William Shakespearec. 1564-1616b. Stratford-upon-

Avon, EnglandWrote during

Renaissance time period

Time of metaphysical and carpe diem poetry

Shakespearean Sonnets1609 Quarto only source of most

152 Shakespearean Sonnets.

There are 3 categories of poems in this Quarto:1-126 are addressed to The Fair Youth

127-152 are addressed to The Dark Mistress

A Lover’s Complaint a 329 line poem written in Rhyme Royal (a-b-a-b-b-c-c)

Shakespeare’s AddresseesThe Fair Youth (sonnets 1-126)

An unnamed young man Written to in loving and romantic language Some suggest this may be a homosexual

love, others find support that it is platonic, or father-son love

The Dark Lady (sonnets 127-152) Given this name because of she is

described as being dark haired The sonnets written about her express

infatuation and are more sexual in nature

Shakespearean Sonnet FormStill 14 linesBroken into 4 parts

3 quatrains- 4 line stanza 1 rhyming couplet- 2 line stanza

Written in iambic pentameter:

˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ /

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Shakespearean Sonnet FormRhyme Scheme:

Quatrain 1: a b a b [introduces question] Quatrain 2: c d c d [tentative Quatrain 3: e f e f answers] Rhyming Couplet: g g [final answer]

Volta:The turn or transition in line 9 which marks a shift

in focus or thought

Sonnet 18Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate.Rough winds do shake the darling buds of

May,And summer’s lease hath too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmed;And every fair from fair sometimes declines,By chance, or nature’s changing course

untrimmed.

ABAB

CDCD

Sonnet 18But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his

shadeWhen in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Sonnet 18

EFE

F

G

G

Sonnet 18Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? A QUESTIONThou art more lovely and more temperate. B syntaxRough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A imagery And summer’s lease hath too short a date. B- near rhymeSometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, C syntaxAnd often is his gold complexion dimmed; D personification-sunAnd every fair from fair sometimes declines, CBy chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed. DBut thy eternal summer shall not fade,E VOLTA- shift in

toneMETAPHOR

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest, FNor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade E person. -

deathWhen in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. F

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, G ANAPHORASo long lives this, and this gives life to thee. G

SONNET 55Not marble nor the gilded monumentsOf princes shall outlive this pow'rful rhyme,But you shall shine more bright in these conténtsThan unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time.When wasteful war shall statues overturn,And broils root out the work of masonry,Nor Mars his sword, nor war’s quick fire, shall burnThe living record of your memory.'Gainst death and all oblivious enmityShall you pace forth; your praise shall still find roomEven in the eyes of all posterityThat wear this world out to the ending doom.

So till the judgment that yourself arise,  

You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes. 

SONNET 130My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;Coral is far more red than her lips' red;If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delightThan in the breath that from my mistress reeks.I love to hear her speak, yet well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing sound;I grant I never saw a goddess go;My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   As any she belied with false compare.

SONNET 141In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,

For they in thee a thousand errors note; But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,Who in despite of view is pleased to dote; Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone, Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited To any sensual feast with thee alone: But my five wits nor my five senses can Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,Who leaves unsway'd the likeness of a man, Thy proud hearts slave and vassal wretch to be: Only my plague thus far I count my gain, That she that makes me sin awards me pain.

SONNET 38How can my muse want subject to inventWhile thou dost breathe that pour'st into my verse,Thine own sweet argument, too excellent,For every vulgar paper to rehearse?O give thy self the thanks if aught in me,Worthy perusal stand against thy sight,For who's so dumb that cannot write to thee,When thou thy self dost give invention light?Be thou the tenth Muse, ten times more in worthThan those old nine which rhymers invocate,And he that calls on thee, let him bring forthEternal numbers to outlive long date.If my slight muse do please these curious days,The pain be mine, but thine shall be the praise.

Edna St. Vincent Millay1892-1950American writer and feministLived mostly in NYC during her career as a

writerWon the Pulitzer Prize for PoetryArguably the best sonnet writer of her time

Petrarchan (Italian) SonnetsDeveloped by the Italian writer

Francesco Petrarch

This form of sonnet typically addresses:The subject of womenOften romantic poemsOften exaggerate the perfection of women

Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet FormStill 14 linesBroken into 2 parts

1 octave—8 line stanza 1 sestet– 6 line stanza

Usually written in iambic pentameter:

˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / I will put Chaos into fourteen lines

Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet FormRhyme Scheme:

Octave: a b b a a b b a [introduces problem/desire]

Sestet: c d e c d e [comments/provides solution]

OR c d c d c d

Volta:The turn or transition in line 9 which marks a shift

in focus or thought

Edna St. Vincent MillayI will put Chaos into fourteen linesAnd keep him there; and let him thence escapeIf he be lucky; let him twist, and apeFlood, fire, and demon --- his adroit designsWill strain to nothing in the strict confinesOf this sweet order, where, in pious rape,I hold his essence and amorphous shape,Till he with Order mingles and combines.Past are the hours, the years of our duress,His arrogance, our awful servitude:I have him. He is nothing more nor lessThan something simple not yet understood;I shall not even force him to confess;Or answer. I will only make him good.