Sonnet 43

801 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Shakespeare's view of love in his poems

Sonnet 43, A Touching Love Poem

	

	If one were to ever receive a love poem, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 43 would be and excellent poem to receive. The sonnet is addressed to the beloved of the speaker. The speaker talks about how the best thing he sees is upon the closing of his eyes, when he then pictures the beloved. The speaker talks about how the rest of the world is unworthy to look upon compared to the beloved. The speaker talks about how sleep is the best time, because that is when he can see the beloved in his dreams. Day is like night, dreary with waiting for the night to come, in order to see the beloved again. This sonnet is pretty much straight forward with what it says, but there are some examples of some literary techniques incorporated within the poem.

	First off, this sonnet follows the typical form of most Shakespearean sonnets. It has 14 lines, which the typical rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. The sonnet is also written in Iambic Pentameter. This sonnet deals with the traditional sonnet topic of love. Many sonnets throughout time have dealt with the topic of love. In this sonnet there are several examples of repetition of words within the same line.

The first two lines of Sonnet 43 start with the speaker declaring that he sees best when he closes his eyes, for all day he views things that go by unheeded, or are unworthy to look upon, when compared to the looks of the beloved. There are not many literary mechanisms in the first two line...

Show More
Related

  • Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Browning's Sonnet 43

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...onsidered to be a huge romantic gesture; it allowed the writers thoughts and feelings to be spoken through words. It was a way to tell their lovers how they truly felt, in what was at the time one of the most romantic ways to do so. It allowed both poets to create dramatic effects when needed, explore their emotions and declare their love as everlasting. This was all done in 14 lines, usually following the structure of an iambic pentameter. The structure of Sonnet 43 can be differentiated from the more traditional Shakespearean sonnet as it follows the structure of an Italian sonnet (also known as the Petrarchan sonnet) rather than the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet. The first 8 lines which are known as the octave imposes a problem of some sort, the first four lines (quatrain) typically introduce the problem; the next quatrain is where the problem is developed.

    Read More

  • Edwin Morgan's Opening the Cage

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    Based on a line of 14 words, by simply taking all possible combinations of the words, there are over 87 billion combinations. Certainly, most of these combinations would not make any sense at all, but surely there are more than 14 that would make some sort of sense. This means the author did not just take 14 lines that make little sense and compose a random poem. Instead, each line builds upon the previous line and leads into the next one. Similar to most English sonnets, this poem explains a problem or dilemma in the first 12 lines. The last two lines (or final couplet) solve the problem and shed light on the rest of the poem. The paradox in this sonnet is that, even though saying (or creating) poetry is nothing in and of itself, through producing poetry as a reader or, even more importantly, as an author, we can gain meaning from the poetry, and only then can we make it a part of us.

    Read More

  • In This Strange Labyrinth, by Mary Wroth

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...e speaker admits she is worried and confused when she says, “The sonnet is the story of a woman’s struggle to make choices regarding love.” (14) Her mind is disturbed from the trials of love.

    Read More

  • Necessity of Love in Browning´s Sonnets from the Portuguese

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    Canfield Reisman, Rosemary M. “Sonnet 43.” Masterplots II. Philip K. Jason. Vol. 7. Pasadena: Salem Press, 2002. 3526-3528. Print.

    Read More

  • Comparing Sonnets

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    The word choice in Sonnet 43 and Sonnet 116 can be compared as well as contrasted, based on the way the words are used, and also the types of words the authors both Browning, as well as Shakespeare have chosen. In Sonnet 43, Browning uses words similar to the words Shakespeare chose. For example in line two "I love Thee to the depth and breadth and height" the words "Thee" and "breadth" are not common words used in everyday English. "Thee" used here seems to mean 'you', and "breadth" to mean 'width'. This would make the line translate to "I love you to the depth and width and height." The words Browning chooses to use help express exactly how deep and long the love is. In sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare the word choice, as in Browning's Sonnet 43, also uses words that are not common to everyday conversations in the English language. For example Shakespeare uses "impediments" and "tempests" in place of the common words "obstructions" and "disturbances" or "flaws" his choice or words for his sonnet help to show the serious tone, and show that his lesson on love is important.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnets From The Portuguese

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    While Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Sonnet 43" from Sonnets from the Portuguese is an Italian sonnet like the others in this collection that makes up the book, it does not follow the "traditional" pattern of stating a question in the first 8 lines and answering it in the last 6 lines. Instead, Browning presents her question in the first line and answers in all following lines, which is something not normally done. By using repetition of "I love thee" she emphasizes how deeply she loves Mr. Browning. When Browning answers "how do I love thee?" ", she uses metaphors like, "the level of every day's most quiet need".

