How Did Shakespeare Changed The Sonnet World
"How Shakespeare Changed the Sonnet World"
Although sonnets have been modified by individual poets and adapted to changing literary expectations, they usually still retained certain characteristics of the traditional Italian sonnet. Especially in terms of subject matter. Those early modern poets paved the way for Shakespeare's sonnet, which diverges significantly from the traditional sonnet subject matter. His sonnets mark a turn towards a more sincere interiority, and take on many more subjects than the habitual trope of unrequited love. Shakespeare uses the subject of his relationship to his beloved to facilitate his meditation on metaphysical questions.
In order to address how Shakespeare diverges from the traditional sonnet, we need …show more content…
Although it is important to note that despite the similarities, both poets modified the form to create an adapted sonnet form which was clearly their own and none others. Sidney published his collection Astrophel and Stella in 1591, though it was likely written throughout the 1580s. As mentioned above, Sidney adapts the sonnet form and creates his own tropes such as that of triangular desire, which he synthesizes with a Petrarchan overuse of oxymoron and the trope of the poet having difficulty writing due to an overwhelming emotion -- frequently that of love or grief. Not to mention the prevalent theme of unrequited love that drives his collection. Sidney also introduces a key element of Shakespeare's sonnets: the maieutic role of the beloved. What this means, is the beloved is still voiceless and often inactive, but more importantly, the beloved serves as a device through which the speaker can better understand himself. Spenser similarly adapts the sonnet form to better suit his creative voice. He briefly entertains the Petrarchan trope of unrequited love though he soon rejects it, as in his collection Amoretti, which follows the speaker seducing and ultimately wedding his beloved. Further, his beloved sometimes has agency: she voices her concerns, or uses the speakers …show more content…
Drawing back to Spenser, a good number of Shakespeare's sonnets deal with mutual love and an established relationship. Sonnet 73 is in this section of his collection, and it's supported by the way the speaker beckons his beloved behold in him such intimate nature imagery. He describes an autumn night after the sun fades, the soft glow of a fire in the "black night"(7), and "the ashes of his youth" (10). This imagery discloses a certain vulnerability that the speaker is exposing in himself. The confession of feeling like the last light of day before night sets in, the last sun before the cold autumn takes over, it's a very vulnerable position to be put in, and therefore suggests a pre-existing bond between the speaker and the one he is
Although sonnets have been modified by individual poets and adapted to changing literary expectations, they usually still retained certain characteristics of the traditional Italian sonnet. Especially in terms of subject matter. Those early modern poets paved the way for Shakespeare's sonnet, which diverges significantly from the traditional sonnet subject matter. His sonnets mark a turn towards a more sincere interiority, and take on many more subjects than the habitual trope of unrequited love. Shakespeare uses the subject of his relationship to his beloved to facilitate his meditation on metaphysical questions.
In order to address how Shakespeare diverges from the traditional sonnet, we need …show more content…
Although it is important to note that despite the similarities, both poets modified the form to create an adapted sonnet form which was clearly their own and none others. Sidney published his collection Astrophel and Stella in 1591, though it was likely written throughout the 1580s. As mentioned above, Sidney adapts the sonnet form and creates his own tropes such as that of triangular desire, which he synthesizes with a Petrarchan overuse of oxymoron and the trope of the poet having difficulty writing due to an overwhelming emotion -- frequently that of love or grief. Not to mention the prevalent theme of unrequited love that drives his collection. Sidney also introduces a key element of Shakespeare's sonnets: the maieutic role of the beloved. What this means, is the beloved is still voiceless and often inactive, but more importantly, the beloved serves as a device through which the speaker can better understand himself. Spenser similarly adapts the sonnet form to better suit his creative voice. He briefly entertains the Petrarchan trope of unrequited love though he soon rejects it, as in his collection Amoretti, which follows the speaker seducing and ultimately wedding his beloved. Further, his beloved sometimes has agency: she voices her concerns, or uses the speakers …show more content…
Drawing back to Spenser, a good number of Shakespeare's sonnets deal with mutual love and an established relationship. Sonnet 73 is in this section of his collection, and it's supported by the way the speaker beckons his beloved behold in him such intimate nature imagery. He describes an autumn night after the sun fades, the soft glow of a fire in the "black night"(7), and "the ashes of his youth" (10). This imagery discloses a certain vulnerability that the speaker is exposing in himself. The confession of feeling like the last light of day before night sets in, the last sun before the cold autumn takes over, it's a very vulnerable position to be put in, and therefore suggests a pre-existing bond between the speaker and the one he is