or publically, and also the ability of others to see and recognize truth. Overall, his diction has a negative connotation—words like “churls,” “rank,” “weeds,” and “odour” contributing to the dark mood of the poem. The most vivid imagery of the poem is found in the description of the individual’s “rank” smell, despite their pleasant actions. This imagery is masterful because odor is present separate from one’s current “show,” yet is suggestive of unseen actions. The structure of the poem is such that the accusations become increasingly harsh and evident to the reader as it progresses, as if the speaker is discovering the hidden darkness of the individual in the moment, and becomes increasingly assured of himself. There are also several instances of irony, including when Shakespeare describes the “beauty of thy mind” when the reader is already aware that people “confound” the “praise” the individual is given.
In this piece, Shakespeare juxtaposes the individual’s worldly achievements and praise with their hidden deeds and personal integrity. This is most evident in the duality of the “fair flower” and the “rank smell of weeds.” The flower is the only thing visible, yet one suspects the presence of weeds. This comparison reveals the purpose of the poem, to explore the natural human tendency to present one’s best self and hide the undesirable aspects of one’s character, thoughts, and history.
54
ReplyDeleteO! how much more doth beauty beauteous seem
By that sweet ornament which truth doth give.
The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem
For that sweet odour, which doth in it live.
The canker blooms have full as deep a dye
As the perfumed tincture of the roses,
Hang on such thorns, and play as wantonly
When summer's breath their masked buds discloses:
But, for their virtue only is their show,
They live unwoo'd, and unrespected fade;
Die to themselves. Sweet roses do not so;
Of their sweet deaths are sweetest odours made:
And so of you, beauteous and lovely youth,
When that shall vade, my verse distills your truth.
I picked this sonnet, mainly for the rich imagery that presents itself throughout the poem. Shakespeare’s diction creates an illusion of such beautiful flowers that it is simple to picture an entire field of bright, lush roses in front of me. I also liked the meaning behind this sonnet, that emphasizes how beauty goes deeper than the surface. In lines two and three of the first quatrain, Shakespeare makes an analogy between inner beauty and the smell of roses by saying The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem/ For that sweet odour, which doth in it live” in comparison to lines ten and eleven which “live unwoo'd, and unrespected fade; / Die to themselves. Sweet roses do not so”. Making the comparison between inner beauty and rose’s smell is an interesting and unique way to describe the idea that beauty is more than what can be seen. It was also interesting to find out that the comparison between roses and beauty/youth is a repeated theme in a variety of other Shakespearean sonnets. Seen above in Emma's blog response, Sonnet 69 is a prime example of the flower theme, as her piece compares the duality of "fair flower" and "rank smell of weeds". Overall his tone seems relaxed and bright, similar to a rose. I do not believe the poem was written with anger or vengeance, but there is a slight tone of superiority as he speaks as if he is above those who are superficial. Sonnet 54 connects the wonders of nature with quality of human personality, a comparison Shakespeare beautifully mastered.
43.
ReplyDeleteWhen most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow's form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
The first line of this sonnet is what drew me in to want to read the rest of it. When I first read it, I read it as if it was a story that he was telling. The imagery that Shakespeare uses brings his story to life, and the contrast between dark and light helps elevate the sonnet to the next level. Even though the topics that are discussed are rather simple, the juxtaposition between the light and dark creates a deeper meaning. The main themes that I see being contrasted are day vs night, light vs dark, and dreams vs reality. All of these themes derive just from the common idea of the eyes, and how much they actual control. Our eyes have the ability to see both a dream and also a reality, but our brain has to determine which is which. Upon reading some of his other sonnets, I have realized that Shakespeare is the kind of writer that likes to write about little things that mean a lot to him. In the sonnets above that Jess and Emma have responded to, the common theme was nature, and flowers. He also expressed his passion with exclamation points in this sonnet. Going through the other sonnets, this is a rare occurrence, and it made me understand that every little thing he does in the sonnet down to the punctuation is very intentional. I think in this case, it really brought excitement into the individual sentences. Every single of of Shakespeare's sonnets have a very intentional purpose, even though it might not appear that way upon the first read.
You pulled some insightful concepts from this sonnet, and I especially like your line "Our eyes have the ability to see both a dream and also a reality, but our brain has to determine which is which."
DeleteSONNET 111
ReplyDeleteO! for my sake do you with Fortune chide,
The guilty goddess of my harmful deeds,
That did not better for my life provide
Than public means which public manners breeds.
