William Shakespeare's Sonnet #55 Essay

This expression shows how Shakespeare believes love should see flaws but be able to overlook them. Shakespeare uses the form of an English sonnet, more commonly known as the Shakespearean sonnet, to communicate his thoughts. A Shakespearean sonnet "is organized into three quatrains and a couplet, which typically rhyme abab cdcd efef gg" (Meyer, p.917). Additionally, within these sonnet styles "the most pronounced break or turn comes with the concluding couplet" (Meyer, p.917).

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.

'I do but keep the peace put up thy sword, or manage it to part these

In modern times, youth and beauty is an image seen everywhere. For example, a Versace billboard, magazine ad, TV commercial, all of which displays images of beautiful people. But what happens when this beauty fades? Shakespeare in his 12th sonnet talks about his experience and fading beauty. The purpose of this poem is to encourage a young man to not lose his beauty to the ravages of time. In order to do this, one must reproduce so beauty will live.

These groupings of four lines are called quatrains, and the first two of the sonnet are similar in meaning, and the third quatrain is linked with the fourth, which is actually just a couplet. This example follows a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, so it follows the usual form of a Shakespearean sonnet. The first two quatrains are linked in meaning because this is where Shakespeare ruminates on how beauty is enhanced by true inward value. He discusses how roses are considered to be more beautiful than they are solely based on looks, because they have such a beautiful scent, but it is not so with the canker blooms, which have as nice a color as roses, but nothing more. Then in the third quatrain he shifts focus slightly, to consider the death of the beautiful flowers.

do all the things he did which led to his death. He said that she

Since its introduction in the 1530s, nearly every major British and American poet has made use of the form" (Sonnet xxi). In Versification, James McAuley defines that the sonnet is, "In the strict sense, a fourteen-line poem usually in iambic pentameters. The Italian or petrachan type, consists of an octet, usually rhymed cdecde or in some permutation of these. The English sonnet type consists of three quatrains plus a concluding couplet, rhymed variously, the Shakespearian form being abab cdcd efef gg. In sixteenth- and seventeenth-century use, the term was also loosely applied to any lyric poem, especially a love-poem, as in [John] Donne's (1572-1631) Songs and Sonnets" (82).

The Shakespearean sonnet depicts a speaker, who can barely close his eyes and sleep. The reader understands the scene is at night, in the bed after a long day. The tone of the poem is sorrowful. Shakespeare wants to share the reader with sleeplessness, separation, and agony that the speaker faces day and night, because of his remoteness from a special person: “For then my thoughts--from far where I abide--intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee.” The idea of love is delivered throughout the lines using contrasts: “Presents thy shadow to my sightless view, Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night.” Here “shadow” means an image, the speaker compares seeing the image of his special person in the darkness to a jewel seen at night. The image

the first of the two lines he uses the word ‘mark’ which means buoy to

A Comparison between To His Coy Mistress and Sonnet 116 The poem "To His Coy Mistress" was written in the mid 17th century by Andrew Marvell, being written in this time Marvell's poem was unable to be published as its taboo content was unfavoured by the puritans in power at the time. Whereas "Sonnet 116" by William Shakespeare was written in the late 16th century, a time of liberation and freedom for the stage and literature. Both poems are similar in theme and yet different in approach, they both pursue the theme of love although Marvell in a satirical Carpe Diem love style whereas Shakespeare in a traditional sonnet style. "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell is about a young mans attempts to lure a woman into bed

This sonnet initially appealed to me because I really liked the metaphors and figurative language, later on, when I started to think about the deeper meaning of the sonnet, I was interested in how Shakespeare chose to convey his understanding of time’s relationship to humanity through the metaphors that initially drew me in. The central theme of the sonnet is how time gives the gift of life; however, as it moves forward and time takes back the gift of life no one is able to escape the ultimate end, which is death. Instead of using a singular central metaphor to express his ideas, Shakespeare changes time into a wave, a child and a killer, through similes, metaphors, and personification, to illustrate his interpretation of time’s effect on humanity.

The setup of this sonnet is applicable and conveys a simple yes/but argument. The fact that semicolons are used in the quatrains indicates that the speaker tries to create an image of his mistress without taking a breath. The images all relate to each other in how they convey her looks and emphasize how Shakespeare feels about her. Also by continuously trying to create this image of her he creates a “yes” argument: yes, her hair is wiry, yes, her cheeks are wan, and yes, her eyes are dull, among other comparisons. The couplet ties the argument together by resolving the argument set up in the quatrains. It creates the “but” argument. He thinks, “my love as rare as any she belied with false compare” (13-14). Essentially, Shakespeare is saying,

Shakespeare’s 71st sonnet is short, but it contains an emotional tone..In the first couple of lines, the mood of the sonnet is one of gloom and impending doom. It is gloomy because it uses words such as fled, sullen, and warning. In line four the speaker's tone changes from gloomy to angry. He calls the world vile and says

has the gentle heart of a woman but is not inconsistent as is the way

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 152 at first glance seems to be a wretched man wallowing in his adulterous sorrows. However, as one takes a closer look, themes of judgment and