Sonnets From The Portuguese
Sonnets from the Portuguese
Sonnet 1:
The focus of the first sonnet is the poet’s hopelessness; she talks about the unhappiness of the both past and present and was willing to submit to death until she was conquered by love. The tone of the first sonnet is one of melancholy and depression.
Sonnet 13:
The focus of this sonnet is on the poet’s inability to express her feelings for her lover, by using the metaphor of a torch in rough winds. She describes how she cannot risk herself in expressing her love for him. She goes on to say that her silence must act as an answer to his question; otherwise she may lose him altogether, relating him to the grief she has suffered. The tone of this sonnet is hesitant and uncertain.
Sonnet 14:
In this sonnet, the poet describes the details of what she believes defines real love and her expectations regarding her lover. The sonnet begins with the poet talking directly to her love, telling him that if she must love her, he should lover her only for the sake of love and for no other reason. She also adds that he should no love her because she needs to be loved and relies on the comfort and support he provides, but loves her for “love’s sake”. In contrast to the tone of sonnet 13, the tone of this sonnet is quite certain and almost demanding.
Sonnet 21:
The poet is asking her lover to express their love for her more openly and freely, and sees it as a beautiful, natural feeling rather than silly like a “cuckoo song”. The poet also addresses her fear that her lover’s words are losing their meaning and she says that she wants her lover to love her as much as they say they do in their soul. The tone of this sonnet is dramatically different from the three previous ones. It is much more exuberant, clearly shown by the number of exclamations.
Sonnet 22:
The poet addresses her lover once again in this sonnet, speaking of their eternal love and imagines a time in the future when they ascend to heaven. However, she presents the perfection
Sonnet 1:
The focus of the first sonnet is the poet’s hopelessness; she talks about the unhappiness of the both past and present and was willing to submit to death until she was conquered by love. The tone of the first sonnet is one of melancholy and depression.
Sonnet 13:
The focus of this sonnet is on the poet’s inability to express her feelings for her lover, by using the metaphor of a torch in rough winds. She describes how she cannot risk herself in expressing her love for him. She goes on to say that her silence must act as an answer to his question; otherwise she may lose him altogether, relating him to the grief she has suffered. The tone of this sonnet is hesitant and uncertain.
Sonnet 14:
In this sonnet, the poet describes the details of what she believes defines real love and her expectations regarding her lover. The sonnet begins with the poet talking directly to her love, telling him that if she must love her, he should lover her only for the sake of love and for no other reason. She also adds that he should no love her because she needs to be loved and relies on the comfort and support he provides, but loves her for “love’s sake”. In contrast to the tone of sonnet 13, the tone of this sonnet is quite certain and almost demanding.
Sonnet 21:
The poet is asking her lover to express their love for her more openly and freely, and sees it as a beautiful, natural feeling rather than silly like a “cuckoo song”. The poet also addresses her fear that her lover’s words are losing their meaning and she says that she wants her lover to love her as much as they say they do in their soul. The tone of this sonnet is dramatically different from the three previous ones. It is much more exuberant, clearly shown by the number of exclamations.
Sonnet 22:
The poet addresses her lover once again in this sonnet, speaking of their eternal love and imagines a time in the future when they ascend to heaven. However, she presents the perfection