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chapter two
16/05/2009 16:26
As I mentioned in the introduction, in this chapter, I will define the sonnets in general. After that, I will shed light on the three types and forms of the sonnets. This chapter also focuses on the major themes of Shakespearean sonnets. These themes will be illustrated through analyzing six selected sonnets (3, 2, 12,129,130, and 134).
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/
I. The sonnet: Definition types and forms
1. The sonnet’s definition and types:
The sonnet is one of the poetic forms that can be found in lyric poetry from Europe. The term ‘sonnet’ derives from the Occitan word ‘sonnet’ and the Italian word ‘sonnetto’, both meaning “little song.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonnet
Evan (1996) defines it as:
“A fourteen line poem usually written pentameter verse (…). The fourteen line sonnet can be divided into two sorts, the Italian or Petrachan on one hand and the Shakespearean on the other (p.8).
There is a third form added by researchers which is the Spenserian sonnet. It is also well-known, but far less commonly used than either the Petrachan or the Shakespearean sonnet.
2. The sonnet’s forms
ľ The Petrachan Sonnet:
The Italian sonnet form is commonly called the Petrachan sonnet, named after Francesco Petrach who was born in Arezzo on July the twentieth, 1304).
http://petrarch.petersadlon.com/submissions/Donaldson.html
According to Evan (1996), the Petrachan sonnet is composed of:
“ An octave-an initial passage of eight lines rhyming ABBAABBa-followed by a sestest-six lines requiring only that each line has a rhyming mate”(p.7-8).
The octave usually presents an idea, raises an argument, makes a proposition, or poses a problem. A turning point ("Volta") occurs between the octave and the sestet, and the sestet develops out of the octave by illustrating the idea in the octave, varying it, responding to it, or solving the problem it poses.
http://www.essortment.com/all/sonnetlyricwha_rufa.htm
ľ The Shakespearean sonnet:
Shakespeare did not invent the English sonnet form, but he is recognized as its greatest practitioner. Therefore, the English sonnet is commonly called the Shakespearean sonnet. It consists of three quatrains ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, and it is concluded with a rhymed couplet, GG. According to Fuller (1972, p.14), It can be illustrated in this way:
As with the structure of Petrachan sonnet, that of the Shakespearean sonnet influences the kinds of ideas that will be developed in it. For example, the three quatrains may be used to present the parallel images, with the couplet used to tie them together or to interpret their significance.
ľ The Spenserian sonnet:
This third form of the sonnet is well-known but far less commonly used than either the Petrachan or the Shakespearean sonnet.
“It is named after Edmund Spenser. It has three quatrains, rhyming ABAB BCBC CDCD, followed by a couplet, rhyming EE. The linked rhymes of its quatrains suggest the linked rhymes of such Italian form as terza rima.” ‹http//:www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-sonnet.html›
II. The analysis of the six selected sonnets:
As I mentioned in the introduction, the focus in this chapter is on the analysis of some selected sonnets, through which we can detect the Shakespearean major themes being included in these sonnets.
„« Sonnet Three:
Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest A
Now is the time that face should form another; B
Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest, A
Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother. B
For where is she so fair whose unear'd womb C
Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry? D
Or who is he so fond will be the tomb C
Of his self-love, to stop posterity? D
Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee E
Calls back the lovely April of her prime: F
So thou through windows of thine age shall see E
Despite of wrinkles this thy golden time. F
But if thou live, remember'd not to be, G
Die single, and thine image dies with thee. G ‹http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/3.html›
• Analysis:
This sonnet is concerned with the theme of procreation. It is addressed, as scholars agree, to the Earl of Southampton or simply to
“The ‘Fair Lord’ who happened to support Shakespeare financially.” http://www.gradesaver.com/author/shakespeare/
At the very beginning of the sonnet, we observe that Shakespeare addresses a young man telling him to see his face in the mirror. He says to him that it is time for that face to form another. In other words, Shakespeare tries to convince the young man to father a child because it is the best way to immortalize his beauty. The freshness of youth does not last eternally; it needs to be renewed through procreation. The young man is selfish in the sense that he does not want to share his beauty with the world and with the woman that can happily accept him as a husband. This is clearly seen in,” Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother.”
In the second quatrain, Shakespeare states that every woman is ready to marry this young man because of his beauty. Being unmarried and selfish, the young man will stop posterity.
The third quatrain is a description of how children can be the mirror through which parents can see themselves. Despite old age, parents can remember and live once again the old times through the life of their children. This is a good argument that William uses so as to convince “the Fair Lord” that the only way to keep his beauty and youth is by having a child.
