As with the structure of the Petrarchan sonnet, that of the Shakespearean sonnet influences the kinds of ideas that will be developed in it. For example, the three quatrains may be used to present three parallel images, with the couplet used to tie them together or to interpret their significance. Or the quatrains can offer three points in an argument, with the couplet serving to drive home the conclusion
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Sonnet 147
My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease,
Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill,
Th' uncertain sickly appetite to please.
My reason, the physician to my love,
Angry that his prescriptions are not kept,
Hath left me, and I desperate now approve
Desire is death, which physic did except.
Past cure I am, now reason is past care,
And frantic-mad with evermore unrest;
My thoughts and my discourse as mad men's are,
At random from the truth vainly expressed.
For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright,
Who art as black as hell, as dark as night.
Directions: Please choose a sonnet by Shakespeare (see link below). Cut and paste it into your post, and analyze it using the terminology we learned in class (see "The Poetry Cheat Sheet"). Most importantly, include a detailed personal analysis of the poem in your post.
I chose sonnet 7:
ReplyDeleteWhen I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls, all silvered o'er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer's green all girded up in sheaves,
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
I chose this poem because I thought the topic of time in this poem was more interesting than the other topics written about, such as love or nature. I had a little trouble understanding it at first, and had to look up what some of the words meant, but eventually I got it, and was able to see the literary techniques we talked about in class. For instance, Shakespeare employs extensive use of diction through his use of words like brave, lofty, canopy, and summer's green to describe the original, and words like sunk, hideous, barren, girded up, and bristly to describe the changed object . This gives the originals a positive connotation, while giving those changed by time a negative connotation. He also used imagery, especially of day turning to night, hair turning white, trees growing barren, and greenery turning to cut wheat. With wheat, he also used repetition, by using it as one of the images, and then also using it as a metaphor for all beauty in his mention of “time’s scythe.” He also uses structure and rhyme, as like all other sonnets, this poem is in iambic pentameter and follows an ABABCDCDEFEFGG format.
This poem kind of reminded me of another poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost. Both poems say that as time goes on, beauty and perfection fade, although Shakespeare is much more detailed in his examples, and emphasizes the role of time more than Frost, who talks more about the loss of perfection as if it is the natural order of things. I found myself disagreeing with Shakespeare, because while he did make some valid points about the destruction brought on by time, his view seemed too one-sided. For me, although time does smother some kinds of beauty, it also brings about new beauty, such as a flower blooming, or a caterpillar metamorphising into a butterfly. In addition, some of the examples he provided as proof that time destroys beauty, for me, backfired. For instance, he talked about "lofty trees...barren of leaves," but for me that evokes the image of a beautiful winter wilderness. He also mentions "brave day sunk in hideous night" but when I imagine night, I see the beauty that is a starry night sky. What do you guys think? Did Shakespeare go too far in his complaints against time?
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” (Abraham Lincoln)
DeleteBeauty is fleeting, fugacious and evanescent; as it never stays as long as we would like it to. The physical beauty of things fade away and roses are no exception, whereas Shakespeare so clearly put it, "All the world’s a stage,/ And all the men and women merely players;/ They have their exits and their entrances;/" equally the same. In this, Shakespeare reflects on the past and the care of selfish physical image, because it does not outdo its stay. He warns that someone who believes in the beautiful elegance of the [physical] self is frivolous into thinking that very beauty cannot be taken away. Thus he counsels into focus that we must have an eye that is careful and appraising, rather than being shallow, although there is much to appraise; that can divert you for only so long before it leaves you for dead.
10:
ReplyDeleteFor shame deny that thou bear'st love to any,
Who for thy self art so unprovident.
Grant, if thou wilt, thou art beloved of many,
But that thou none lov'st is most evident:
For thou art so possessed with murderous hate,
That 'gainst thy self thou stick'st not to conspire,
Seeking that beauteous roof to ruinate
Which to repair should be thy chief desire.
O! change thy thought, that I may change my mind:
Shall hate be fairer lodged than gentle love?
