What Is The Mood Of Sonnet 71 By Rossetti

After a loved one passes, all that remains is one’s memories. Those memories may provide comfort, but, they leave the person unhappy, reminding them of what they lost. While both writers approach the same subject of remembrance, Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 71” reaches a deeper level of love while Rossetti’s “Remember” merely skims the surface, thus, proving to be an infatuation. In both poems, the writers compose notes for their loved ones to read after the writer passes. Meant to comfort the reader, these poems help them move on rather than dwelling on the past. “Remember” and “Sonnet 71” both address the idea of coping with a loss of a loved one, and touching on the topic of death and the unknown. Shakespeare and Rossetti both reach the conclusion
In the introductory sentence in both poems, the writers immediately discuss how they desire their loved one to cope with their passing. The first sentence sets the tone for the rest of the poem, conveying to the reader how the writer wishes to address death. Furthermore, the diction in both statements is vastly different, conveying opposing themes. Shakespeare’s wish is for the reader to “No longer mourn for [me] when I am dead,” directly approaching the idea of death by using the word “dead.” By starting the poem with the word “No,” Shakespeare commands the reader not to mourn, proving there is no fluctuation in his idea. By addressing death, he shows his vulnerability and understands the effect death can have on others. This understanding of others feelings demonstrates his selflessness and thus verifies that his love is not infatuation. The use of shorter words rather than longer keeps the statement concise and to the point. Thus, it is clear Shakespeare does not want to provoke any sadness and genuinely wants the reader to move on. The diction of this sentence proves that Shakespeare has real love for the person he is addressing, which is
Shakespeare’s true love is shown through the use of his rhyme scheme {ABABCDCDEFEFGG}. In this rhyme scheme, the ideas flow through the poem and the last two lines (GG) indicate the most important part of the poem or what the writer wanted to emphasize. The last two lines are “Lest the wise world should look into your moan / And mock you with me after I am gone." The imagery he uses expresses that he cares more about the reputation of others than himself. He is willing to sacrifice himself so that his loved one could live peacefully. Shakespeare’s placement of these words in the last couplet prove he wanted this idea to be the most important part of the poem. His sacrifice reiterates the idea that he wants the loved one to let go, providing justification for them to do so. Additionally, Shakespeare uses a period in the middle of his poem to provide emphasis in a different way. In the sentence, “That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgotten, if thinking on me should make you woe,” the period provides a moment for the reader to stop and think about the sentence. The period is very intentional, as it is the only one included in the poem. It is clear through the use of his punctuation that Shakespeare implies that above everything, he does not want the loved one to be sad even if that means forgetting about him forever. Lastly, using the first person in the poem helps convey the idea of true love.