    Read More

  • Sonnet XVII, by Pablo Neruda

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Sonnet XVII,” the text begins by expressing the ways in which the narrator does not love, superficially. The narrator is captivated by his object of affection, and her inner beauty is of the upmost significance. The poem shows the narrator’s utter helplessness and vulnerability because it is characterized by raw emotions rather than logic. It then sculpts the image that the love created is so personal that the narrator is alone in his enchantment. Therefore, he is ultimately isolated because no one can fathom the love he is encountering. The narrator unveils his private thoughts, leaving him exposed and susceptible to ridicule and speculation. However, as the sonnet advances toward an end, it displays the true heartfelt description of love and finally shows how two people unite as one in an overwhelming intimacy.

    Read More

  • Sonnet 138

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Truth and honesty are key elements to a good, healthy relationship. However, in Shakespeare's Sonnet 138, the key to a healthy relationship between the speaker and the Dark Lady is keeping up the lies they have constructed for one another. Through wordplay Shakespeare creates different levels of meaning, in doing this, he shows the nature of truth and flattery in relationships.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare Doesn T Who Is The Dark Lady

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    A sonnet is a lyric poem of fourteen lines, following one of several set of rhyme-schemes. Critics of the sonnet have recognized varying classifications, but the two characteristic sonnet types are the Italian type (Petrarchan) and the English type (Shakespearean). Shakespeare is still nowadays seen as in idol in English literature. No one can read one of his works and be left indifferent. His way of writing is truly fascinating. His sonnets, which are his most popular work, reflect several strong themes. Several arguments attempt to find the full content of those themes.

    Read More

  • Exploring the Theme of Love in Sonnets 57 and 58

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare uses many different methods of discourse to examine this theme of love. In both sonnets the lover is exerting his control over the narrator, but the narrator does not really mind being controlled in either sonnet. Both sonnets include many elements and references to time and waiting and all of these references relate to love by showing love’s long lifespan and varying strengths over time. The only major difference between the two sonnets lies in their addressing love. Sonnet 57 talks directly to it in a personifying manner, whereas sonnet 58 merely refers to it through other means. Through this variety of explorations of the theme of love, Shakespeare shows that love has many faces and ways of expressing itself.

    Read More

  • Sonnet 50

    374 Words  | 1 Pages

    William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 50" ,on first read, is the story of a man on a sad journey, leaving a loved

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Definition of Love in Sonnet Number 116 and 130

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Sonnet number one-hundred sixteen Shakespeare deals with the characteristics of a love that is “not time’s fool”, that true love that will last through all (Ln: 9). This sonnet uses the traditional Shakespearian structure of three quatrains and a couplet, along with a standard rhyme scheme. The first and third quatrains deal with the idea that love is “an ever-fixed mark”, something that does not end or change over time (Ln: 5). Shakespeare illustrates this characteristic of constancy through images of love resisting movemen...

    Read More

  • Love and Hate in Since there's no help, come let us kiss and part

    2252 Words  | 5 Pages

    This Shakespearean sonnet consisting of 14 lines can be subdivided into 3 parts. In each part, the poet uses a different voice. He uses 1st person in the first part, 3rd person in the 2nd part and 2nd person in the last part. Each section of the poem has a different theme that contributes to the whole theme of the poem.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Love To The Dark Lady Analysis

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare’s sonnets include love, the danger of lust and love, difference between real beauty and clichéd beauty, the significance of time, life and death and other natural symbols such as, star, weather and so on. Among the sonnets, I found two sonnets are more interesting that show Shakespeare’s love for his addressee. The first sonnet is about the handsome young man, where William Shakespeare elucidated about his boundless love for him and that is sonnet 116. The poem explains about the lovers who have come to each other freely and entered into a relationship based on trust and understanding. The first four lines reveal the poet’s love towards his lover that is constant and strong and will not change if there any alternation comes. Next four lines explain about his love which is not breakable or shaken by the storm and that love can guide others as an example of true love but that extent of love cannot be measured or calculated. The remaining lines of the third quatrain refer the natural love which can’t be affected by anything throughout the time (it can also mean to death). In the last couplet, if

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Sonnet 73

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    The fourteen line sonnet is constructed by three quatrains and one couplet. With the organization of the poem, Shakespeare accomplishes to work out a different idea in each of the three quatrains as he writes the sonnet to lend itself naturally. Each of the quatrain contains a pair of images that create one universal idea in the quatrain. The poem is written in a iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Giving the poem a smooth rhyming transition from stanza to

    Read More

More about Sonnet 43

Open Document