Be, as thy presence is, gracious and kind,
Or to thyself at least kind-hearted prove:
Make thee another self for love of me,
That beauty still may live in thine or thee.
The sonnet starts off by calling out or shaming the person by claiming that they do not have any love inside themselves. Furthermore, Shakespeare then writes that although many people love them (beloved of many), they do not hold love for anyone (thou none lov’st is most evident). Continuing in this same fashion, Shakespeare states that they are filled with “murderous hate” and are essentially, self destructive. The sonnet then changes its course, calling for them to change themselves and became “gracious and kind.” In the last two lines, Shakespeare writes “make thee another self for love of me, hat beauty still may live in thine or thee,” referring to having a child so that their beauty may live on.
After reading the sonnet, I was drawn in by the shift in the course of the poem. It opens with calling out the flaws of the individual, but then midway calls for them to change their ways and become better. While the tone in the beginning seemed to be full of disappointment and frustration, the second half seems more optimistic and determined to get the person to change their ways. The change in diction also mirrors this idea. The beginning was filled with words such as “unprovident,” “murderous hate,” and “conspire,” while the second half was filled with words such as “gentle love,” “gracious,” and “beauty.” Through both the tone and diction, the change in the sonnet was clear to see. I chose this poem because I found myself curious in it from the first read. I read it over a few times after to truly understand the meaning of it and the change in the course of it. I found this sonnet to be interesting as it originally calls out the the individual for their loveless and self depreciating ways, but then ends up imploring them to become better. I think this made the sonnet more enticing and had me intrigued until the very end.
I liked this poem too, and I liked your observation about the change in tone, and how you connected that to Shakespeare's diction. I agree that the point where it changed tone (O! Change thy thought, that I may change my mind: Shall hate be fairer lodged than gentle love?) was the most interesting part. It was a clear break from everything that came before it, and what really made it stand out to me was the change in punctuation here. These two lines contain the only exclamation point and question mark in the entire poem. Do you think Shakespeare did this on purpose to emphasize this place in the sonnet, or am I just reading too much into it?
DeleteXVIII.
ReplyDeleteShall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
The speaker introduces the readers to the topic of the poem in the first quatrain, questioning whether he should compare a girl to a summer’s day. He quickly concludes that the girl is “more lovely and more temperate” and, therefore, surpasses the qualities of summer. For the rest of the sonnet, the speaker presents an dialogue, arguing why he believes this girl is greater than even the most beautiful of summer days. Later, the speakers also notes that, while a summer’s day is subject to change, the girl’s beauty is eternal.
I find it interesting how the sonnet is describing the girl without actually describing the girl. The poem only highlights the beauty of a summer’s day in order to explain the girl. The sonnet only mentions her for surpassing the greatness of summer, while failing to include any true descriptions of the girl herself.
This poem is as beautiful as the girl herself. The manner that Shakespeare constructed the sonnet adds another dimension in illustrating the beauty of this girl. His use of iambic pentameter and the abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme helps to build such a warm tone. Ultimately, I chose this sonnet because of its sounds and meaning. The entire poem is a metaphor comparing a girl to the beauty of a summer’s day. I was drawn to the manner in which Shakespeare was able to portray this idea. His language is very thoughtful, which is consistent with such a thoughtful topic.
I read this poem too, and I thought it was interesting that Shakespeare talked about the flaws of summer, because summer is conventionally thought of as a perfect season, and before reading this poem, I've never read someone criticizing summer. This poem kind of goes against the single story, because all we usually hear about summer is its good parts, but Shakespeare showed us that it can have bad parts too. Yet, although he resisted the single story in the case of summer, he fell into the trap of the single story with the girl he was describing. By painting her as if she is some angelic goddess with no flaws, Shakespeare is transforming her from a real person into a simple idea. Furthermore, when he says that the girl's beauty is eternal, he is further denying her the realness of a true person, because all people get old, die, and lose their beauty at some point. I know Shakespeare was using hyperbole to make a point, but do you think he might have gone too far?
