Cash4Coursework has been rebranded ‘FreeCoursework.info’ - Visit us to download coursework for free and to earn money from your old coursework!
View this page at Freecoursework.info
Use of sonnet throughout the ages (Shakespeare, Milton and Rossetti) - page 2
Keywords: english literature lit sonnet poetry william shakespeare john milton christina rossetti
By exploiit on 19/06/2010
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 2 of 8 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8sonnet, a Spenserian sonnet is not required to present a problem initially, only to be answered later in the piece.
William Shakespeare penned “Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day?” in the early 16th Century. It is written from a personal point of view, and Shakespeare employs a ‘poetic voice’ in order to deliver his thoughts to the woman of whom he speaks. Shakespeare begins this piece by comparing this woman to a summer’s day. On a number of levels, we can comprehend the compliment – he believes this woman mirrors the magnificence and beauty of a summer’s day. Of course our initial impression of Shakespeare’s description is not completely correct. He quickly goes on to tell of how this charming woman is, not equal to, but greater than a fine summer’s day. He uses his poetic voice to explain that a summer’s day does not compare to the woman of his desire, she is both “more lovely” and “more temperate” and leaves him in a state of total awe and admiration. Depicting the woman in this way definitely helps us to understand Shakespeare’s infatuation, but then he begins to describe the same summer’s day in less handsome terms. Normally, we associate a summer’s day with positive things – beauty, warmth, hospitality, etc. Shakespeare however, allows his poetic voice to dabble in the more pessimistic areas of such a day. He expresses the harsh nature of summer as its “rough winds … shake the darling buds of May” and “lease hath all too short a date”. Shakespeare utilizes hostile descriptions such as these in order to illustrate his view that even the most beautiful of things can cause damage and harm. His lady on the other hand, is not so cruel. We start to recognize that she shares compassion and, unlike the weather, is not explosive or erratic.
As the poem progresses, Shakespeare’s poetic voice continues to explore the more unappealing sides to a summer’s day. For example, he degrades the authority of the Sun. In simply telling that “oft’ is [the sun’s] gold complexion dimm’d”, we pick up on the blatant disregard the poetic voice has for such a powerful and important source; a main provider of light, warmth and food. This is helpful however, in further elevating the woman. The fact that Shakespeare does little to appreciate the Sun, but still holds this woman in such high regards leads
Last 5 comments…
There have been no comments posted for this article, but you need to register if you want to be the first!