Thence comes it that my name receives a brand,
And almost thence my nature is subdued
To what it works in, like the dyer's hand:
Pity me, then, and wish I were renewed;
Whilst, like a willing patient, I will drink
Potions of eisel 'gainst my strong infection;
No bitterness that I will bitter think,
Nor double penance, to correct correction.
Pity me then, dear friend, and I assure ye,
Even that your pity is enough to cure me.
Having to select a sonnet from one of Shakespeare’s many such poems was no easy feat. Then I happened upon Sonnet CXI (111), which is quite a window into the character and eccentricity of the Bard. This sonnet is in typical sonnet structure (abab cdcd efef gg ) and uses the three quatrains to make three equally pathetic pleas for absolution for what appears to be a life of debauchery. While historians have suggested that Shakespeare’s moral corruption was merely his “name … brand” and involvement in the theater, a closer reading of this poem suggests otherwise. “Pity me” - Shakespeare repeats this appeal twice - for “strong infection” and insists on “double penance,” which indicates that the writer has sins beyond his choice of profession. Interestingly, the poet seems to lay responsibility for his sins with “Fortune.” The tone of the poem is initially repentant, but then the couplet at the end, leaving his penance in the hands of his “dear friend,” makes Shakespeare’s petition less prayerful and more of an acknowledgment without true remorse.
Sonnet XIX:
ReplyDeleteDevouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws,
And make the earth devour her own sweet brood;
Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws,
And burn the long-lived phoenix in her blood;
Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleet'st,
And do whate'er thou wilt, swift-footed Time,
To the wide world and all her fading sweets;
But I forbid thee one most heinous crime:
O! carve not with thy hours my love's fair brow,
Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen;
Him in thy course untainted do allow
For beauty's pattern to succeeding men.
Yet, do thy worst old Time: despite thy wrong,
My love shall in my verse ever live young.
As is often the case with poetry, the topic of Sonnet XIX is timeless, or more accurately immortal. This poem takes a dramatic tone in contrasting the unstoppable and destructive nature of time to immortality and everlasting youth, which he wishes for his lover. To emphasize this effect, the first quatrain focuses on repeating imagery of time humbling mighty beasts, like lions tigers and phoenixes. The unfeeling and brutal nature of aging is emphasized with graphic depictions, such as, “ ...burn[ing] the long-lived phoenix in her blood…”. This transitions well into the next concept of time destroying beauty and happiness, as well as vanquishing might. However, in the third quatrain Shakespeare makes a sharp turn into defying time’s effect on his love, which he would call “one most heinous crime…”. In this section he personifies time as a vandalist who would defile what he sees as art personified. The final couplet consists of an epic challenge to time’s itself to “do thy worst”, and a declaration that his love’s beauty and youth will prevail. This poem brims with bravado and drama, with its repeating imagery of a great struggle between unstoppable destruction and proud and beautiful defyance. The overall effect is the same; soaring and dramatic, almost to the point of satire.
When looking at this poem, I think it is best to not take it too seriously. The overly dramatic execution of this poem makes me think that it is self aware. While it does seriously capture the feeling that something should, can, or must last forever, I think the poem knows nothing does. I tend to agree with the saying that the only guarantees in life are death and taxes, however I can still recognize that every now and again it feels good to let yourself think that something will last forever like a relationship, or the beauty and youth of your partner. I think this poem captures that feeling, with the same subconscious thought that it's not reality. The feeling is fun and healthy, but ridiculous, and so is the overblown nature of the poem. Even so, I like this poem, after all, life would be no fun if it was only death and taxes.
15.
ReplyDeleteWhen I consider every thing that grows
Holds in perfection but a little moment,
That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows
Whereon the stars in secret influence comment;
When I perceive that men as plants increase,
Cheered and checked even by the self-same sky,
Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,
And wear their brave state out of memory;
Then the conceit of this inconstant stay
Sets you most rich in youth before my sight,
Where wasteful Time debateth with decay
To change your day of youth to sullied night,
And all in war with Time for love of you,
As he takes from you, I engraft you new.
