Shakespeare’s Sonnets Lyric Poems by William Shakespeare

Sonnet Fourteen line lyric poem Generally in iambic pentameter 10 syllables long Popularized during Italian Renaissance Petrarch wrote his sonnets to an idealized love named Laura Spread through Europe to England Used by Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarca

Refinement of Sonnet Refined by French Pleiade poets Joachim Du Bellay ( ) Pierre Ronsard ( )

Sonnets in Elizabethan England Sonnet was favorite form for lyric poets Typically used for love and romance Sir Philip Sydney Dryden Pope

Two Kinds of Sonnets Petrarchan Sonnet Octave and sestet Octave ABBAABBA ABBACDDC Sestet CDCDCD CDECDE Contrast in key way Question and answer Shakespearean Sonnet Divided into 4 parts First 3 quatrains ABAB CDCD EFEF Fourth part Couplet Sequence or metaphors or ideas in each quatrain

Shakespearean Couplet Couplet last two lines of Shakespearean Sonnet The couplet offers a summary of the ideas in the quatrains or a new take on the same ideas

Juxtaposition of Petrarchan and Shakespearean Sonnets Many of Shakespeare’s sonnets impose thematic pattern of Petrarchan sonnet onto a formal pattern of the Shakespearean Sonnet First two quatrains ask question Third quatrain and couplet answer question

Shakespearean Sonnet Affords two additional rhymes, 7 in all Each rhyme heard only once Enlarges range of rhyme sounds and words the poet can use Allows the poet to combine lines in complex ways

Shakespearean Sonnet Allows the poet to combine line in rhetorically more complex ways Special emphasis to break between the second and third quatrain Paired and contrasted quatrains in many other ways Created great range of argumentative or dramatic effects

Shakespeare’s Sonnets Wrote 154 sonnets Contain dramatic elements Sense of story Each deals with highly personal theme Can be taken alone or in relation to other sonnets

Shakespeare’s couplet Invested with special significance Summarizes or characterizes the musings of first three quatrains in a sardonic, detached, or aphoristic voice Stands apart from the heartfelt and passionate outpourings of the quatrains

First 126 sonnets Seem to be addressed to an unnamed young nobleman Speaker loves the addressee very much

Next 26 sonnets Seem to be addressed to a mysterious woman, the “dark lady” The speaker loves, hates, and lusts after this “dark lady”

Sonnets to Young Man Speaker competes with a rival poet for the young man’s patronage and affection Young man and dark lady may be lovers themselves, which makes the speaker very unhappy

Dedicated Sonnets Published in quarto form in 1609 Written in the 1590’s but only shown to small circle of friends Dedicated to “Mr. W. H.”, the “onlie begetter” of the poems Could be Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton Could be William Herbert, 3 rd Earl of Pembroke, nephew of poet Philip Sydney, prominent courtier under James I, patron of literary arts

Remuneration for Lyrics Shakespeare was disappointed if he desired money for these lyrics No fame, no money from the sonnets Unacknowledged by patrons Sold poorly Not reprinted intact for over 70 years Neglected, misunderstood, disparaged by his readers

Immortality of Sonnets There were some signs in the text that Shakespeare wanted the 1609 quarto to immortalize his poetic gift and his relationship to his noble patron

Text of Sonnets Homosexual love? Heterosexual lust Bitter tone Dark imagery Repudiation of sonnet conventions

Breaking conventions Instead of anguished lover after unattainable beloved Shakespeare goes other direction Strips away conventions Unrelenting realism

Shakespeare’s iconoclastic style Shakespeare shows lover burdened by Age Toil Regrets Shakespeare’s lover is sad Lost friends Failed achievements Weary of gossip and scorn Sick with futility Ready to flee”this vile world with vilest worms to dwell”

Breaking the rules Shakespeare never invokes Christian faith of redemption Solace comes from transient beauties of the world and lover’s abiding sense of his own merit Senses are fallible, intellect strong Bends truth to fit the passion, emotion

Shakespeare’s Sonnets Can be compared to Montaigne’s essay about his love for his friend Etienne de la Boetie Can be interpreted biographically Most likely written as more general ideas about love and lust