William Shakespeare 's Sonnet 64

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.

‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare and ‘What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, And Where, And Why” by Edna St. Vincent Millay are both sonnets that discuss companionship and a glimpse of the poets’ experiences. In ‘Sonnet 116’, Shakespeare illustrates how capability is weakened by its metaphysical stereotype and ideals such as, love which never seems to wither away according to Shakespeare while on the contrary, in ‘What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, And Where, And Why” Millay feeds on the chaos between the ideal of love and its harsh reality, heartbreak. Both poets seem to be love struck but there is a significant difference in the two. I will compare and contrast ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare and ‘What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, And Where, And Why” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I will also inquire and analyze why this particular form of poetry established different effects.

In the hands of a master such as Shakespeare, the conventions of the sonnet form are manipulated and transformed into something unique and originally emphasized. Both sonnets in one way or another subvert the conventions of the base Petrarchan sonnet; though they are about love, the traditional topic of sonnets, whilst in Sonnet 20 the object of desire is unattainable and there is no evidence of the level of affection being requited, the target is male, and the target of the poet's affections in Sonnet 130 is the poetic voice's current mistress. It also seems important to note that love in neither of these cases is of the generic youthful female Aryan stereotype, and

William Shakespeare used the word and the concept of death many times throughout his writing. The poem, “The Time of Year,” is one of the many sonnets that Shakespeare wrote. It is also known as “Sonnet 73”. “In Western literary traditions, sonnets have played an important role because of the works of authors such as Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) and William Shakespeare,” (Weagly, 2016). “The Time of Year” (Sonnet 73) by William Shakespeare, conveys the theme that the idea of losing someone could create a stronger feeling of love while they are living here on Earth.

William Shakespeare’s Sonnet #55 is a Shakespearian sonnet. It contains three quatrains, or four line stanzas, and ends with a couplet. The poem is written in iambic pentameter William Shakespeare’s Sonnet #55 is a Shakespearian sonnet. It contains three quatrains, or four line stanzas, and ends with a couplet. The poem is written in iambic pentameter.

“Nay, if you read this line, remember not / The hand that writ it;(. . .)” (lines 5-6). By referring to himself as “the hand that writ it” (line 6) it seems like he’s trying to make his image seem less “material” as if he had only existed in his lover’s mind and it had all been just a dream. This would oblige his lover to forget him as though he had never existed. Following that, the speaker is more direct and also clearer about his wish of being forgotten “( . . .) for I love you so / That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot” (lines 6 and 7).; he asks his lover not to remember him when reading the poem after his death; the speaker’s love is so pure and real that he’d rather have his lover forget him and not suffer than nurture a memory of him everyday, living in pain in consequence of these memories.

An Elizabethan sonnet is a poem that contains 14 lines. Each line is usually 10 syllables long. However, Shakespeare created his own type of sonnet that also has 14 lines, but also follows a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg. Not only that, but the Shakespearean sonnets also have iambic pentameter which give the sonnets a rhythm or beat by emphasizing every other syllable. Shakespearean sonnets are very similar to those of Petrarchan lovers. The main idea of these sonnets are usually about exaggerated and romantic love. These sonnets were created by a man named Francesco Petrarch. He was an Italian student during the Renaissance who lived in Petrarch, Italy. Petrarch then fell in love with a woman named Laura, and shortly after he began to write sonnets about her. Many people who also lived in the city continued what Francesco had started. The ideal woman of the time and in Petrarchan sonnets was blonde, had a high forehead, had bright eyes, and had pale skin. In the sonnets, they are exaggerated so much that they are almost viewed as angels or goddesses. In William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130,” he compares his “mistress” to the ideal woman from Petrarchan sonnets, and in a way, mocks them for their ridiculous flattery. In “Sonnet 130,” William Shakespeare’s use of similes, metaphors, and tone illustrate the complex nature of love, and reject the cliché concepts of ideal love.