The imagery of this poem is what initially drew me to it. The way Shakespeare describes “stars in secret” and “every thing that grows” was the first thing to capture my attention, as it brought to life the story of growth and youth and the way that every human ages with time. The poem starts by describing how everything is perfect for only a brief point in time; age will catch up with us quickly and take that perfection away. The “stage” that life takes place on is controlled secretly by the stars. Throughout the poem, Shakespeare uses plants as an extended metaphor for the circle of life. In youth, people grow tall and flaunt their beauty, however we all eventually wither with time’s influence. He then thinks of someone he loves who is in their youth and how he would fight a war on time for them and make them immortal.
Multiple times throughout the poem, Shakespeare uses personification to convey his opinions on the concepts of time and life. He first personifies stars, as he sees them as having control over many of man’s behaviors and events. He then goes on to personify time and decay and makes it seem as though they both conspire together on the concept of growing old when he says “where wasteful Time debateth with decay to change your day of youth to sullied night.” Overall, I think the tone of of the poem is very melancholy as it discusses the “decay” that every person will go through. Yet however pessimistic it may be, this sonnet beautifully describes one of the truths of life.
LV.
ReplyDeleteNot marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword, nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
'Gainst death, and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.
The tone of this poem is triumphant, Shakespeare himself explaining the power of the written word through his own sonnet, overcoming war and years to live on in the eyes of every lover who chooses to survive in writing even as the world destroys itself. There is no bitterness as he describes the effects of time, yet he still calls it “wasteful war,” within which his poem must stand out among all the destruction. This poem repeats imagery of war and destruction, elements of the physical and ephemeral worlds, highlighting between, descriptions of poetry that, “shall shine more bright in these contents.” Alliteration is used frequently with phrases such as, “unswept stone,” “wasteful war,” and “even in the eyes.” As a Shakespearean sonnet, the rhyme scheme is a pattern of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Shakespeare speaks to the confidence that his life's work, and the written word entirely, can exist beyond any time and destruction. Poetry, while a breathing thing as, “The living record of your memory,” is not connected to any impending natural death, nor can it be destroyed by war. It is more valuable than any physical thing, power or wealth, “Not marble, nor the gilded monuments of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme; but you shall shine more bright in these contents.” Despite speaking of his own poem here, it does not seem as if he looks to brag about his own work, but proud of the resilience and beauty of writing as a whole, independent of any writer, more so, “dwell[ing] in lovers' eyes.” Writing succeeds itself in the eyes of those who love it and hold it close, their adoration empowering it’s immortality.
Sonnet XCVII
ReplyDeleteHow like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
What old December's bareness everywhere!
And yet this time removed was summer's time;
The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
Like widow'd wombs after their lords' decease:
Yet this abundant issue seemed to me
But hope of orphans, and unfathered fruit;
For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
And, thou away, the very birds are mute:
Or, if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer,
That leaves look pale, dreading the winter's near.
On a tangible level, this poem seems to describe the progression from summer to winter and the attributed connotations felt by the poet. Though near the first two lines, "hath my absence been From thee" seems to indicate a further metaphorical description of a past love. In it, the description of moving from summer to winter with the inclusion of descriptions as "What freezings have I felt" seemingly indirectly describing the coldness felt throughout this time of separation. Later, "For summer and his pleasures wait on thee" indicates a continued hope of things getting resolved when their lover comes back. Lastly, the closing of "if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer" touches on the aspect that whatever they do is incomparable to the separation they feel. Throughout the entire sonnet, the use of personification of things such as seasons helps add an additional level of understanding for the reader that they mean more than just the time of year.
50.
ReplyDeleteHow heavy do I journey on the way,
When what I seek, my weary travel's end,
Doth teach that ease and that repose to say,
'Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend!'
The beast that bears me, tired with my woe,
Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me,
As if by some instinct the wretch did know
His rider lov'd not speed being made from thee.
The bloody spur cannot provoke him on,
That sometimes anger thrusts into his hide,
Which heavily he answers with a groan,
More sharp to me than spurring to his side;
For that same groan doth put this in my mind,
My grief lies onward, and my joy behind.
The message behind this sonnet is rather interesting. In it, Shakespeare at first mentions his, “heavy,” journey. In this case, the heaviness more so refers to his sadness and burdens as opposed to it being in a physical sense. When speaking of his, “weary travel’s end,” he points out how it is taught that the end of a journey is gifted with, “ease,” and rest. However, Shakespeare instead only feels the distance and, “miles..measured from thy friend,”. Instead of feeling relieved from finishing his expedition, he is distraught at how far away he is from his friend. The semblance of heaviness mentioned at the beginning of the sonnet is continued throughout its entirety; he mentions how his horse is forced to, “bear that weight,” and he, “heavily answers with a groan,”. The constant feeling of weighted sorrow and sadness provides a melancholy tone throughout the piece.
