sonnets - david-glen smith · • sonnets, 18-126, are addressed to a young man expressing the...

106.24.13 || English 2322: British Literature: Anglo-Saxon — Mid 18th Century || D. Glen Smith, instructor

Sonnets

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Sonnets


William Shakespeare (1564 – April 23 1616) || The Sonnets

Published under controversial circumstances, these poems remain a mystery today.

•ThesealmostexclusivelyfollowtherhymeschemeABAB,CDCD,EFEF,GG

thetraditionalEnglishsonnetform,usingmostly iambic pentameter.

•LikeSpenser’sAmorettiandSidney’sAstrophel and Stella, this collection

isanotherexampleofwhyitisimportanttoreadtheentiresequenceas

awhole,notliftoneortwopoemsoutoftheseries.Thereisastoryunfolding

betweenall154ofthepoemsinfullmanuscript.

• The SonnetsareattributedtoWilliamShakespeare,although

ithasbeensuggestedotherauthorsmayhavewrittenthese.

• ThethemesarecloselylinkedtothePetrarchanconceitsintroducedearlier

inthecourse.However,oftentimesthethemesaretwistedintosomething

other;oftenthepoemswilluseexperimentalforms.

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Sonnets


Themes include:

• love

• sex

• beauty

• politics

• (im)mortality

Four characters appear within the poems’ plot-structure:

1.ThePoet-Speaker

2.TheYoungMan

3.TheDarkLady

4. Rival Poet

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Sonnets


Looking at the entire sequence of 154 poems:

•Thefirst17sonnetsarewrittentoayoungman,urginghimtomarry

andhavechildren,therebypassingdownhisbeautytothenextgeneration.

Thesearecalledtheprocreation sonnets.Theearliestpoemsinthe

collection do not imply a close personal relationship; instead, they

recommendthebenefitsofmarriageandchildren.Itwasacommon

practiceatthetimefortutorstoleavegiftsfortheirstudentsupontheir

completionofstudies.

• Sonnets,18-126,areaddressedtoayoungmanexpressingthepoet’slove—

criticsarguewhetherthisisaspirituallove,abrotherlyaffection,ora

gayrelationship—eitherwaytheyareread,thesepoemsdefinitelyreshape

thePetrarchanmodelofaBeloved.

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Sonnets


•Finally,sonnets127-152arewrittentoafemalefigure,theDarkLady;

thesepoemsexpressastrong,earthylove—thesealsobreakthePetrarchan

modelofanIdealBeauty.

• TheDarkLadyisnotblonde,norblueeyed,butinsteadisadarkhaired,

oliveskinnedwomanofmiddleclass.

• HistoriansandcriticsoftentrytoidentifyboththeDarkLadyandthe

YoungMan—manytheoriesexistofcourse.Someplausibleacrosticchains

havebeenfoundinselectsonnets.

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Sonnets


William Shakespeare(1564—1616)

1

Fromfair/estcrea/tureswe/desire/increase,

Thattherebybeauty’srosemightneverdie,

Butastheripershouldbytimedecease,

Histenderheirmightbearhismemory;

Butthoucontractedtothineownbrighteyes,

Feed’stthylight’sflamewithself-substantialfuel,

Makingafaminewhereabundancelies,

Thyselfthyfoe,tothysweetselftoocruel.

Thouthatartnowtheworld’sfreshornament,

Andonlyheraldtothegaudyspring,

Withinthineownbudburiestthycontent,

And,tenderchurl,mak’stwasteinniggarding.

Pitytheworld,orelsethisgluttonbe,

Toeattheworld’sdue,bythegraveandthee.

The Sonnets and Narrative Poems: The Complete Non-Dramatic Poetry.SylvanBarnet,ed. SignetClassic,PenquinBooks,NewYork,1989.Print.

thesis: problem

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discussed in octave

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Rhyme scheme || Meter

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Sonnets


Sonnet 1: “From Fairest Ceatures We Desire Increase” • introductorypoemtotheYoungMancycleofpoems • rhymeschemeisanexampleoftypicalEnglishsonnet: ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG <noticesubtledifferencebetween quatrain1and2:die/memory,eye/lies • themeterisaperfectiambicpentameter