The couplet seems to be an implicit warning to the young man. It tells him that if he chooses not to be remembered, he will die single. As a result, his image will die with him. He will not have the chance to see himself through his child since he is selfish and proud of his mortal beauty.
„« Sonnet Two:
When forty winters shall beseige thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now,
Will be a tatter'd weed, of small worth held:
Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old, and see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold. (Shakespeare, William.1963, p.7)
• Analysis:
The theme of the necessity of procreation is also found in sonnet two. Shakespeare uses reasonable arguments by which he tries to make “the Fair Lord” father a child.
The first quatrain is concerned with how time can change people from being young and beautiful into being old and ugly. “When forty winters,” the term ‘winters’ refers to the time. The latter “digs deep trenches in beauty’s field.” In other words, it has destructive effects on the freshness of youth. Shakespeare stresses that beauty will not last, and that it is selfish and foolish for “the Fair Lord” not to prepare for the loss of his beauty and youth.
The second quatrain shows that the situation will be hard for people when they are asked how they have spent their youth. Here, the poet refers to “the Fair Lord.”
Human beauty would be useless if it is not renewed. The usefulness of beauty can only be realized by having children. This is the only way by which one can prove that he has not misused his time on this earth. This is vividly included in, “‘this fair child of mine shall sum my count and make my old excuse.” The beauty of the child reminds the father or the mother that this beauty was once his or hers:
This were to be new made when thou art old, And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.
This couplet can be paraphrased in this way:
This child would be new made when you are old, and you would see your blood flow warm through him when you are cold. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/2detail.html >
Shakespeare stresses the fact that begetting children is the only way that can immortalize the beauty and the youth of parents. He wants to urge “the Fair Lord” not to waste his time and marry a woman that can offer him happiness and immortality by bearing his child.
This sonnet displays procreation as the efficient defence against old age and death.
„« Sonnet 12:
When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer's green all girded up in sheaves
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets12/.html
• Analysis:
This sonnet deals mainly with the theme of the ravages of time. Shakespeare uses a wide range of metaphors and images which display the destructiveness of time.
The poet devotes the first and the second quatrain to describe the decay of some natural elements. The brightness of the day is defeated by the darkness of the night. All types of plants fade with the passage of time. Even the black curly hair of people turns white when they are old. The trees lose their leaves. The poet states that when “I see green plants are harvested and carried on the wagon, I begin thinking about your beauty.” The addressee here is clearly “the Fair Lord”. This use of such markers of the passage and the progress of time proves Bradbrook’s statement that”
Shakespeare’s achievement depends before all else on the power, range and strength of his use of words(…) his vocabulary was about ten times that of the average man of today.”(1951, p.79).
In the third quatrain, the poet addresses directly the Fair Lord.” He tries to make him aware that his beauty will undoubtedly decline because time does not stop:
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Ultimately, the poet hopes that the young man will finally realise that time stops for no one; the only way the young man can ensure the survival and immortality of his beauty is through having a child. Children are portrayed to be the only measure of defence against time and death. As we may see, both procreation and the ravages of time (time destructiveness) are two interrelated themes in Shakespeare’s sonnets. The former is regarded as being the only weapon, so to speak, by which people can confront the enemy, which is time.
„« Sonnet 129:
The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action; and till action, lust
Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,
Enjoy'd no sooner but despised straight,
Past reason hunted, and no sooner had
Past reason hated, as a swallow'd bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad;
Mad in pursuit and in possession so;
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe;
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.
All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets129/.html
• Analysis:
The theme discussed here is that of carnal love. This sonnet deals with the three stages that concern lust. It is (the sonnet) concerned with people feelings before, while and after having a sexual intercourse.
At the beginning, the poet says that “lust in action”-that is, when it is being had- is “an expense of spirit in a waste of shame.” Lust is associated with many bad characteristics. It is murderous, violent, blameworthy, savage, extreme, rude, cruel and untrustworthy. As soon as people, they immediately despise it. The second quatrain stresses the idea that people long for sex, but when they achieve it, they fell shameful. Then, the poet says that lust makes people mad in the sense that they behave strangely before, while mad after having sex:
Mad in pursuit and in possession so;
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
In the couplet, the poet says that the whole world knows these things well; but nevertheless, none knows how to shun lust in order to avoid shame, “To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.”
The situation of the poet may be that of a person who has experienced each stage of lust. Therefore, he is able to describe each stage meticulously.