I really enjoyed this sonnet. I found it to be quite different from a lot of Shakespeare’s other sonnets, as he chose to just focus on the absence of love rather than its presence; by this I mean that the piece was centered around the separation of friends, and how their distance only increased the sorrow that the rider felt. The love did not diminish, but its presence became more and more strained as the sonnet went on.
Sonnet 18
ReplyDeleteShall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
The primary reason why I chose Sonnet 18 to analyze was because it is such an eminent Shakespearean work, and I never have deeply pondered its significance. After reading it, I found the rich language and imagery to be unique and profound, and I enjoyed the poem overall. As in every Shakespearean sonnet, the poem takes on a rhyming scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. However, the most prominent aspect of the poem is the diction and analogy usage throughout the poem. He begins by with a rhetorical question on whether or not he should compare his lover to a summer day. In the first and second quatrain, the poem then breaks down the several reasons why summer is not amazing; it ends too quickly, it can be too hot, and wind shakes the flowers. Through the usage of striking comparisons, the poem is able to captivate why his love should not be compared to a summer day. The third quatrain describes how everything beautiful in nature is inevitable to fade away, however, he argues how his love for his beauty is eternal. He makes the distinction when starting, “but thy eternal summer shall not fade”, describing how his summer is different from the negative one he elaborated on. Phrases such as “so long as men can breathe” and “eyes can see”, he demonstrates how his love will never go away.
The overall tone of the poem can be taken as confident and passionate, as the poem clearly implies that as long as men live on this planet, the message will be pertinent. Though a summer day is found to not be a great comparison to his love, the ending impression is that his love is ‘fair’ and ‘lovely’.
Sonnet XXII
ReplyDeleteMy glass shall not persuade me I am old,
So long as youth and thou are of one date;
But when in thee time's furrows I behold,
Then look I death my days should expiate.
For all that beauty that doth cover thee,
Is but the seemly raiment of my heart,
Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me:
How can I then be elder than thou art?
O! therefore, love, be of thyself so wary
As I, not for myself, but for thee will;
Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary
As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.
Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain,
Thou gav'st me thine not to give back again.
Sonnet 22 follows the classic structure of a Shakespearean Sonnet, with the rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF for the first three quatrains and a couplet, GG. All of these similar lines consisted of exact rhymes. The narrator of this sonnet begins the poem by looking in the mirror. He states “My glass shall not persuade me I am old, So long as youth and thou are of one date”. Although he sees his face physically aging, he believes that his lover is keeping him young. He thinks that his affection for “youth” as in his lover, will allow him to cheat death and stay young just like her. He also uses specific imagery to explain the magnitude of his love. He explains that “Is but the seemly raiment of my heart, Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me: How can I then be elder than thou art?” He uses a well-known love symbol, the heart, to show that him and his lover had given their hearts to each other, which makes them one. As one, neither of them will be considered “older” as they will keep each other young. He also assures his lover that “Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary, As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.” He will prioritize her heart which is a metaphor for her, he compares her to a baby that he, the nurse, will protect and help in any way he can. He promises that her heart is his forever, even in death and the same with his. This shows his commitment to her that even at the end of life, they will be together.
Your sonnet choice was very unique and interesting to me. I feel like Shakespeare plays with the concept of time and its effect on things like love and happiness, but he rarely does it so literally as in this poem; rather than discussing time in a figurative sense, he chooses to go into it quite literally through his face changing in the mirror. I agree with all your points made in your analysis - they were really insightful.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNot from the stars do I my judgement pluck;
ReplyDeleteAnd yet methinks I have Astronomy,
But not to tell of good or evil luck,
Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality;
Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,
Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind,
Or say with princes if it shall go well
By oft predict that I in heaven find:
But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive,
And, constant stars, in them I read such art
As truth and beauty shall together thrive,
If from thyself, to store thou wouldst convert;
Or else of thee this I prognosticate:
Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date.
Throughout the poem Shakespeare constantly makes references to astronomy, predictions, and the stars. This repetition emphasizes the theme expressed throughout the poem of the future and the influence the stars have on the fate of humans. He talks about how he derives his judgement not from mere guessmaking, but he thinks he posseses the skill of “Astronomy,” more commonly known today as astrology. There is a more negative connotation assosciated with “the stars” because the poem implies that predictions made from the stars are potentially untrustworthy. The structure of the poem is that of the Shakesperean and English Sonnet, with a reckognizable pattern of three quatrains (abab, cdcd, efef), followed by a couplet (gg). The tone of this poem is critical of conventional Astronomy and guessmaking as he believes this practice to be untrustworthy. Shakespeare relies heavily upon metaphors during this poem with his use of stars as a metaphor for astrology, or predicting the future. He uses “thunder, rain and wind” to represent one’s misfourtune or downfall. This sonnet stood out to me because of the descriptive word choice. The imagery drew me in, especially with the mentions of stars and the way he used words to create metaphors surrounding the prediction of the future. I also appreciated Shakespeare’s critical attitude in this sonnet in contrast to some of the other ones that focused more on themes such as love.
Sarah, I thought the comments you made regarding the poem's repetition and theme were really well done. This is one of the more interesting sonnets chosen I think.
DeleteThose hours, that with gentle work did frame
ReplyDeleteThe lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell,
Will play the tyrants to the very same
And that unfair which fairly doth excel;
For never-resting time leads summer on
To hideous winter, and confounds him there;
Sap checked with frost, and lusty leaves quite gone,
Beauty o'er-snowed and bareness every where:
Then were not summer's distillation left,
A liquid prisoner pent in walls of glass,
Beauty's effect with beauty were bereft,
Nor it, nor no remembrance what it was:
But flowers distilled, though they with winter meet,
Leese but their show; their substance still lives sweet.
I was originally drawn to this sonnet because of the personification of time that Shakespeare began with in his first line. It appears that he wanted to show the true strength of time and the impacts that it can have on people. He accomplished this very well throughout his poem using strong imagery, personification, and alliteration. In Shakespeare's fifth sonnet, he uses the four seasons as a way of showing how an attractive man transforms over his lifetime. He uses the first two lines to introduce the man to the reader as someone who his frequently looked at for his beauty. He says, “Those hours that with gentle work did frame/The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell”. The second quatrain refers to the negative implications of aging and has a more pessimistic tone. The poet compares youth to summertime while old age is compared to winter and a lack of beauty. Shakespeare says, “For never-resting time leads summer on/To hideous winter, and confounds him there”. The couplet at the end of the poem wraps up his main idea by explaining to the reader how beauty can be conserved, despite the passage of time. However, the sonnet remains emotional, romantic, and pessimistic just like it began.
I like your analysis of this poem, how it could be initially be considered negative if not read through to the couplet where he explains that beauty is not as superficial as he has previously explained it.
DeleteMusic to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly?
ReplyDeleteSweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy:
Why lov'st thou that which thou receiv'st not gladly,
Or else receiv'st with pleasure thine annoy?
If the true concord of well-tuned sounds,
By unions married, do offend thine ear,
They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds
In singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear.
Mark how one string, sweet husband to another,
Strikes each in each by mutual ordering;
Resembling sire and child and happy mother,
Who, all in one, one pleasing note do sing:
Whose speechless song being many, seeming one,
Sings this to thee: 'Thou single wilt prove none.'
The sonnet starts asking a specific person why they are so saddened by music, as music is a representation of that individual. He compares the beauty of music to the beauty of the individual as a metaphor. He then changes the tone after asking asking essentially “Why do like the things that make you upset?”. He goes on to blame the individual for not harmonizing with the music, as he is not playing the part in order to love music. He wants the individual, who can now be identified as a man, to be a “sweet husband to another”, indicated as his children or his spouse. His family should be as “one pleasing note”, comparing a harmony to what his family should be - a happy family with a mother, father and their child. Shakespeare’s last line is a wake up call to the man, if he stays single he will be nothing of value. Shakespeare constant comparison of a man’s musical taste and his responsibility to be a good father is throughout the sonnet. Such a comparison drew me into this sonnet, as something as simple as music saddening an individual is an obligation to be an important family member in Shakespeare’s eyes.
I like your interpretation of this sonnet, how the music represents much more than just a feeling.
Delete104
ReplyDeleteTo me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I ey'd,
Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold,
Have from the forests shook three summers' pride,
Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned,
In process of the seasons have I seen,
Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burned,
Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green.
