The Beauty of Shakespeare's Sonnets

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.

The love story is one of the oldest and most cherished traditions in any world culture. The prevalence of romantic works throughout history, whether Greek myths, Jane Austen’s dramatic narratives, or today’s dime-a-dozen romantic novels, ultimately encourages us to believe in the power of true love. We identify with the archetypal star-crossed lovers, who combat established convention in order to assert their romance, because we too yearn for our own “happily-ever-afters.” When used in conjunction with reason, love is the highest form of compassion – without it, we could not possibly interact productively with one another or develop as individuals. But when we take a new perspective and examine love as an independent,

Shakespeare says there is not value of love, but attitude can be measured. Love is not eternal, as to lust is timed. He says, “Whose worth is unknown, although his height be taken. Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks” (8-9). Time is nothing to love, but through time “rosy lips and cheeks” (9) love is destroyed. True love is not measured by “hours and weeks” (10). It “bears” (11) the struggles “even to the edge of doom”

Everyone in the world, in one way or another, experiences love; However, the source of it is unknown. In Sonnet 130 the author, William Shakespeare introduces a speaker who is in love with a woman he refers to as his mistress. The speaker expresses his love for her through a sonnet, but unlike other authors of his time, Shakespeare writes his sonnet in a more unique and humorous way. Shakespeare’s excess use of negative similes and a mysterious tone change help convey the meaning of love on a deeper, more intimate level by showing that looks are not as important as one’s inner beauty. Shakespeare compares his mistress to several beautiful things, but the comparison is never in favor of the speaker’s lover, which shows how the sonnet

Is true love an unattainable ideal? Do we all have a soul mate? Is love just an exchange of lies for the purpose of flattery? These questions, and countless others, regarding love have been pondered by philosophers and pop music stars alike for hundreds of years. William Shakespeare examines these questions from two vantage points in “Sonnet 116” and “Sonnet 138.” Firstly, in “Sonnet 116”, Shakespeare analyzes love in a rhetorical manner, meaning that he is not discussing a specific relationship of his, but theorizing on the concept of love as a whole, in abstract terms. Conversely, in “Sonnet 138”, Shakespeare analyzes love in a specific manner. He looks inward to inspect a relationship between him and a woman, also known as The Dark Lady, and paints a much different picture of love than in “Sonnet 116”, in specific terms. In William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116” and “Sonnet 138”, Shakespeare analyzes love in abstract and specific terms; concluding that abstract love relies on affection, does not change or age, and is built upon a solid foundation of truth, while specific love, on the other hand, relies on lust, actively ignores change and aging, and revolves around deception. These two sonnets paint entirely adverse portraits of love in order to emphasize the dichotomy between the poet’s expectations of love, and the reality which does not live up to the poet’s expectations.

From birth to death, loss is an inevitable part of each person`s lifetime. Most people are loved as soon they come into this world, but are loved by many more when they go. Nonetheless, in the journey of life, people will face obstacles that will shape them into different people than they were yesterday, and most people will find themselves loving another person at one point in time. However, certain circumstances, such as death or a breakup, can cause a person to feel like the entire world is crashing down upon his or her shoulders. Some deaths can be signaled by sickness or old age, but like anything, some do come unexpectedly. The same trend goes for breakups as well. Sometimes, a breakup can come as a shock to one person or both people

This essay will address how Shakespeare and Rossetti engage with the sonnet form, through Rossetti’s “A Sonnet” and Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 52”. Both poets arguably subvert the traditional Petrarchan sonnet genre, though in different ways. Rossetti’s ‘A Sonnet’ explores the sonnet as an art form rather than as a means of currency, as sonnets were seen to be at the time, and how if treated as a commodity, the value of a sonnet is diminished. Similarly, Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 52’ explores the connection between frequency and worth. However, ‘Sonnet 52’ adheres more closely to traditional sonnet form, as the prevalent theme is romance, and the idealisation of the “fair youth”. In contrast to Shakespeare’s adherence to the traditional romantic focus of sonnets, Rossetti subverts the genre by using “The Sonnet” as a metatextual device to explore his ideas around the form of a sonnet itself.

Even though William Shakespeare wrote about other things besides love, love, friendship and marriage are the main topics that William Shakespeare wrote about because those were the subjects most important in that period of time and love conquers all. Shakespeare’s sonnets are full of romance and very expressive. They raise love up to give the reader something to desire for. Sonnets written in Shakespeare’s time were often written about love and were very popular. Love sonnets are personal and show the splendor and importance of love.

To see love written in poetry is a common thing. There are copious forms of love as poets throughout the centuries exemplify it to be happy, physical, or even downright delusional. Love can whip its iron cast hand around one’s heart and squeeze the very breath out, or it can invigorate all senses and make one nonsensical. Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” and Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” uses various formal differences such as metaphors, imagery, and irony in order to portray two ends of the love spectrum: Shakespeare’s being that romantic love is grand and beautiful while Browning offers a more darker glimpse on how obsessive and controlling love can be.

“Sonnet CXVI,” written by William Shakespeare, is an epic attempt to describe what true love is and what true love is not. Shakespeare utilizes numerous rhetorical devices, vivid imagery, and in depth expression to show that if love is true, it is constant and does not waver in the face of challenges or obstacles (Line 3). “Sonnet CXVI” is still read today due to the fact that it gives a beautiful representation of what real love should be like. Therefore, due to its meaning and expression, Shakespeare’s “Sonnet CXVI” should still be read today.

One of the major themes in Romeo and Juliet is Love and its difficulties. Shakespeare tends to use this often in his plays and verses to create many emotions an effects. The relations and comparisons between the Acts/scenes and sonnets (18,129,36,29) in the play are studied in detail to understand Love and its difficulties. Shakespeare shows us how Love and relationships can change depending on situations by using the sonnets/ scenes and different language /imagery. This play was written during the Elizabethan era and this gives us an insight of what things were like in such a patriarchal society.

Shakespeare’s sonnets are considered to be some of the greatest and most eloquent poems in all of English literature. So by analyzing his genius in poetry and style, scholars and ordinary readers alike, try to understand the genius in the poet. There is very little known of Shakespeare’s personal life or feelings he had about himself. This being so a lot of scholars focus on his style and way of saying things to try and get a better understanding of Shakespeare the person. Many scholars have tried to get an insight into shakespeare by analyzing how and what he wrote. Many poets use poetry as a way to express their feelings and emotions, so readers of Shakespeare should be able to start to grasp a picture of who he was by reading his poetry and paying attention to the similarities and unique differences of his work to the norm of the day.

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.