Preview

Shakespeare 130th Sonnet Analysis

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1464 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Shakespeare 130th Sonnet Analysis
Sonnets are rhymed poems consisting of fourteen lines, it is divided into two different lines, the first eight lines making up the octet and the other last six lines being the sestet. The Shakespearean sonnet however differs from the Petrarchian sonnets and the Spenserian sonnet, it ends with a rhymed couplet and follows the rhyme scheme. Therefore, the octet and sestet structure can be unconventionally divided into three quatrains with alternating rhymes concluding in a rhymed couplet. Till present day, over more than one hundred fifty of Shakespeare's sonnets is still debated and very much well-known throughout English literature. Shakespeare's poetic genius' is very evident throughout many of his poems, it is his superior skill of using different elements of poetic technique that he make use of in trying to convey the message in his poems that makes his poetry not only significantly beautiful but also meaningful. William Shakespeare's one hundred and thirtieth Sonnet, "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" narrates a story on the subject of love. Shakespeare's main theme in the poem is none other but to emphasize the deeper meaning of love, love is much more important and meaningful than just the attraction of an individual's external appearance; love should come from the heart. In the poem itself, Shakespeare was able to portray this theme through comparing a women who is not physically perfect to beautiful matters. Regardless of his mistress's not so attractive appearance Shakespeare is still captivated by her, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare, line 13." Ultimately Shakespeare was able to develop the meaning within a poem through the usage of selective diction, the specific rhyme scheme, and lastly the structure of the poem. First of all, Shakespeare's used of selective language is the reason why the poem is so significant, it helped the readers understand the overall mood of the poem and it also helped them

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The art of seduction has been accomplished in numerous ways throughout history and has always remained dependent on the assumed appeal of the person being seduced. In Shakespeare's “Sonnet 130”, the genre of Carpe Diem was exemplified with a largely satirical approach. In doing so, the speaker tried to appeal to his mistress by appealing to ethos with Aristotle's first version of ethos, appeal of your own good character, more specifically, will-power or arete, as well as Aristotle's second version of ethos, appealing to the character of one's audience.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sonnet

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Shakespearean sonnet affords two additional rhyme endings (a-g, 7 in all) so that each rhyme is heard only once. This not only enlarges the range of rhyme sounds and words the poet can use, it allows the poet to combine the sonnet lines in rhetorically more complex ways. Shakespeare often gave special emphasis to the break between the second and third quatrains (equivalent to the major break between the 8 quatrain lines and the 6 tercet lines in the Italian sonnet), but he also paired and contrasted the quatrains in many other ways, creating a great range of argumentative or dramatic effects.…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Senior theme

    • 1264 Words
    • 4 Pages

    William Shakespeare was one of the most influential poets of his time and still is today because how well he immortalizes the emotions in his poems.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Sonnet 130: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” William Shakespeare uses the literary devices of imagery and figurative language to show that people should be judged based on who they are, not on their looks or what society says one should be like. To begin with, the text states, “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.” (I.iv) The author uses figurative language to show how his mistress’ hair looks like. He compares her hair to wires which aren’t typically compared to hair. It shows how he thinks her hair isn’t that pleasing to look at. This connects to the theme because he’s judging her on her looks and says that her hair isn’t appealing, but in the end he still loves her despite that. In addition, the author says, “And…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sonnet 138

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In order for a poem to be classified as a sonnet, it must meet certain structural requirements, and Sonnet 138, "When my love swears that she is made of truth," is a perfect example. Shakespeare employs the traditional rhyme scheme of the English sonnet, the poem is made up of three quatrains and a rhyming couplet, and iambic pentameter is the predominant meter. However, it would be an error to approach this poem as a traditional Shakespearean love sonnet. It is a ‘love' poem in the sense that a relationship between two lovers is the central theme, but the reader is offered a somewhat unexpected viewpoint. The stylistic constraints of the sonnet form are extremely advantageous here, for they serve as a backdrop against which the poem's content can be dramatically highlighted, as well as reinforcing the eventual impression that the poem describes an emotionally constraining relationship. In this essay I will investigate the tools with which Shakespeare constructs this unconventional love poem.…

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare cleverly shows the importance of a single line in "Sonnet 130" by showing how a specific line can alter an entire poem. If the line, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare" were to be absent from the sonnet it would change the overall meaning; instead of a love poem, a poem portraying his disgust. This would stray from Shakespeare's overall intention. Shakespeare wrote this poem to show his adoration towards his mistress not his distaste. This line emphasizes this, by simply stating how his love differs from a typical poem; allowing his readers to recognize that his love is rare. Shakespeare doesn't need to state unnecessary flattery to show his love for his mistress. This becomes an evident theme by the end of the sonnet with the help of the line, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare." The theme is expressed through this line because of the drastic switch where Shakespeare emphasizes his affection towards his mistress instead…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare Sonnet 2 Tone