Ah! yet doth beauty like a dial-hand,
Steal from his figure, and no pace perceived;
So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand,
Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceived:
For fear of which, hear this thou age unbred:
Ere you were born was beauty's summer dead.
To me the most important piece of this poem is the imagery. It walks you through the three years that this love story takes place, directly referencing: Three beauteous springs, Three winters cold and Three April perfumes. Each line of the poems uses carefully chosen words in order to depict the changing of seasons and passing of years, showing how the love is unaffected by time passing. He also continuously repeats words specific to nature and seasons, referencing “forests” and the “green”. Throughout the poem there is also odd rhyming, not quite every other line but close to. He uses “old” and “cold”, “turned” and “burned”, “hand” and “stand, etc. Overall the poem mainly focuses on imagery and an appeal to emotion. It creates the image in your mind of a couple unmoved by the time passing them, they stand strong as the winds pass and the leaves change color. With all of this, the ending of the poem cannot be ignored, the final four lines taking a turn from previous lines. The most important lines to me being the final two, “For fear of which, hear this thou age unbred:/Ere you were born was beauty's summer dead”. These lines are to send out the message to future generations that before them there was already the greatest example of beauty. These are the most powerful lines to me because I think it shows the strongest examples of real love. Before it simply states there being a love unchanged by time passing but instead the final lines depict an actual person and this person being the greatest example of beauty to have ever lived.
For me the nature aspects of the poem were what drew me in the most. The beautiful imagery of the seasons changing, specifically the “Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned” were what was the most powerful nature imagery to me. The changing of the seasons, with the colors of the leaves changing and the whole world changing its tune to suit autumn is something I find very beautiful. Along with this, I loved the concept of the poem. To imagine a love so powerful it was unmoved through years of change both in the seasons and time passing as Shakespeare describes along with the troubles these people may have faced and all of the tough aspects of their everyday lives, is an image I believe to be very powerful. I often include mentions of nature, in my own writing and am very intrigued by other authors use of it as well. This sonnet is a strong example of a beautiful love story with a powerful ending.
Sonnet 37
ReplyDeleteAs a decrepit father takes delight
To see his active child do deeds of youth,
So I, made lame by Fortune's dearest spite,
Take all my comfort of thy worth and truth;
For whether beauty, birth, or wealth, or wit,
Or any of these all, or all, or more,
Entitled in thy parts, do crowned sit,
I make my love engrafted to this store:
So then I am not lame, poor, nor despised,
Whilst that this shadow doth such substance give
That I in thy abundance am sufficed,
And by a part of all thy glory live.
Look what is best, that best I wish in thee:
This wish I have; then ten times happy me!
This poem takes place in the mind of an elderly man, “made lame by Fortune’s dearest spite.” Immediately the reader is greeted with a visual of a father watching his youthful child enjoy his young age, which the “decrepit” father no longer has himself. One of the reasons I really like this sonnet is because contrary to what one would expect from a poem about the inescapable approach of time, the voice throughout the passage is light hearted and reflective. Rather than employing depressing imagery and negative tones about lack of youth and time, an appreciation for once having the gift of youth, and all the positive impacts it had on the writer’s life, is expressed. He describes himself as “sufficed” and “happy” with life, as he made use of his youth when he possessed it, and still reaps the benefits even in his later years.
The notions of this poem are timeless and applicable to any reader, because death is one of the few things guaranteed to each living thing. The first line creates an image that everyone is familiar with, a parent taking pride and joy in their children. Shakespeare has a satisfying take on the circle of life within this sonnet, as he repeatedly enforces the concept of enjoying youth for what it has to offer both the young and the old, rather than being mournful for any reason.
#52
ReplyDeleteWhat is your substance, whereof are you made,
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?
Since every one hath, every one, one shade,
And you but one, can every shadow lend.
Describe Adonis, and the counterfeit
Is poorly imitated after you;
On Helen's cheek all art of beauty set,
And you in Grecian tires are painted new:
Speak of the spring, and foison of the year,
The one doth shadow of your beauty show,
The other as your bounty doth appear;
And you in every blessed shape we know.
In all external grace you have some part,
But you like none, none you, for constant heart.