• ll1-4:thePoetopenswiththeconceptthatalllivingbeingsarebeautiful duetothesparkoflifewithinthem—“fair”isequatedtothewordbeauty; inthesenseofagriculturalpractices,thefairest,strongestanimalsare bredtoproducefairer,strongeroffspring,thusproducingbetterstock; iftheyoungmandies,hismemory(looks)willbetransferredtohisheirs. Theremainderofthepoemcontinuesthismetaphorinvariousmanners. • ll5-8:“contracted”meansbetrothed:theYoungManseeshimselfas handsomeandthuspre-occupiedwithhimselfalone,withoutapartner; heisdevouringhimself,wastinghisenergiesandhispotentialsforhaving achild—theworldwillsufferinafamineifthereisnooffspringandthus heisbeingcruel,bothtohimselfandtheworld;thisisasubtlesuggestion thattheYoungManiswastinghistime/seedonhimselforloosewomen

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Sonnets


• l8:thereexistsaswelltheculturalbeliefthatwhenonehassex,one’s lifespanisshortenedbyaday;thusinsomeRenaissancepoemstheterm “littledeath”wasanallusiontothesexualact;thecrueltystatedhere thereforealludestothefactheisshorteningtheperiodofhislife • ll9-12:thePoetstatestheYoungManiscurrentlyanornamentforthe world,aproductofbeautyforotherstoadmire,respect;whenthePoet usestheterm“gaudy”hedoesnotmeanthecurrentideaofcrudeor garish,ratherhemeansbrightandcolorful.Line11hasbeensuggestedas continuingtheanti-masturbationtheme,“content”referringtoenergies orseed;the“bud”suggestingaphallicsymbol.Remember,thepoem’s messageisanextendedmetaphorforagriculture,harvest,andconsumption. Theotherpointtostress,Shakespearelovedraunchysymbols.Throughout hisplaystoaddalevelofironiccomicreliefheemployedmany doubleentendrestolightentheatmosphere.Theuseofthephrase “tenderchurl”comesacrossasatermofendearment.TheYoungManis wastingmaterialwhichhehordesfromothers. • ll13-14:Therefore,theYMneedstopitytheworldandnotletussuffer. Awkwardlyworded:thePoet’spointistheYMowestheworldtohave childrenandcontinuethefamilyline.

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Sonnets


William Shakespeare

18

ShallI/compare/theeto/asum/mer’s day?

Thouart/morelove/lyand/moretemp/erate;

Roughwinds/doshake/thedar/lingbuds/ofMay,

And sum/mer’slease/hathall/tooshort/adate;

Sometimetoohottheeyeofheavenshines,

Andoftenishisgoldcomplexiondimm’d;

Andeveryfairfromfairsometimedeclines,

Bychanceornature’schangingcourseuntrimm’d;

Butthyeternalsummershallnotfade,

Norlosepossessionofthatfairthouow’st;

NorshallDeathbragthouwander’stinhisshade,

Whenineternallinestotimethougrow’st:

Solongasmencanbreatheoreyescansee,

Solonglivesthis,andthisgiveslifetothee.


thesis: problem

establishedand

discussed in octave

sestetshifts

in tone

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B

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Sonnets


Sonnet 18: “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” • anotheroftheYoungManpoems;afrequentlyquotedpiece • rhymeschemeisanexampleoftypicalEnglishsonnet: ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG • themeterisaperfectiambicpentameter

• ll1-4:thePoetopenswithaquestioningofhiscreativepowers,seeking anappropriatemetaphorfortheBeloved;throughthecontextofthepoem hediscoverstheYoungManisamorepositiveimagethantheseasonitself • ll5-8:thePoetbringsuptheconceptofApollo,theyoungGreekgodof thesun,music,andpoetry;heisalsoseenasaleaderoftheartisticMuses. ThePoetalsoresolvesthatallbeautyfadesovertime,eitherbycasual circumstancesorbyseasonalchangesintheyear. • ll9:establishesthetraditionalvolta,“Butthyeternalsummershallnot fade”—duetothepoemitselfpreservingasenseoftheyouth’sbeauty. • ll13-14:ithasbeensuggestedthattheclosingcoupletencouragesasense that the youth is rather vain.

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Sonnets


William Shakespeare

29

Whenin/disgrace/withFor/tuneand/men’seyes,

Iall/alone/beweep/myout/caststate,

Andtrou/bledeaf/heaven/withmy/bootless/cries,

Andlook/upon/myself/andcurse/myfate,

Wishingmeliketoonemorerichinhope,

Featuredlikehim,likehimwithfriendspossess’d,

Desiringthisman’sart,andthatman’sscope,

WithwhatImostenjoycontentedleast;

Yetinthesethoughtsmyselfalmostdespising,

HaplyIthinkonthee,andthenmystate,

Liketothelarkatbreakofdayarising

Fromsullenearth,singshymnsatheaven’sgate;