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Shakespeare uses words such as “disdains,” “repair,” and “posterity” to break up the flow of the sonnet. The sonnet does not flow incredibly easily, like most of Shakespeare’s sonnets, and does not have a really lyrical sense to it. It is more of a speech than a song. The tonal change occurs at line 12, right at the rhyming couplet. The whole sonnet up until that point is basically Shakespeare telling W.H. that all his earthly beauty will be for nothing if he does not have children. At the couplet, Shakespeare offers W.H. a way out of dying along with his image: reproduce. The last line of the sonnet is very threatening. It promises W.H. that if he does not have children then all his beauty will be meaningless because it will die with him. The poem gradually gets more serious as it progresses, starting off with a gentle nudge to get W.H. to look in the mirror and convince himself that having children is the best way to preserve his beauty, and finally in the last line Shakespeare warns W.H. that he will die with his image if he does not. The diction in this sonnet chops it up to make it more speech like than songlike. Shakespeare uses alliteration in this poem with words such as “thou though” and “thine” in line 11, and words like, “face” and “form” in line 2, along with “fresh,” in line 3. Shakespeare also uses antithesis when he puts words like “fond” and “tomb” right near each other in line 7, or the words, “renewest” and…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A "sonnet is a 14 line poem that rhymes in a particular pattern."(vocabulary.com). A rhyme scheme "is the ordered pattern of rhymes at the end of the lines of a poem or verse."( vocabulary.com). In Shakespeare's sonnets the rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg. A sonnet does not have to be written by Shakespeare to be considered a Shakespearean sonnet it just has to follow the rhyme scheme and the way it was written. He additionally took after the measured rhyming in his works, which rearrange his pieces extremely appealing, and he was among the primary English writer to utilize this capability. An example of how Shakespeare's sonnets were influential would be how Keats would keep Shakespeare’s works beside him when he wrote to ignite creativity. Shakespeare's work are another way that made him a standout amongst the most powerful writers…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “My mistresses eyes are nothing like the sun” sonnet analysis, by William Shakespeare William Shakespeare is a legendary and controversial historical figure and he became widely known not only in Great Britain but also in whole Europe thankfully to his plays and intimate sonnets. Generally, he wrote approximately one hundred and fifty-four sonnets that were found and mentioned originally, however exactly the one hundred and thirtieth is one of the most alluring and absorbing. The ideals of beauty have transformed throughout the different epochs and the establishment of specific norms and understandings of women’s beauty during Shakespeare’s times were no different. However, the famous poet in his sonnet dedicated to his uncomely mistress refuted…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    My Mistress Tone

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “And yes, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she° belied with false compare”, must be the strongest point in the poem (Shakespeare). This last part of the poem is the turning point in which the reader now understand what Shakespeare was try to say. It leads the readers to believe that beauty cannot be measured just by the eyes but sometime the heart. The way that Shakespeare writes this Sonnet could lead some to thing he was a bit tired of the same old romantic poetry. He might have also been making fun of some of his fellow poets of his…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It has 14 lines divided into three stanzas of four lines each and a final couplet. This poem follows the conventional structure and includes the usual 'turn' at the end - a pair of lines (or couplet) that either shifts the mood or meaning of the poem, or asserts some sort of revelation. This sonnet, like all of the other sonnets, and like Shakespeare’s plays, is written in iambic pentameter.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    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. Shakespeare's "Sonnet 65" is one example of Shakespearian sonnet form and it works with the constraints of this structure to question how one can escape the ravages of time on love and beauty. Shakespeare shows that even the objects in nature least vulnerable to time like brass, stone, and iron are mortal and eventually are destroyed. Of course the more fragile aspects of nature will die if these things do. The final couplet gives hope and provides a solution to the dilemma of time by having the author overcome mortality with his immortal writings.…

    • 1885 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sonnets originated in Italy and were written in classic Italian form divided into a major group of eight lines (the octave) followed by a minor group of six lines (the sestet). In the Tudor period sonnets were introduced to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt. The English rhyme scheme of sonnets was made up of four quatrains followed by a couplet (William Shakespeare’s Sonnets, 1). Some famous sonneteers of the Elizabethan age include George Gascoigne (1525-1577), Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), Edmund Spenser (1552-1599), and William Shakespeare (1564-1616).…

    • 1638 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    William Shakespeare was a well known poet and play writer who lived from 1564-1616. In 1609, He wrote the poem, My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun, Sonnet 130. In the poem, Shakespeare describes the woman he loves, in a way that would seem not as complimentary as Petrarchan sonnets would have been. The Dark Lady, who is featured in this poem, is also featured in sonnets 127-154, but this time there is a twist. At first, Shakespeare sounds critical of his mistress, but in the last two lines of the poem, he talks about how he genuinely loves her. This poem can be taken the wrong way at first, but with a closer look at purpose, form, and content, the meaning of this poem becomes much clearer.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When you love someone you respect, appreciate, and do everything in your power not to hurt them. There is a way of expressing your love to someone, through a sonnet. A sonnet is a fourteen line poem using a formal rhyme scheme. William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor widely recognized. One of his most famous works is the 154 Sonnets. These sonnets are about passage of time, love, beauty, and mortality. In the sonnets his view of love is different. In sonnet 118 he is talking about his waywardness and unfaithfulness. William Shakespeare’s view of love in sonnet 118 is uncontrollable. He explains that love is something you cannot control.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays