sonnet essay

All human beings go through a process of maturity, as time passes by and the years grow heavy every person’s experiences shape their wisdom. Shakespeare is no stranger to this process. From sonnet 18 to sonnet 116, both by his authority, there is a visible evolution in both his writing and his attitude.

Both sonnets deal with the idea of eternal love, but it is the subject that changes in each sonnet. In “sonnet 18” the beloved is the center of the discussion. In this sonnet the speaker is talking about the perfection of the loved one and how its beauty will be eternal trough his verse. Here Shakespeare indicates that love within two persons can change, an example being the line “too hot the eye of heaven shines”, since here he is implying that sometimes-extreme passion can disrupt a purer love. In contrast sonnet 16 subject is love in general, and this love “is an ever fixed mark” which means it cannot be changed or altered. In this sonnet it is clear how Shakespeare has come to realize that even tough people change as long as they love, love in general will ever be the same. In contrast to sonnet 18, which suggests that the poet has the power to make love immortal, sonnet 16 asserts that love is not subject to the words of mortals; it is eternal by itself.

Even tough both poems have the same author there is an evident transition between the Shakespeare writing “sonnet 18” and the one in “sonnet 116”. In “sonnet 18” the speaker acts more like a master of love, he has the power to make things eternal trough his verse, and his love for his beloved will live on forever because his poetry will keep him alive. This shows a younger love, one that feels in control of the world and feels sure about his viewpoints. While on “sonnet 11...

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...much more self-centered, he idealizes the way the loved one looks to him and he even idealizes the extent of his power as a writer. Whereas in sonnet 116 he idealizes more the idea of love itself and the value it has in any life, this is a clear progression from an egocentric point of view to a more selfless one, showing how his wisdom and maturity has evolved.

Poetry speaks of who we are; it is one of the most sublime ways of expression. Through lines and verse poets can transmit what ever they want, from a feeling to an idea, always leaving a piece from themselves in the process. In Shakespeare’s case, he a vast amount of sonnets and by following the progression of those sonnets one can also see how he changed both as a person and as a writer. Poetry is the window to a person’s soul, no historical research could talk more about Shakespeare than his poetry does.