Shakespeare wanted to break away from social norms while writing many of his poems. In his sonnet “My Mistress Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun”, Shakespeare changed the traditional manners in which a man in love would talk to about his partner. His break of the social nor was to use unromantic metaphors about his lover such as, her hair, smell, and looks. “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head” (line 4), being told her hair looks like wires is nothing a woman wants to hear from a man. He continues to compare her looks to horrific object like her breath, “And in some perfumes is there more delight/ Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” (lines 6-7). The reason Shakespeare continues to compare his love with ugly metaphors is to prove his unconditional love for her. To him no matter her looks he will always love her, Shakespeare believes that nothing pleasant can be compared to his perfect partner so he must see her imperfections. She is perfect for him because she has the imperfections which make her unique. With all the comparisons of unromantic descriptions, Shakespeare pours out his expression of true love. To him “… I think my love as rare” (line 12), in the poem that line confesses his love to the audience ending the thought that he could not possibly love her after being unromantic. With his unromantic gestures, comparison of appearance, and his belief of his rare love Shakespeare expresses the unconditional love.

In his life William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, it’s an impressive feat, but it isn’t impressive in the sheer volume of Shakespeare’s writing. Shakespeare's sonnets are fluid and can be confusing with his 16th century style, if it’s understood by the reader how the writing style works, then the liquidity that he uses will be evident. William Shakespeare’s 18th sonnet utilizes imagery, diction, and connotation to explain how people feel when they are in love.

Many of Shakespeare's sonnets also focus on the extent of his love, such as the sacrifices he makes for his

Shakespeare’s sonnet 60 expresses the inevitable end that comes with time and uses this dark truth to express his hopefulness that his poetry will carry his beloved’s beauty and worth into the future in some way so that it may never die. This love poem is, as all sonnets are, fourteen lines. Three quatrains form these fourteen lines, and each quatrain consists of two lines. Furthermore, the last two lines that follow these quatrains are known as the couplet. This sonnet has the rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, as most Shakespearean sonnets follow. In each of the three quatrains, Shakespeare discusses a different idea. In this particular sonnet, the idea is how time continues to pass on, causing everything to die. The couplet connects these ideas to one central theme, this theme being Shakespeare’s hope for the beauty of his beloved’s immortality through his poetry’s continuation into future times.

     The sonnet, being one of the most traditional and recognized forms of poetry, has been used and altered in many time periods by writers to convey different messages to the audience. The strict constraints of the form have often been used to parallel the subject in the poem. Many times, the first three quatrains introduce the subject and build on one another, showing progression in the poem. The final couplet brings closure to the poem by bringing the main ideas together. On other occasions, the couplet makes a statement of irony or refutes the main idea with a counter statement. It leaves the reader with a last impression of what the author is trying to say.

“Sonnet 130” written by William Shakespeare, is one of his most well known poems and can be analyzed and broken apart in great depth. The poem is written in fourteen lines which makes it a sonnet. Like all of Shakespeare’s sonnets the meter is iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme for “Sonnet 130” is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. An overlaying theme for “Sonnet 130” is, “True love is based on how beautiful you find someone on the inside.” Shakespeare proves to have a great view on true love in this sonnet. He cares more about what’s on the inside rather than what’s on the outside. “Sonnet 130’s” theme can be proven by Shakespeare's use of poetic and literary devices, the tone and mood of the sonnet, and the motif of true love.

Sonnets are an artistic art form that has been worshipped by people all over the world since their creation in the thirteenth century, yet they all appear to be the same. From Italian to English and translated in many other languages, writers around the world have embraced this graceful form to create some of the best poetry. Themes within sonnets typically revolved around a poet’s feelings towards a beloved, often idolizing her beauty and forever immortalizing her in print. Shakespeare’s progression within his sonnets greatly stray from this idea of “perfect love” with a beloved and created a colossal change in themes of love throughout other media.

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.