Shakespeare Figurative Language Essay

Poetry. When most people hear the word, they cringe and think, “Who would want to spend their time deciphering words that were written by a bunch of dead guys?” or “What a bunch of dead guys wrote has no correlation to my life, so why waste my time reading.” In the case of some poems and poets, these critics are correct. However, Shakespeare was a master of his craft. Arguably one of, if not the most famous playwright and poet in the history of the world, Shakespeare has written 154 sonnets, each portraying a powerful message. Considering the sonnets are not titled, they initially look as if they are meaningless since they are defined by a number. Nonetheless they represent much more than the number as they accurately describe obstacles that still face humanity today. Sonnet XXIX stands out because it depicts a man originally succumb to envy thus causing a depression, which is something that happens on a daily basis even today. Shakespeare utilizes expertly crafted sentences with the incorporation of unique diction paired with figurative language and an apparent tone shift, Shakespeare offers commentary on

Shakespeare accomplishes this through an obvious shift in tone when “Haply I think on thee” (10). The usage of “Haply” indicates the true sense of the speaker’s dissatisfaction. There is an abundance of unfavorable conditions in his life that blind him from being able to see what makes himself wealthy--the love of someone. Shakespeare successfully iterates that you can’t let what you do not have define you; there are numerous ways to define wealth. For someone it may be money; however, for the case of the speaker, it is the love his lover possess. Overall, the shift of the speaker’s feelings from resentment to acceptance coincides with a shift in tone, henceforth emphasizing the appreciation of what you