A Valediction Forbidding Mourning Figurative Language

Shakespeare examines love in two different ways in Sonnets 116 and 130. In the first, love is treated in its most ideal form as an uncompromising force (indeed, as the greatest force in the universe); in the latter sonnet, Shakespeare treats love from a more practical aspect: it is viewed simply and realistically without ornament. Yet both sonnets are justifiable in and of themselves, for neither misrepresents love or speaks of it slightingly. Indeed, Shakespeare illustrates two qualities of love in the two sonnets: its potential and its objectivity. This paper will compare and contrast the two sonnets by Shakespeare and show how they represent two different attitudes to love.

William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116” and Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Love Is Not All” both attempt to define love, by telling what love is and what it is not. Shakespeare’s sonnet praises love and speaks of love in its most ideal form, while Millay’s poem begins by giving the impression that the speaker feels that love is not all, but during the unfolding of the poem we find the ironic truth that love is all. Shakespeare, on the other hand, depicts love as perfect and necessary from the beginning to the end of his poem. Although these two authors have taken two completely different approaches, both have worked to show the importance of love and to define it. However, Shakespeare is most confident of his definition of love, while Millay seems

“Sonnet 116” written by William Shakespeare is focusing on the strength and true power of love. Love is a feeling that sustainable to alterations, that take place at certain points in life, and love is even stronger than a breakup because separation cannot eliminate feelings. The writer makes use of metaphors expressing love as a feeling of mind not just heart as young readers may see it. To Shakespeare love is an immortal felling that is similar to a mark on a person’s life.

Shakespeare expresses his love for his mistress through metaphors, typical of sonnets about love. However, those comparisons describe his poor mistress in unpleasant ways, in distinct to typical love sonnets. Poets usually describe the beauty of their lover through embellished comparisons and through the usage of romantic language. Shakespeare pokes fun at the fact that these comparisons are too

Within sonnet 116, Shakespeare personifies the abstract noun of love when he states ‘Whose worth’s unknown’. Through personifying his ideology of true love, it makes it increasingly

A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines that rhyme in a particular pattern. William Shakespeare’s sonnets were the only non-dramatic poetry that he wrote. Shakespeare used sonnets within some of his plays, but his sonnets are best known as a series of one hundred and fifty-four poems. The series of one hundred and fifty-four poems tell a story about a young aristocrat and a mysterious mistress. Many people have analyzed and contemplated about the significance of these “lovers”. After analysis of the content of both the “young man” sonnets and the “dark lady sonnets”, it is clear that the poet, Shakespeare, has a great love for the young man and only lusts after his mistress.

Another type of love that is important within the selected poems is storge love. Storge love is a type of love between family and friends. Two examples of this kind of love are what parents naturally feel for their children or the love that friends feel for each other. This kind of love also contains commitment and sacrifice. Storge love is portrayed heavily in Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116.” In the poem, Shakespeare explains that love is not just an object or something that can be played with, but rather it is a commitment one makes to one they love. He also says that love never alters or withers through a relationship’s ups and downs. Shakespeare writes,

Love is the most powerful feeling of emotion in all kinds of relationships such as a father to his son or a lover to his mistress. The poem '' My Papa's Waltz'' by Theodore Roethke and "Sonnet 130" by William Shakespeare focus on a similar theme which is love. The speaker in “My Papa’s Waltz”, and the speaker in sonnet 130 describe loving someone more than yourself. In Roethke's poem, the speaker is a young boy who remembers his childhood relationship with his father. In sonnet 130, the speaker is a man who loves his mistress by celebrating the love for her. Theodore Roethke and William Shakespeare demonstrate the theme of love through using simile, metaphor, and tone to show the importance of love in their poems.

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare depicts a troubled couple and their never ending battle with love. Love, although not directly characterized within the play, is instrumental in orchestrating many of the relationships that moved the plotline of the story. Romeo credits love to parts of Juliet and his relationship, by proclaiming that “he [love] lent me counsel and I lent him eyes./ I should adventure for such merchandise” (II. ii. 86, 89). Shakespeare uses personification and motifs to portray the idea of love as a forceful figure, which reinforces the theme that love can cause one to make brash decisions.

Shakespeare uses love through similes. After Romeo went to the balcony to meet up with Juliet he fell far more in love with her, even though he just shifted to her from Rosaline. Romeo states, “My love is deep and is boundless as the sea” (II.ii.). This shows how far Romeo is in love with Juliet. Also, how excited he is by comparing his love to something big like the sea. In addition, we see the usage of love by Romeo being deeply in love with Rosaline, but she does not feel the same way. Romeo implies, “Here is much to do with hate, but more with love” (I.i.). Romeo is saying even

Poets and authors alike evoke emotion and pictures from one single word. The imagery and thoughts put into the readers’ heads by these different writers are the base of one’s creativity and imagination while reading the author’s work of art. William Shakespeare is one of the most well-known poets of all time that is able to elicit these emotions from the reader to allow the reader to fully understand what Shakespeare is trying to accomplish with his poems. Shakespeare keeps his audience entertained with a whopping 154 sonnets, each having a different meaning and imagery associated with it. Sonnet 18, “[Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day]”, and Sonnet 55, “[Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments]”, are both one of Shakespeare’s most famous works. Shakespeare uses these sonnets to explore the powerful relationship between humanity, art, and time.

And while these contrasting definitions of love may not be the only types out there, both illustrate how love can affect one’s life positively and as well as negatively. For Shakespeare, love can immortalize

Literature is written for a purpose. I believe that the main purpose of the prologue from Beowulf is to introduce the reader to the king’s newborn son. A son that would be prominent to his nation. According to the text “Afterwards a boy-child was born to Shield, a cub in the yard, a comfort sent by God to that nation.” The author also gives background information on Shield.

Ultimately, Shakespeare expresses his own feelings and opinions through the sonnet. His usage of language techniques helps him do so. Love is shown to be not only a quality, but it is personified as a perfect, unchanging thing, unaffected by time. Shakespeare has really proved himself to be a prolific writer and extraordinarily capable poet as result of this

Shakespeare, who wrote the sonnets in 1609, expresses his own feelings through his greatest work of literature. The theme of love in the poems reflect thoughts from the Renaissance period. Love is one of many components of Shakespeare’s life shown in the sonnets. Love can be defined in many ways other than a strong affection for a lover. In Shakespeare’s sonnets, the concept of love can be seen through many uncommon means such as the love of life before death in “Sonnet 73,” love in marriage in “Sonnet 116,” love through sexual desire in “Sonnet 129,” and love through nature in “Sonnet 130,” proving that love can be expressed through many different feelings and emotions.