DeleteSusan Matteucci
ReplyDeleteWhen in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Sonnet XXIX’s underlying message is, sometimes I hate myself, but then I remember you and then I love myself again. The speaker spends the first quatrain hating himself. He sees himself in an “outcast state”. He then imagines himself as a man who is not as depressed as him, who is “more rich with hope”. The sonnet goes “Featured like him, like him with friends possessed”. He wants to have this man’s appearance and his popularity. The speaker thinks about this better man for the second quatrain. When he gets to the third quatrain, however, he starts thinking about a person (who I assume is a woman, but could just as easily be a man), who makes the reader think better about himself. In the first Quatrain, the speaker describes himself “troubl[ing] deaf heaven with my bootless cries”, but in the third quatrain, he is “arising/ from sullen earth, sing[ing] hymns at heaven’s gate”. The thought of this person he thinks of makes his views on life change drastically. In the ending couplet, the speaker says “For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings/ that then I scorn to change my state with kings”. He would rather be in his depressed “outcast state” with his love than be royalty. I liked this sonnet because it was about how their love changed the speaker, instead of just a poem about a relationship.
Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
ReplyDeleteThe dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head,
To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired:
For then my thoughts (from far where I abide)
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see:
Save that my soul’s imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous and her old face new.
Lo, thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee, and for myself, no quiet find.
It’s interesting to see the difference in style that exists between the Italian sonnets and the English. I think there is a very different temperament towards love and affection. The Italian sonnets seemed more fiery and passionately explicit about love, while, in the case of this poem, much of the love poems written by the English were much more reserved and thoughtful about their expression. In this sonnet, Shakespeare talks about the restlessness brought on by love, not being able to sleep while thinking about his love. Shakespeare, while still being quite passionate, expresses the beauty and the desire that he has for his love, describing them as a “jewel hung in ghastly night,/ Makes black night beauteous and her old face new.” In other sonnets, like sonnet 130, Shakespeare does really call to question the way that love is expressed through beauty and not through feeling, but in this there is a balance of both emotional love and physical desire. Overall, there is a clear progression of thought-- from exhaustion to desire to yearning. You see this strange and unspoken form of love and caring for another in a beautiful and quiet way. Really makes you remember why Shakespeare is Shakespeare.
When I do count the clock that tells the time,
ReplyDeleteAnd see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls, all silvered o'er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer's green all girded up in sheaves,
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
This is a beautiful sonnet that delves into the idea of the passage of time. With each successive line, there is a sort of build up to the idea that time passing is inevitable, despite our efforts of slowing it down. As you read the poem, you read it with a steady rhythm because of how the lines are set up. For example, as you read “when I behold the violet past prime,/
And sable curls, all silvered o'er with white;”, it can be read like the ticking of a clock. It is very organized and stable. The way in which this sonnet reads is intentional as it compares its build to the passage of time. Time is continuous and ongoing and this sonnet succeeds in making the lines sound this way as well. As the sonnet is read, the lines seem very direct, almost as if they are addressing the reader. With the sonnet being about the passage of time, the lines discuss how mortality will always be a constant reminder that your life will one day come to an end. The end of the sonnet has a rhyming couplet that states that “nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence/Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.”. A scythe is a tool with a curved blade that is often depicted in drawings involving time and death. This line is saying how nothing can beat the steady passage of time. Time’s scythe will always win the battle considering that no one escapes mortality. The final line mentions the word “breed” that suggests the birth of children. This discusses one way in which someone can escape mortality. By having children and passing down their traits, they are able to carry on through their children.
I choose
ReplyDeleteSonnet 147
My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease,
Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill,
Th' uncertain sickly appetite to please.
My reason, the physician to my love,
Angry that his prescriptions are not kept,
Hath left me, and I desperate now approve
Desire is death, which physic did except.
Past cure I am, now reason is past care,
And frantic-mad with evermore unrest;
My thoughts and my discourse as mad men's are,
At random from the truth vainly expressed.
For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright,
Who art as black as hell, as dark as night.