Forthysweetloveremember’dsuchwealthbrings

ThatthenIscorntochangemystatewithkings.


thesis: problem

establishedand

discussed in octave

sestetshifts

in tone; ending couplet

confirms

A

B

A

B

C

D

C

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B

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B

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Sonnets


Sonnet 29: “When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes” • oneoftheYoungManpoems;mostquotedfromthefullsequence • thepoemispresentedasonelongsentence • rhymeschemeisanexperimentinthiscase;theopeningquatrain establishessamerhymesusedinthethirdquatrain: ABAB/CDCD/EBEB/FF

• ll1-2:thePoetannouncesheisaloneintheworld,indisgrace • ll3-4:likeJob,hecomplainstoheaven,cursinghislostreputation • ll5-6:becauseofhisbadluck,hewishesforother’ssuccesses, anotherman’spopularity, • l7:another’screativity,another’svision • l8:atcloseofoctave,thePoetisleastsatisfiedwithhischosencareer • ll9-10:Yet,despitethesethoughtsofself-hatred,justbythinkingofthe YoungMan,thePoetfeelsacontentment • ll11-12:heformsananalogycomparinghimselfwithalark:justasa commonbirdsingstoheavenatdawn:Poet(bird)toYoungMan(sun) •ll13-14:TheloveoftheYoungManisenoughtohelpthepoetsurvive; somuchsohewouldn’tchangehislotinlife

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Sonnets


William Shakespeare

126

Othou,mylovelyboy,whointhypower

DostholdTime’sfickleglass,hisficklehour;

Whohastbywaninggrown,andthereinshow’st

Thyloverswithering,asthysweetselfgrow’st.

IfNature,sovereignmistressoverwrack,

Asthougoestonwards,stillwillplucktheeback,

Shekeepstheetothispurpose,thatherskill

Maytimedisgraceandwretchedminuteskill.

Yetfearher,Othouminionofherpleasure!

Shemaydetain,butnotstillkeep,hertreasure:

Heraudit(thoughdelayed)answeredmustbe,

Andherquietusistorenderthee.

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thesis: problem

establishedand

discussed in octave

shift in tone


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Sonnets


William Shakespeare

130

Mymist/ress’eyes/arenoth/inglike/thesun;

Coral/isfar/morered/thanher/lips’red;

Ifsnow/bewhite,/whythen/herbreasts/aredun;

Ifhairs/bewires,/blackwires/growon/herhead.

Ihave/seenros/esda/mask,red/andwhite,

ButnosuchrosesseeIinhercheeks;

Andinsomeperfumesistheremoredelight

Thaninthebreaththatfrommymistressreeks.

Ilovetohearherspeak,yetwellIknow

Thatmusichathafarmorepleasingsound;

IgrantIneversawagoddessgo;

Mymistress,whenshewalks,treadsontheground:

Andyet,/byheav/en,I/thinkmy/loveas/rare

Asan/yshe/belied/withfalse/compare.


problem resolved

in couplet

thesis: problem

establishedand

discussed in octave

sestetshifts

in tone, slightly

A

B

A

B

C

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C

D

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Sonnets


Sonnet 130: “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun”

• Thefirstlineisironicinthesensethatallofthepoemsaddressingthe

YoungMancomparehimtothesun,orassertheisasbeautifulasApollo,

theGreeksun-god;theDarkLadyisofoppositecharacterization.

• Thefullpoemexplainsthecontrastofidealismandreality.

• Thesonnetendswithanassertionthathisbelovedisasbeautifulasany

thathasbeenfalselycomplimentedbyotherpoets.

A slight rewording of the final couplet for modern clarification:

Andyet,Iswearbyheaven,Ithinkmyloveisrare

As any she (that is:anyotherwoman)misrepresentedwithfalsecompliments.

Theword“compare”inthiscaseisbeingusedbythePoetasanounnotaverb.

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Sonnets


IfyoucomparetheBelovedsinthesesonnetsagainstthecharacterizationof

Pertrarch’sLaura,yougetacollectionofextremecontrastingelements.

Laura:

named

beautiful

blonde/blueeyes

pale,fairskin

artificialidealism/icon

outofreach/goddess

laurel tree

Dark Lady:

unnamed

average

brunette/browneyes

olive tones

realistic beauty

downtoearth/obtainable

mortal

__

Young Man:

unnamed

handsome/pretty

blonde/blueeyes

__

superficialbeauty

approachable

falseimmortal

sun/summer

sonnets - david-glen smith · • sonnets, 18-126, are addressed to a young man expressing the...

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