Let’s RECAP -SONNET 18
and SONNET 130
My mistress’ eyes
This sonnet
MAKES FUN of the conventions of love poetry common to Shakespeare’s day.
Most
sonnets were modelled after Petrarch’s ones.
In his
sonnets Petrarch praises Laura’s beauty, her WORTH, her PERFECTION using a lot
of metaphors based largely on natural beauties.
The result
was that poems by Petrarch make highly idealizing comparisons between nature
and the poet’s lover, which, if taken literally, are completely ridiculous.
MY MISTRESS’S
EYES ARE LIKE THE SUN
HER LIPS
ARE RED AS CORAL
HER CHEEKS
ARE LIKE ROSES
HER BREASTS
ARE WHITE AS SNOW
HER VOICE
IS LIKE MUSIC……SHE’S A GODDESS
This sonnet
MOCKS the typical Petrarchan metaphors. In a sense, he decides to tell the truth…..
So my
Mistress’ eyes aren’t at all like the sun…..
In other
words, he insists that love doesn’t need these conceits in order to be real-
and women don’t need to look like flowers or the sun in order to be beautiful.
Though the
sonnet may appear to be negative, it has positive words towards the end. Although
reality can be quite different from our dreams, the poet knows that his love
for his mistress is great. He describes it as unique and makes it clear
that he doesn’t need to make false comparisons about her to know that in his
heart he feels love for her. Some men may say false words, but he doesn’t need
to because he accepts her as she is and is truly in love with her.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day
It’s
divided into two parts:
LINES 1-8
Nature and its laws
LINES 9-14
Art and its effects As long as there are people reading the poem, it’ll live and
it’ll give life to the young man’s memory
The two
terms of comparison are SUMMER and the YOUNG MAN
The young
boy proves to be the better because he’s more lovely and milder and his beauty
won’t decay
The poet
will make the young man eternal by praising his virtues and his beauty in his
poem
WHY DOES
he USE THE WORDS ETERNAL SUMMER?
The young
man will be made eternal through the poem. He’ll never lose his youthful
beauty.
WHAT ABOUT BEAUTY
in real life?
It’ll be
destroyed by TIME.POETRY is ART. IT’s IMMORTAL
CONCLUSION
ART
preserves youth and beauty forever