I noticed that throughout the poem there is a clear distinction between reality and want. The author has a love that is evident is not the most healthiest. Although he love is like a “fever”, he does not see it as something that will consume. When something is usually described as a fever, it often has negative connotations attached to it. He describes his “desire as death” which would possibly be his ending. The love that he has that is consuming has been predicted in this poem to be his downfall. Lastly, I was aware of the positive and negative words involving reality and want. His want is really positive and seen as something beneficial while the reality is seen as negative and positively detrimental to his life.
I like how you took note of the diction used, with the positive and negative words used throughout the sonnet. The diction chosen tells us a lot about what the sonnet is trying to say and I think you did a good job highlighting that with the positive, as his want, and negative, as his reality. It's interesting to see how word choice can play such a large role in the overall effectiveness of the sonnet.
DeleteSome relationships are not meant to be, but even more so, when it is a love that is all-consuming and all-encompassing; the red flags are not seen nor are they acknowledged and frankly that is more dangerous than the passion that originally sparked that fire.
DeleteNo, Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change:
ReplyDeleteThy pyramids built up with newer might
To me are nothing novel, nothing strange;
They are but dressings of a former sight.
Our dates are brief, and therefore we admire
What thou dost foist upon us that is old;
And rather make them born to our desire
Than think that we before have heard them told.
Thy registers and thee I both defy,
Not wondering at the present nor the past,
For thy records and what we see doth lie,
Made more or less by thy continual haste.
This I do vow and this shall ever be;
I will be true despite thy scythe and thee.
Sonnet CXXIII caught my eye because it begins with a command, immediately drawing in the reader to the rest of the piece. The narrator demands that Time does not say that they have changed. In Shakespeare’s eyes, Time is personified as a trickster who likes to make old things seem new. Although there is no explicit description of what Time looks like, we can tell that it is given human qualities by the direct address to Time. Shakespeare writes the sonnet so that it feels like a conversation. In this dialogue, the narrator confronts Time by noting that what may seem great, like “pyramids built up with newer might”, are only replicants of older ideas. They declare that all novelties “are but dressings of a former sight” designed by Time. Humans go along with this because with such a short life span, they can be convinced to believe that there is originality in something that “we before have heard them told”. People have too narrow of a perspective to see the trends between the past and present. However, since the narrator has become aware of this mirage, they go against Time. They declare that until they die, they will defy Time’s influence and know that ingenuity does not exist. Although there is little imagery in this piece, symbols like the pyramids and the scythe emphasize how sincere the narrator is in their promise.
I think our perception of time is always interesting-- I think we often like to separate time from events and vice versa. It's always frightening to objectively look at history because, for example, mammoths were still walking around during the construction of the Great Pyramids, and the Aztec empire still stood when Oxford first opened. It's always confusing and really plays into the idea that time is truly a "trickster."
DeleteXX.
ReplyDeleteA woman's face with nature's own hand painted,
Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion;
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion:
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
And for a woman wert thou first created;
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
And by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.
From what I understand from this sonnet, there is a man admiring the beauty of a woman. This is typical of many sonnets. This sonnet in particular uses a lot of metaphors. Some of the ones that stood out to me were “A woman’s face with nature’s own hand painted” and “which steals men’s eyes and women’s souls amazeth”. This first line compares the beauty of the woman in question to being created from natures image itself. The second line shows the level of captivation which both sexes have towards the woman which the sonnet is about. As a whole, I viewed this sonnet as a description of a woman, one of which is of otherworldly beauty. With good enough looks to woo either gender, the speaker feels as he is unable to be with her. Where I got this idea was from the lines which said “Till Nature, as she wrought thee, felt a-doting, And by addition me of thee defeated, By adding one thing to my purpose nothing”. What is also interesting from this section is the capitalization of the word “Nature”. This suggest more than just the beauty of nature on its own, but rather the spiritual force which defines indescribable attraction.
28
ReplyDeleteHow can I then return in happy plight,
That am debarred the benefit of rest?
