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Use of sonnet throughout the ages (Shakespeare, Milton and Rossetti) - page 5
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: 5 of 8 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8deceased wife as an untouchable and powerful kind of ‘saint’, as she arrives with her face “veiled”. Unlike in Shakespeare’s sonnet, Milton describes this woman in terms of her personality and good nature, not solely her beauty. This is further proof to us that these are words of honesty and deference. The poetic voice then goes on to describe the imminent return of his as “Alcestis from the grave”. Alcestis was a famous character in Greek mythology who returned from the dead, and Milton’s comparison between the two continues to elevate our opinions of her.
The poetic voice also adopts particular linguistic devices in order to illustrate the extent of which he misses his wife. The slow paced, gloomy tone is introduced through Milton’s use of words. Words such as “saint”, “pale” and “grave” are all tender words used to bring about the gentle tone, and each are effective when falling on stressed syllables. The gentle tone is needed in order to showcase the height of Milton’s complete awe and admiration in regards to his wife. This language consists in a gentle manner, but the tone lifts to a much happier one. This comes with the return of his wife. The poetic voice begins to make use of words such as “sweetness”, “goodness” and “delight” to once again highlight that Milton’s love is sincere. This pleasant tone however, takes a sudden turn in the finishing couplet. The poetic voice seems now saddened upon realising that this encounter was nothing more than a dream. He begins to rush his sentences with the monosyllabic expressions “wak’d” and “fled”. The dramatic change of pace and tone towards the end of this sonnet are used to signify Milton’s sheer hurt and grief over the absence of his much admired wife. The use of an exclamatory “But oh!” emphasizes the desolation that the poetic voice is faced with upon realising that his vision was not to be. Milton ends the poem on a paradoxical note. As “day brought back [his] night”, we realise that standard routine has shifted for him. As day typically represents warmth and happiness, Milton is faced with isolation and suffering and instead of night symbolising as dark and wicked point of view, he exploits it as a time to reflect and reminisce.
John Milton’s use of the ‘poetic voice’ is extremely effective in this piece, in a number of ways. His love
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