I think this sonnet shows the power of an individual. I like how the tone shifts from positive to negative back to positive. He seems to be asking someone who they think they are, then ending with who he thinks they are. This sonnet is really powerful because of the imagery he uses as comparison to the person’s characteristics. “The one doth shadow of your beauty show,” I think this sonnet is describing a person who doesn’t see the beauty they possess. He is trying to convince this person how their inner beauty is just as important. The last two lines of the sonnet, “In all external grace….for constant heart,” says how although this person has external beauty, their inner beauty and big heart is what makes them stand out from everyone else. It is what makes this individual unique. The Sonnet shifts from talking about the person’s looks to the person’s inner beauty.
#28
ReplyDeleteHow can I then return in happy plight,
That am debarred the benefit of rest?
When day's oppression is not eas'd by night,
But day by night and night by day oppressed,
And each, though enemies to either's reign,
Do in consent shake hands to torture me,
The one by toil, the other to complain
How far I toil, still farther off from thee.
I tell the day, to please him thou art bright,
And dost him grace when clouds do blot the heaven:
So flatter I the swart-complexion'd night,
When sparkling stars twire not thou gild'st the even.
But day doth daily draw my sorrows longer,
And night doth nightly make grief's length seem stronger.
The tone in Shakespeare's sonnet 28 is very remorseful, it is obvious that he is sad and longs to be back with the woman that he is missing. In his first line “how can I then return in happy plight that am debarred the benefit of rest” you can tell from the start that is sad and thinks he cannot be happy without this woman. He repeats the words “oppression”, “toil”, and “doth”, they all have a negative connotation which adds to the sad mood of the poem as well as the longing he has for the woman. The sonnet consists of three quatrains from lines 1-12 and a couplet lines 13-14. He talks about how it is torture every day and night because all he can think of is her and he is in pain. He tries to be positive but at the end of the day he is still upset and cannot live without her.
O thou, my lovely boy, who in thy power
ReplyDeleteDost hold Time's fickle glass, his sickle, hour;
Who hast by waning grown, and therein showest
Thy lovers withering, as thy sweet self growest.
If Nature, sovereign mistress over wrack,
As thou goest onwards still will pluck thee back,
She keeps thee to this purpose, that her skill
May time disgrace and wretched minutes kill.
Yet fear her, O thou minion of her pleasure!
She may detain, but not still keep, her treasure:
Her audit (though delayed) answered must be,
And her quietus is to render thee.
This poem appealed to me as I found that it related to "Beloved." When I re-read this poem, I thought of Sethe as the narrator as she reflects on the past. This sonnet seems to be describing the effect that time has on beauty, which greatly relates to her case. In the book, it is clear that Sethe has experienced multitudes of pain. These events have, in a way, torn at her beauty, or at her purity and joy. Paul D even recalls that she was not as beautiful as she once was, perhaps due to the torture she had endured. While this sonnet seems to illustrate the concepts of time and love, it could also capture Sethe's loss of self-love. In addition, it states how "thy lovers withering, as thy self growest." This could also relate to Sethe as, in spite of her challenges, she has become stronger and learned how to handle herself.
Overall, this poem does not demonstrate a lot of imagery. However, it personifies Time, calling death his "fickle hour." This makes Time almost seem like the antagonist of the sonnet and much more threatening. It also does not name the "lovers" in the poem, making it much more relatable for the reader.
Jill, I thought your connection to "Beloved" was really interesting and I totally see it now. I too chose a poem that personified time, it is such an interesting interoperation in my opinion.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSonnet #120
ReplyDeleteThat you were once unkind befriends me now,
And for that sorrow, which I then did feel,
Needs must I under my transgression bow,
Unless my nerves were brass or hammered steel.
For if you were by my unkindness shaken,
As I by yours, you've passed a hell of time;
And I, a tyrant, have no leisure taken
To weigh how once I suffered in your crime.
O! that our night of woe might have remembered
My deepest sense, how hard true sorrow hits,
And soon to you, as you to me, then tendered
The humble salve, which wounded bosoms fits!
But that your trespass now becomes a fee;
Mine ransoms yours, and yours must ransom me.
This sonnet has three quatrains, followed by a final rhyming couplet. It follows the typical rhyme scheme of the form abab cdcd efef gg and is composed in iambic pentameter. The 4th line exemplifies a regular iambic pentameter.
In my opinion, what Shakespeare is saying in this sonnet is that the hardships someone had put him through in the past has made him better in the present day. He uses many metaphors throughout the sonnet to get across multiple ideas:
- comparing his nerves to brass or hammered steel
- himself to a tyrant.