When day's oppression is not eas'd by night,
But day by night and night by day oppressed,
And each, though enemies to either's reign,
Do in consent shake hands to torture me,
The one by toil, the other to complain
How far I toil, still farther off from thee.
I tell the day, to please him thou art bright,
And dost him grace when clouds do blot the heaven:
So flatter I the swart-complexion'd night,
When sparkling stars twire not thou gild'st the even.
But day doth daily draw my sorrows longer,
And night doth nightly make grief's length seem stronger.
This sonnet has an underlying mood of despair, a continuation of the previous sonnet (number 27). Shakespeare talks about how he never feels he can't ever relax, being “debarred the benefit of rest” (2). Day and night each come their own contrasting sets of challenges, and as one ends the next begins. Although he thinks that day and night are “enemies” (5) , he believes they “[d]o in consent shake hands to torture [him]” (6). He toggles back and forth in describing day and night, evoking a rhythm of constant motion similar to the rhythm of life he is describing. Shakespeare plays with the idea of light, trying to impress the day by telling him how “bright” (9) his beloved is, bright enough to shine when “clouds do blot the heaven” (10), or when clouds cover the heavens. He tries to “flatter” (11) the night by saying his beloved can shine even when “sparkling stars twire not thou gild’st the even,” meaning his beloved can brighten the night sky even when the stars can’t shine. Despite Shakespeare’s efforts, he feels that the day makes his sadness longer and the night makes it stronger.
I liked how this poem talked more about day and night rather than just love, making it stand out from some of the other sonnets I saw. I found the way Shakespeare takes the contrasts of day and night and juxtaposes them with their similar mission to keep him from happiness extremely well executed. By describing his efforts to be happy, I felt bad for Shakespeare and all his trials. He was able to personify day and night, making each more seem more unrelenting than the other. I could feel his exhaustion, as if this sonnet was his last resort to start some sort of change. This poem reminds me a lot of the Italian sonnet number 234 that I chose since both talked about the power of emotions, especially sadness. The Italian poem mentions that emotions are inescapable, just as Shakespeare does in his sonnet. Both pieces feel pessimistic in a way, as if hope is fading out quick in their lives.
Susan Matteucci
DeleteI liked this poem too. I thought you broke it down very well. I thought it was interesting how you connected this sonnet back to the Italian sonnets we read.
I really liked how you mentioned the rhythm he created by talking about how he made comparisons. It gives us an idea of how things can be different but also, oddly enough, quite similar. I agree with you as well about how the dynamic of this poem was different than most; all of the other ones about love kind of get redundant. Sometimes there is only so much you can talk about with an idea. It was amazing how Shakespeare was able to create imagery in our minds with his diction, and almost feel the distress that he was feeling by describing the way both day and night played with his emotions.
Delete#73
ReplyDelete“That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed, whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.”
In this sonnet, Shakespeare writes about aging and reaching the end of life. He uses several metaphors and similes throughout the poem to represent fading out and the diminishing of energy. First he compares the speaker of the poem’s life to the annual transition into autumn using strong nature imagery. He claims to resemble the trees “when yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang,” implying that where there was once beauty, it is no more. Next the aged speaker is compared to a sunset swallowing a day into darkness. Then in the final quatrain, the speaker is likened to the last embers of a fire, resting on the ashes of logs which once gave the fire life. It’s a complicated metaphor describing how the flames are “consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.” At the end, the speaker encourages an audience to treat things with strong love when they may soon be lost. I chose this poem primarily because of the beautiful comparisons and imagery. The tone of the poem is reflective and slightly somber. It is a fitting read for the current season with lots of autumn-related content. I also liked how all the rhymes in the poem are exact rhymes and more pleasant to the ear than slant rhyming.
43
ReplyDeleteWhen most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow's form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
The sonnet begins by the speaker expressing that they spend most of their time looking at things they don’t care about or respect, exclaiming how their eyes work best at night when they are closed. When they sleep, the speaker’s dreams are engulfed with images of a woman who are a bright image in the dark. As the sonnet progresses, the speaker gets deeper into his compassion and care for the woman and is consistent with discussing how bright she makes his days. At the end of the sonnet, the speaker talks about his anticipation for the night, as this is when he is able to see the women in his dreams.
