Shakespreaken Sonnets Essay, Research Paper
William Shakespeare, in his time and now, is a very profound figure. He
is recognized as one of the greatest writers and poets of all time. Shakespeare
wrote many works of art including “Shakespearean” sonnets. He wrote many
sonnets in his lifetime. Some were written about men and some about women.
Others talked highly of someone or something and yet others talked trifling
about someone or something. In reading sonnets eighteen and one hundred and
thirty, I found many differences, but little similarities. Sonnet eighteen is most
likely about a man of whom Shakespeare admired very much and spoke of
highly. Sonnet one hundred and thirty is about a woman of whom he loved, but
really did not have anything nice to say about.
In the beginning of sonnet eighteen, Shakespeare proposes a comparison
between his beloved and a summer season. Summer is chosen because it is
lovely and enjoyable, as his beloved. In the second line of the sonnet, the
comparison is restricted: in outward appearance and character the beloved
person is more beautiful but less extreme than summer. Shakespeare says that
he, the young man, is more warm-hearted than the roughed winds of May that
disturb the beautiful flowers. Shakespeare says that summer is too hot and
Young, 2
always too short. When he says, “And often his gold complexion dimmed,” he
means that the sun is often dimmed by the clouds. By saying every beauty from
beauty is often declined by chance or nature’s changing course, he means that
every beauty will become less one day. He does not like the thought of this and
you can somewhat tell because he is sort of complaining when he writes this.
The ninth line takes up the comparison with summer again: summer has now
become the summer of life. The comparison turns into a contrast referring back
to the seventh line. Shakespeare’s assurance becomes even firmer in lines
eleven and twelve, which contains a promise that death will be conquered.
“Eternal lines” refers to lines of poetry but also suggest lines of shape. It points
forward to the triumphant couplet which explains and summarizes the theme:
poetry is immortal and make beauty immortal.
In Shakespeare’s sonnet one hundred and thirty, he is talking somewhat
bad about his “mistress.” He says that his mistress’ eyes do not remind him of
the sun because the sun is bright and he eyes are not. Her lips are not