Lust, in this sonnet, is described in a highly carnal language---bloody, full of blame, rude, swallowed bait. The impersonal tone used in this sonnet is very interesting. The poet never says openly that he is writing about his experience, but the strength by which he describes lust indicates that he has undergone it indeed.
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shakesonnets/section9.rhtml
As a matter of fact, this sonnet is well worth analysing because it discusses a very important and controversial issue, lust.
„« Sonnet 130:
My 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 delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That 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. (Shakespeare, William.1963, p.301)
• Analysis:
This sonnet discusses the themes of beauty and love. It is addressed to a woman who seems to be the mistress of the poet. It plays a joke on the conventions of love poetry.
In this sonnet, Shakespeare compares his lover to a number of beauties. This comparison is not in the lover’s favour. The beauties, to which the mistress is compared, seem to have more qualities than this mistress has.
Her eyes are nothing like the sun; her lips are less red than coral. Compared to white snow, the breast of this mistress is dun-coloured and her hairs are like black wires on her head. In the second quatrain, the poet says he has seen roses separated ”damasked” into red and white, but he sees no such roses in his mistress’ cheeks. Moreover, he says the breath that “reeks” from his mistress is less delightful than perfume. In the third quatrain, he admits that although he loves his mistress voice, music “hath a far more pleasing sound.” The poet states that his mistress is not a goddess. She is only a human being. However, the poet declares in the couplet that his love for his mistress is so great despite the fact that her beauty is not associated with beautiful comparison.
This sonnet, which is one of Shakespeare’s most famous, satirizes the conventions of love poetry. Most sonnets in Elizabethan England resembled those of Petrach, an Italian poet born in 1304. http://petrarch.petersadlon.com/submissions/Donaldson.html. Petrach’s most famous sonnets were written to an idealised mistress named Laura. In his sonnets, Petrach praises her beauty using extraordinary variety of metaphors based on natural beauties. Shakespeare, in sonnet 130, tries to show that Petrach’s metaphors have become common and ordinary. He mocks the typical love sonnets that adopt the Petrachan metaphors. William seems to be addressing somebody telling him that if your mistress’ eyes are like the sun, the eyes of my mistress are not at all like the sun; your mistress breath smells like perfume, but the breath of my mistress reeks compared to perfume.
Finally, I may say that Shakespeare wants to say that love does not need these conceits in order to be real; and women need not be like flowers or like the sun in order to be beautiful.
„« Sonnet 134:
So, now I have confess'd that he is thine,
And I myself am mortgaged to thy will,
Myself I'll forfeit, so that other mine
Thou wilt restore, to be my comfort still:
But thou wilt not, nor he will not be free,
For thou art covetous and he is kind;
He learn'd but surety-like to write for me
Under that bond that him as fast doth bind.
The statute of thy beauty thou wilt take,
Thou usurer, that put'st forth all to use,
And sue a friend came debtor for my sake;
So him I lose through my unkind abuse.
Him have I lost; thou hast both him and me: He pays the whole, and yet am I not free.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets134/.html
• Analysis:
The theme discussed in this sonnet is that of unfaithfulness. Shakespeare seems to be desperate and heart-broken because of the betrayal of both his mistress and his friend.
At the very beginning, we may notice that the poet has lost somebody. He says “I have confessed that he is thine.” Here, he addresses his mistress. The latter seems to have a love affair with the poet’s friend. However the poet still wishes to get his friend back. This is seen in line three,” Myself I'll forfeit, so that other mine.” The poet knows well
that his mistress will not let go of his friend. The latter responds whole-heartedly to the mistress’ temptation:
But thou wilt not, nor he will not be free,
For thou art covetous and he is kind;
Despite the unfaithfulness of his friend, the poet still defends him by saying that his mistress is responsible for these wrongdoings. She uses her beauty to seduce his friend who easily submits to her seduction, forgetting the meaning of friendship. In the couplet, the poet tells the unfaithful mistress that” I lose my friend because I allowed him to be involved with you.” Now, the mistress has power on both the speaker and his fiend.
For the poet, innocence and gullibility explain the friend’s behaviour when he is tempted by the mistress. He is sure about the fidelity of his friend. The latter does not realise that he has stabbed him in the back by being involved with his mistress. Unfortunately, the poet still regards this unfaithful person as being a friend despite clear evidence to the opposite.
In conclusion, I may say that this sonnet shows clearly the emotional suffering of the poet who is betrayed by the two persons whom he loves.
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