What drew me to this sonnet was the imagery. I was captivated by Shakespeare’s use of light to portray how the woman affected the speaker. She is consistently described as bright and happy, showing just how much of an impact she has on the speaker’s life. The language Shakespeare uses to paint an image of her was alluring throughout and the tone of the sonnet remained optimistic and light while speaking of her. When talking about the daytime, the speaker seems less joyous and seems to find more light in the night than in the day. The woman’s absence consumes him and strips all of the joy from his world.
I was also drawn to Sharkespeare's use of light. I find his message very interesting and true. I think you explained it effectively; we spend most of our time looking at things we don't care about and, when we sleep, we use our imagination and see dreams. I can relate to this, for, after thinking about this novel idea, I do believe I spend most of my time looking at things to don't matter. However, when sleeping and select times during the day, I can see value.
DeleteI never really thought he was talking about a woman while I was reading. I think its interesting that you got that out of this poem. I had gotten the message that we as humans are not able to see life well during the day but at night we better able to reflect thoroughly. His comparisons regarding day and night is evident when he states what we think during that time of day. Shakespeare in this sonnet really allows the reader to decipher their own message from such a complex like sonnet.
DeleteI love the plays on words in the lines
Delete"And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow's form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light"
In these lines, he repeats the words dark, bright, shadow, form, and clear, but referring to different things. This also leaves it very open to interpretation, which I also really liked. For instance, when he says "thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright," I at first thought it was saying that the woman's presence (her shadow) makes other people (other shadows) happier. However, I later realized it could mean that her presence makes his own burdens (shadows) easier to bear.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLXXVII.
ReplyDeleteThy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear,
Thy dial how thy precious minutes waste;
The vacant leaves thy mind's imprint will bear,
And of this book, this learning mayst thou taste.
The wrinkles which thy glass will truly show
Of mouthed graves will give thee memory;
Thou by thy dial's shady stealth mayst know
Time's thievish progress to eternity.
Look what thy memory cannot contain,
Commit to these waste blanks, and thou shalt find
Those children nursed, delivered from thy brain,
To take a new acquaintance of thy mind.
These offices, so oft as thou wilt look,
Shall profit thee and much enrich thy book.
Upon scrolling through an abundance of sonnets, it was the strong truth in the first few lines of this sonnet which caught my eye. Shakespeare starts off by revealing the raw truth — and materialistic reality— of everyday objects. A mirror only reflects our temporary beauty, and the clock reminds us of the passing time. The sonnet undergoes a “time change,” zooming into the future and explaining that these physical objects will remain the same even if we age, “The wrinkles which thy glass will truly show… Time’s thievish progress to eternity.” Through this metaphorical comparison, Shakespeare highlights our short window in life to make a mark, and that it is only knowledge that will not deteriorate in age. He highlights the importance by even speaking on behalf of raising the next generation “delivered by thy brain.” Our time must be spent wisely even if it means to be in “wilt” offices or classrooms, because it is only in workplace environments where we purposefully put ourselves to enrichment.
I also really like the opening of this sonnet, I think the imagery of the glass is quite powerful and vivid. The idea of shallowness and waste continues throughout the piece, and I think you chose good lines to give an idea of some key points throughout the piece. The idea of working to fill the blanks in our minds in order to enrich ourselves is a viewpoint which I have not quite heard before, but one I agree with.
DeleteWhat I loved about this sonnet was also that it wasn't exactly centered around love either (similar to yours), and that he wanted us to reveal to us a truth that still remains hidden to most.
DeleteSonnet XCIV
ReplyDeleteThey that have power to hurt, and will do none,
That do not do the thing they most do show,
Who, moving others, are themselves as stone,
Unmoved, cold, and to temptation slow;
They rightly do inherit heaven's graces,
And husband nature's riches from expense;
They are the lords and owners of their faces,
Others, but stewards of their excellence.
