William Shakespeare and His Works Essay

William Shakespeare is one of the most well-known writers of all time. His sonnets are timeless and his plays are performed again and again. Much of his history is known, but can also be considered a little cloudy. He seemed to be a sarcastic man not necessarily loved by all. I enjoy his plays, but personally love his sonnets best of all. Knowing the controversy surrounding his life, “Sonnet 71” offers a slight insight into all of that.

Sonnets are known for having a rigid format and being the hoard of poets’ flowery love confessions and tormenting heartache. While most poets generally stick to that cliche topic of love and the traditional English or Petrarchan structures, sonnets are not defined by these common features. Both Shakespeare’s “My mistress’ eyes are…” and Collins’s “Sonnet” satirically poke at typical sonnets, however, Shakespeare follows the standard English sonnet style while parodying the classic subject of love to show how ridiculous and idealistic love sonnets can be. On the other hand, Collins breaks free from those stern sonnet rules to joke about the strictness of sonnet structures while defining typical sonnet rules.

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.

Billy Collins, in his sonnet “Sonnet,” describes the content of sonnets in general, the Elizabethan sonnet, and the Petrarchan sonnet. Collins develop this idea, by stating that “All we need is fourteen lines,” to explain to a reader that all sonnets consist of fourteen lines; secondly, he metaphorically describes how a sonnet’s purpose is to “launch a little ship on love's storm-tossed seas,” to show the reader that sonnets are normally meant to be about love and the complications that come with it; thirdly, by stating that the “iambic bongos must be played and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,” he metaphorically describes the rhythmic and rhyming limitations of the Elizabethan or Shakespearean sonnet; fourthly, he states that “ the

In 2010 Billy Collins writes Sonnet, a piece of literary work I consider to be the antihero of sonnets. Collins ironically follows neither the constructs of a Shakespearean nor Petrarchan Sonnet throughout. He also creatively breathes new life into a strict art form while rejecting the historical rules a sonnet must follow in this work. Upon further review of Sonnet, it becomes clear that this deliberate rule breaking is a skilled nod & side-step to historic norms and a promotion of a new age of creativity in the making of a sonnet.

Short Assignment 1 When looking at different editions of Sonnet 20, it is clear that differing annotations and edits are in fact distinct choices made by those who have undertaken the task of editing the works of Shakespeare. Because Shakespeare has become such an iconic brand of authorship over the years, many editors take it upon themselves to uncover the one true author and meaning behind the work. This unity is constantly craved when examining a text, and it throws our own ideas self-identity into question when a work or author is incomplete. When new information about Shakespeare’s work emerges, editors scramble to find the sole voice of a single individual in a sea of historical consciousness. The brand of the Bard has become even

William Shakespeare was a world renowned poet and playwright, and his pieces as still read and talked about today. Son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, he was born on April 23, 1564. He was the third of eight children in his sizeable family. He was baptized three days after his birth on the 26th of April in Stratford-upon-Avon near Birmingham, England. He most likely was educated at the King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. At the school, he learned many new languages including Latin, Greek, and he read Roman dramatists which means he must of picked up a little Italian on the way. Throughout Shakespeare's early life his father, being the tradesman he was, struggled with debt. This meant that Shakespeare grew up poor and saw the worst of the human condition. He had to overcome many obstacles to get to the position he was in. He worked hard at life, and now he is considered one the best poets to ever write. He married Anne Hathaway at 18, and they had two daughters. A few years into his marriage he moved to London where he began his career in acting and playwriting. He died on his birthday, April 23, 1616. He was then

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.

William Shakespeare actual birth date is unknown, but scholars believe it was on or near April 23,1564. “William Shakespeare was born April 23,1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon”(Benson and Stock 198). Record shows William was the third child of the Shakespeares’ ten children and his father, John Shakespeare was a leather merchant, and his mother Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. “William was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heires ...William had two older sisters, and three younger brothers” (Biography). In his childhood, Shakespeare attended the King’s New School in Stratford because it was typical for a child whose father is a aldermen. The School taught Shakespeare reading, writing. and Latin education. ”Young Shakespeare attended the King’s New School in Stratford and received Latin education”

William Shakespeare's life was barely recorded. There are no medical records of his birth date, but he was baptized on April 26, 1564 at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. From this information scholars believe he was born around April 23,1564, the same day he died 52 years later. Shakespeare was the third of eight children to John Shakespear and Mary Arden. William was not born into a rich family, he went to King's New School, in Stratford, which was the local grammar school. He was unable to attend a university due to the fact of his fathers debt.(Ackroyd, 2005 ch. 1)

While William married early, he still embraced life, writing 154 sonnets during his fifty two years; William was known for his many tragedies, romances and comedies; they are what made him famous around the world today. The compassionate William Shakespeare was born in “Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564” (Magill 1), his birthdate is unknown but is believed to have been on April 23, seeing he was “Christened on April 26, 1564” (Magill 1). Shakespeare was born during “the sixth year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I” (Neagle 140). For the reason that Shakespeare “lived more than 400 years ago” (folger.edu), records of him are very difficult to find. Shakespeare was born into the family of John and Mary Shakespeare, he was “their oldest surviving child”

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.

Shakespeare wrote a total of 154 sonnets in his lifetime; the majority of them being romantic, wooing, and saccharine. Surprisingly, 126 of the sonnets are allegedly dedicated to a man whom Shakespeare had intimate feelings towards (Alexander 1). Phrases such as “That may express my love…sweet boy”, “Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope…”, and “And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometimes declines…” give plenty of evidence that Shakespeare was referring to a male rather than a female (Mabillard 1).

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.