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The Themes of Love in Shakespeare's Sonnets and Other Poetry Essay

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The Themes of Love in Shakespeare's Sonnets and Other Poetry

Love poetry has been written for many centuries. The ideas expressed by Shakespeare and Browning are still relevant today. Love is not a tangible thing; it is an emotion so it can be perceived in many different ways.

Shakespeare has infamously used sonnets to express his ideas on love. 'Shall I compare thee…?' is a sonnet in which Shakespeare focuses on immortalisation through words. 'Let me not' is another sonnet written by Shakespeare in which he expresses his views and the theme of the strength of love.

I choose Robert Browning's, Porpyria's lover to compare to the above poems. As it is a dramatic monologue, which provides …show more content…

This is a similar theme to one in shall I compare thee…? which is everlasting.

A sub theme of everlasting is also expressed in this sonnet 'love alters not with breefe houres and weekes'. All three of the poems attempt to defy time through love, although they do this in very different ways.

Shakespeare is almost trying to teach a lesson to the society of that time, a lesson that is still relevant today. Due to the lesson being on love and marriage it adds to the religious element within this poem. Also due to the large volume of hyperbolic language, it seems as though Shakespeare is religiously preaching to us. For example ' love…. Beares it out even to the edge of doom'. The religious aspect of avoiding divorce is shown here. The religious tone in this poem differentiates it very much from the other two poems. As the tone in Shall I compare thee…? Is light and airy and the tone in Porphyria's lover is conspiring.

The rhyming couplets of Shakespeare's sonnets are the most power literary tool. His confidence in his belief of this sonnet adds greatly to the creditability of it. This rhyming couplet exemplifies this ' If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ nor no man ever loved'

Shakespeare

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