The summer's flower is to the summer sweet,
Though to itself, it only live and die,
But if that flower with base infection meet,
The basest weed outbraves his dignity:
For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds;
Lilies that fester, smell far worse than weeds.
In Sonnet 94, it sounds like there it is talking about someone who is far superior than everyone else. In line three when it says they are moving overs but themselves as stone. This makes me feel like it is someone who is making changes and picking options for
The bottom half then talks about a summer flower dying when it is infected by a weed. The sonnet made it sound like the weed was an infecting subject and that the flower had “high dignity” and that getting infected made it turn into some ugly thing. One line from the sonnet that stuck out to me was when it was talking about the summer flower and it said “Though to itself, it only live and die” The first half of the sonnet seemed like it could be the amplified version of someones life but a flower only lives and dies which I thought was really interesting to think about.
In the sonnet one of the major elements is the tone. In the beginning you feel like it is talking about a person and that they are in bitter awe that the person has the power to hurt but won’t and that they “inherit heaven's graces” in the bottom there is also a sense of imagery where you can almost sense the summer flower dying.
I agree, I also thought that Shakespeare writes his jealousy about a supreme being. I think that in the sonnet, that supreme being is God or mother nature
DeleteI like the last line a lot, "lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds." It seems like its saying that unfair or bad behavior is the most unpleasant or shocking when it comes from those we trust and love. It's more of a kick in the chest because you weren't expecting bad from someone you know to be good.
Delete#13
ReplyDeleteMusic to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly? a
Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy: b
Why lov'st thou that which thou receiv'st not gladly, a
Or else receiv'st with pleasure thine annoy? b
If the true concord of well-tuned sounds, c
By unions married, do offend thine ear, d
They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds c
In singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear. d
Mark how one string, sweet husband to another, e
Strikes each in each by mutual ordering;
Resembling sire and child and happy mother,e
Who, all in one, one pleasing note do sing:
Whose speechless song being many, seeming one,
Sings this to thee: 'Thou single wilt prove none.'
This sonnet reeks of desperation, for the sake of winning what seems is the speaker’s side of an argument with another person. To my best understanding and interpretation, the individual the speaker is in such a tizzy about is a women that refuses to marry the speaker. I was compelled to this poem as the speaker appeared to be frustratingly in love, in contrast to helplessly in love, a new perspective to read. There is a clear distinction between the first half of the sonnet, in which the speaker first questions the rejection of the audience, and then transitions into soft, idealized future. In the first line, the speaker can simply not comprehend how when there is “Music to hear,” that love and admiration does not follow, and then subtly falls into rage, wondering why “lov’st thou that which thou receiv’st not gladly” (3). How dare she not accept the love of man! *eye roll*. However the speaker turns tender when the Shakespeare wants their audience to “Mark how one string, sweet husband to another, strikes each in each by mutual ordering” (9-10). In modern terms, lines e-g suggest that family is a beautiful piece of music, whose joyful purpose and composition takes effort and practice. Honestly, while this sonnet is beautifully written, I do not agree with what Shakespeare is proposing. If marriage “do offend thine ear” (6), then a women simply does not want not to marry, and the aggressive suitor should take a hint and move on. I feel that this sonnet slightly diminishes the image of an independent women, because society expects women to fall for such sweet, poetic words. Especially in today’s world, a women should not surrender her freedom and happiness for a man’s ego.
^^^^^ The sonnet reminded me of Gaston's persistent pursuit of Belle in Beauty and the Beast
DeleteTwo loves I have of comfort and despair,
ReplyDeleteWhich like two spirits do suggest me still:
The better angel is a man right fair,
The worser spirit a woman coloured ill.
To win me soon to hell, my female evil,
Tempteth my better angel from my side,
And would corrupt my saint to be a devil,
Wooing his purity with her foul pride.
And whether that my angel be turned fiend,
Suspect I may, yet not directly tell;
But being both from me, both to each friend,
I guess one angel in another's hell:
Yet this shall I ne'er know, but live in doubt,
Till my bad angel fire my good one out.
