In William Shakespeare’s sonnet number one hundred and forty-nine there is a very clear case of unrequited love. In a somber tone he outlines the ways in which he selflessly served his beloved only to be cruelly rejected. His confusion about the relationship is apparent as he reflects upon his behavior and feelings towards her. This poem appears to be written to bring closure to the relationship, but it could be argued that this poem is one final effort to win her affection. The first twelve lines of the poem are a questions proposed by the poet to his beloved.
The theme of these questions all lead back to his absolute commitment to her. The questions show a pattern of pathetic and blind devotion that is both sad and disheartening to the poet. Canst thou, O cruel, say I love thee not, When I against myself with thee partake? In these two lines Shakespeare is asking is she can deny his love for her when she knows that aganist his better judgment, he always he takes her side. In doing this he gives her total control over him. On the other hand, he is calling her O cruel which indicates that he may now see through her uncaring ways.
Similarly he goes on to ask her:Do I not think on thee when I forgot Am of myself, all tyrant, for thy sake? This question can be paraphrased to mean: Am I not thinking of you when I forget myself for your sake, tyrant as you are? (Rowse 309) Here again he asks her if she can deny his devotion even though she has acted terribly. The fact that the poet can now see that she is treating him poorly and cruelly indicates progress from where he claims to have been in the past. The poets level of devotion increases with the next line of questioning which confronts his willingness to shun those whom she finds displeasing.
Who hateth thee that I do call my friend; On whom frown’st that I do fawn upon? From these questions it becomes evident that his actions are not just for the ladys sake, but also for his own satisfaction. He asks her: Who hates you that I call my friend? This is interesting because there is no indication that she has any interest in his friends at all. In spite of this he continues to judge people by their opinion of her. In addition to this he claims to give no favor to those whom she dislikes for that very reason.
From this it can be inferred that she is everything to him and that he has no will of his own. It is this very point which leads him into his next questions. Nay, if thou lourst on me, do I not spend Revenge upon myself with present moan? What merit do I in myself respectThat is so proud thy service to despise, When all my best doth worship thy defect,Commanded by the motion of thine eyes. These six lines sum up much of what he has been attempting to convey. He is asking her: Dont I show pain and grief when you frown at me? Is there any part of me that I wouldnt give up for you?
Dont I worship your imperfections? (Rowse 309)He is making an argument that he has never done anything to deserve the way that she has treated him, yet he loves her wholly and unconditionally. The poet finds himself in a depressing and desperate situation, and these questions convey his position perfectly. The last two lines of this poem are quite ambiguous. In one sense they suggest an acknowledgment that the relationship is finished, but on the other hand there is that possibility that they are a different kind of attempt to please and ultimately win that sloe affection of his beloved.
But, love, hate on, for now I know thy mind; Those that can see thou lovst, I am blind. There is a great deal of irony in this statement because he is telling her to continue in her cruel ways because he now understands what she wants. He perceives her aspiration to be a man who will love her for thge person she is, not wholly and blindly as he had the poet has loved her. (Rowse 309) The irony in this is that if he now can see her faults and what she desires, then he is no longer blind. Thus this poem is arguably another attempt to win her affection. Poetry is a common medium for people to express love.
Sonnets are almost always about love. William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73” is no exception. Senti-ments of love along with those of against and death are expressed through the use of figurative language. The poem is organized in such a way that, as it progresses, the reader feels the author approaching death as the use of carefully chosen meta-phors that give “Sonnet 73” such powerful imagery. In the beginning of the poem the author uses the metaphor of autumn to stand for his progression in years. Just like the leaves change and fall from the trees, the author has changed and lost his youth.
The author next states a compari-son of his aging to a sunset: “In me thou seest the twilight of such day/ As after sunset fadeth in the west” (lines 05-06). Here “sunset” represents dying. The next metaphor compares night, which occurs after sunset, to death. “Which by and by black night doth take away/ Death’s second self that seals up all in rest” (07-08). It is important to note that the author has changed his focus from aging, to dying, to death, and narrowed his scope to the close of one day (05). In the final quatrain the author speaks of a “deathbed” of ashes (10-11).
These ashes can be interpreted as the ashes of his youth. Those ashes had once been the “fuel” of the man’s youth, that which provided his youthful energy. But now, they are now the place where the dying fire of his youth and strength dwindles to nothingness. It is the final couplet of “Sonnet 73” that first mentions love. The entire poem is written to someone, probably a lover or a loved one. The last two lines, however, seem to appear to sum up the relationship: “This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong// To love that well, which thou must leave ere long” (13-14).
Here the author is saying that even though he is so close to death, the lover still loves him. The author’s advanced stage on life actually makes the love “more strong” (13), even though the lover knows that the author will not be around much longer. Although the author spends much of the sonnet speaking of aging, dying, and death, there is still an element of love. The poem addresses a lover of the author through figurative language and metaphors. The organization of the poem makes a steady progression from images of aging, to dying, to death, and ulti-mately to love. “Sonnet 73” is a love poem with images of aging and death.
Sonnet 29 By: Anonymous Sonnet #29 Despite popular belief, William Shakespeare was considered a great poet before a great playwright. He accomplished writing at least 154 sonnets and other poems of love. In this paper, I will analyze one of his greatest sonnets. One of the most famous of his sonnets is number XXIX. This sonnet is one long sentence, but it still follows the usual Shakespearean pattern of three quatrains (four line sections) and a couplet. It also follows the traditional rhyme scheme for Shakespearian sonnets: ababcdcdefefgg. The first quatrain tells how the narrator is feeling.
From reading these four lines, you sense his loneliness and sense of abandonment by fate, G-d, love, and other men. I believe the key line in this quatrain is line 3 (When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,). Here I feel Shakespeare is saying that this person who is very depressed, is crying out for help to others, but he is such an outcast that not even “deaf heaven,” meaning God and the angels of heaven or listening to his cries. The second quatrain starts off with a line that shows the narrator wishes to be more optimistic. He realizes that in order to achieve his goals, he must believe in himself first and stop being so depressed.
The second half of the quatrain shows he is envious of other mens possessions and riches when he says, Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, With what I most enjoy contented least. Moving into the third quatrain, you see that the speaker begins to reflect on himself and starts to compare himself with his friends. You know this when Haply I think on thee, and then my state, is said. Just as you start to think the speaker is going back into a state of self-pity, you realize the speakers inspired sprits are rising like the lark at break of day.