The mood is one of protest and rant. And it seems that Shakespeare here is referring to a friend of his, rather than a lover like he often does. Shakespeare is apologising for having wronged his Friend. He reminds him that he had himself been wronged at an earlier time. The two wrongs balance one another, and the fair result is to call it quits.
I really like that you choose this sonnets because I think the theme is very compelling. The tone is also something different for Shakespeare as it more aggressive and as you said as though he is ranting.
DeleteWhen I have seen by Time's fell hand defaced
ReplyDeleteThe rich proud cost of outworn buried age;
When sometime lofty towers I see down-razed,
And brass eternal slave to mortal rage;
When I have seen the hungry ocean gain
Advantage on the kingdom of the shore,
And the firm soil win of the watery main,
Increasing store with loss, and loss with store;
When I have seen such interchange of state,
Or state itself confounded to decay;
Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate
That Time will come and take my love away.
This thought is as a death which cannot choose
But weep to have that which it fears to lose.
I was drawn to this sonnet because of its theme of time. I found that the poem was talking about how time moves quicker than we would like to admit. I also believe it is talking about the giant changes that come with the passage of time. In the poem he talks about the levels of the oceans rising over time, a momentous change. The theme of change is present in the last lines about the writer of the poem thinking that “Time will come and take my love away”. Love unfortunately can grow weaker over time until it is no longer there and that is another momentus them.
As for the style of this sonnet, it follows the typical shakespearean template. The sonnet consists of three quatrains from lines 1-12 and a couplet lines 13-14. One style element found in this poem that I really enjoyed was the personification of time. Shakespeare capitalizes the word Time and gives in human like characteristics, talking of “Time’s fell hand defaced”. He also almost vilinizes Time by stating that “Time will come and take my love away”. I also liked the imagery in the sonnet too. The images of the ocean and the water rising up onto the sandy shore was a good picture of the scope of changes that time brings.
I really love your choice of sonnet, Anna. I like how you mentioned Shakespeare's villainizing time; I found it slightly similar to my sonnet, where he more so villainizes distance the further away he becomes from his friend. I also really enjoyed how the sonnet strongly utilized personification in order to strengthen time's effect on the piece as a whole.
DeleteSonnet #27/XXVII
ReplyDeleteWeary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head
To work my mind, when body's work's expired:
For then my thoughts--from far where I abide--
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see:
Save that my soul's imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new.
Lo! thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee, and for myself, no quiet find.
As many of Shakespeare's other sonnets do, number 27 addresses themes that remain relevant long past his time. Love leaves him restless, with a wandering mind, “Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new”. To me it read like the dark side of a love poem, it shows the turmoil of his love that leaves him restless.
The Rhyme Scheme is pretty basic: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. His wording is not too complex, rhyming words like bed and head. It makes the sonnet more accessible to readers. Yet his prose remains beautiful like classic shakespearean writing is, “Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed, The dear repose for limbs with travel tired.” He found a very good balance, making the sonnett one of his most successful.
My glass shall not persuade me I am old,
ReplyDeleteSo long as youth and thou are of one date;
But when in thee time's furrows I behold,
Then look I death my days should expiate.
For all that beauty that doth cover thee,
Is but the seemly raiment of my heart,
Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me:
How can I then be elder than thou art?
O! therefore, love, be of thyself so wary
As I, not for myself, but for thee will;
Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary
As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.
Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain,
Thou gav'st me thine not to give back again.
Shakespeare is writing about how his mirror is trying to deceive him, convincing him of his old age, “My glass shall not persuade me I am old, So long as youth and thou are of one date;” but he is unconvinced because of his lover. He feels youthful when he is with her, that his aged appearance doesn’t match his feelings. His heart is the true indicator of his age, “For all that beauty that doth cover thee, Is but the seemly raiment of my heart, Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me: How can I then be elder than thou art?” He is absolutely infatuated with his lover, saying that all of her beauty is the clothing warming his heart. Since she is in his heart, she is a part of him, so how is it possible for him to be older than her? This poem is an example of “age is just a number.” He promises to take care of her heart for it belongs to him,“Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary, As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.” The last two lines of this sonnet (gg) are saying that even when he dies, a part of him will live as long as she does because he posses a part of her heart, “Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain, Thou gav'st me thine not to give back again.” Shakespeare, having been a hopeless romantic, always sought out the greater meaning of what it truly means to love. He had many lovers throughout his lifetime, so according to this sonnet, a part of his heart lived on as long as those he loved lived.