Shakespeare, in Sonnet 144, contrasts two different angels, a better one and a worser one. Shakespeare writes how women are the “worser spirit,” and describes the corruptness of their love, while the man is the “better angel.” One way he initially contrasts the two is by using the word “angel” for male, a generally positive word, and “spirit”, which has neither a positive nor negative connotation, for females. Shakespeare also talks about temptations with the female evil. He writes, “tempteth my better angel from my side,” to show how seducing the female can be to the male. Shakespeare uses a metaphor to show this exact idea in the following line, “corrupt my saint to be a devil.” Shakespeare replaces the male angel with saint and the female with devil, which is very dramatic in my eyes. I enjoy Shakespeare’s imagery in this sonnet, describing in multiple ways the angel and the spirit. Shakespeare interestingly uses multiple ways to directly contrast the two, commenting on the faults of the female evil.
I also like the word choice Shakespeare used in this sonnet. Like you stated, words like "angel" and "saint" create a stark contrast to "spirit" and "devil", emphasizing how opposing the male and female are in the piece. I think the structure of the sonnet helps create this divide. In the beginning, Shakespeare states that there is a "comfort and despair", and then the rest of the sonnet's lines are divided between the description of the man and the woman.
DeleteSonnet CXXI (Sonnet 121)
ReplyDelete'Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed,
When not to be receives reproach of being;
And the just pleasure lost, which is so deemed
Not by our feeling, but by others' seeing:
For why should others' false adulterate eyes
Give salutation to my sportive blood?
Or on my frailties why are frailer spies,
Which in their wills count bad what I think good?
No, I am that I am, and they that level
At my abuses reckon up their own:
I may be straight though they themselves be bevel;
By their rank thoughts, my deeds must not be shown;
Unless this general evil they maintain,
All men are bad and in their badness reign.
"I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet." Mahatma Gandhi
In Sonnet 121, Shakespeare condemns hypocrisy and with it, conformity through an individual who does not at all conform to society. His hardened tone implores not let other's 'adulterate eyes' condemn one against beliefs, ideas, preconceptions, (etc.) that they believe them to be. Not only does he prompt, but he begs [with continuous repetition] not to let other's negative comments and discouragement hinder from the just pleasures owed to us. Instead, he reminds one to actively ignore others by depriving them of the acknowledgement that what they say matters (or has hit a nerve) and to simply live by having society conform to him.
I agree that Shakespeare is talking about individuality and conformity through this sonnet. I really liked the Gandhi quote you pulled to go along with your thoughts, I felt it resonated well with the message of the sonnet and strengthened its meaning. I also agree that his tone is quite hard and definite, showing he feels this is 100% the best way of thinking.
DeleteSonnet 18
ReplyDeleteShall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
I'm my relationship with this poem is one of great irony I must say. But in terms of analysis, this poem is powerful in its descriptions of how whom ever Shakespeare is talking about. He speaks of their youth, it being similar to that of the summer; the perfect season, with the suns golden face shinning brightly, giving vitality to those below it. But it ends rather quickly,youth is fleeting. We grow up, become adults, the youth we felt becomes a distant memory. However, inner beauty can quickly become a new source of youth. Being young at heart if you will. "But thy eternal summer shall not fade,". Even in death, the beauty of that person does not diminish. "Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,".
I really like how you discussed the contrasting elements of the sonnet in your blog post. They are definitely a really crucial aspect of the poem. This was a really good sonnet choice, as Shakespeare uses a variety of key elements to discuss the sexuality of women. In literature, the female sexuality is often seen as a threat, becoming a temptation for men who attempt to stay away. Shakespeare focuses on this idea throughout the sonnet while utilizing biblical references such as the "angel", "devil", and "spirit." Because he uses biblical references so frequently, I was led to think about how the females in the poem are being compared to the Virgin Mary. Mary is the purest figure in the bible, as she conceived baby Jesus, yet remained a Virgin. Any females that give into the temptation of their sexuality or attract men from it are compared to Mary and seen as "evil."
ReplyDelete