Shakespeare’s Sonnets Literary Analysis

William Shakespeare 1564 - 1616 Famous English playwright and poet Wrote Romeo and Juliet (and many other plays) Also famous for writing many sonnets

overall message of the sonnet What is a Sonnet? Sonnet = type of poem Has certain rules: 14 lines Certain rhyme scheme (ABBA, CDDC, EFFE, GG) Last 2 lines = rhyming couplet To be a sonnet it has to follow these rules. Sonnets were often love poems written about a specific person The final couplet = overall message of the sonnet

What is a Muse? Muse – a person (often a woman) who inspires an artist or writer Muses in Greek Mythology were 9 goddesses who were each connected with a form of art

Some Common Muses Aphrodite Helen of Troy Muses from Myth and Legend Beautiful princess. She was kidnapped for her beauty. Her kidanpping started the Trojan war. Aphrodite Greek goddess of Beauty

Shakespeare’s Muse Many of Shakespeare’s sonnets have the same muse. She is commonly referred to as the “Dark Lady.” Shakespeare often referred to her as “my mistress.” Her identity is unknown and is still debated by historians.

Literary Analysis Write a literary analysis essay that compares and contrasts the way the lady/mistress is represented in these two poems. Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Sonnet # 130 By William Shakespeare My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head; I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some pérfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound. I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   As any she belied with false compare.

How is the lady represented in the 2 poems? Literary Analysis Write a literary analysis essay that compares and contrasts the way the lady/mistress is represented in these two poems. Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Sonnet # 130 By William Shakespeare My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head; I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some pérfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound. I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   As any she belied with false compare. What steps are needed to do this task? Steps: 1. Read both poem. 2. Make sure I understand the poem (tone, main idea) 3. Compare the main ideas of the 2 poems. How is the lady represented in the 2 poems?

“Need to Know” Strategy Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Step 2: Check for understanding Step 1: Read the poem “Need to Know” Strategy What DO I KNOW? What do I NEED TO KNOW? What can I LEAVE OUT?

Is the TONE of the poem positive or negative? Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Is the TONE of the poem positive or negative? Circle the positive and negative words. The tone of the poem seems more positive. What do I think the poem means now?

Underline the parts of the poem you understand as they are written. Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. What DO I KNOW? Underline the parts of the poem you understand as they are written.

? What DO I NEED KNOW? Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. What DO I NEED KNOW? Try to fill in the gaps between lines you underlined to get a better understanding of the poem. Can you You are ? Sweet May flowers Summertime? is too short Sometimes the sun shines too hot His gold face is made dimmer ? But your everlasting summer won’t fade You won’t lose your beauty? Death won’t brag that you wander in his shade As long as men breathe and see This poem lives and makes you live forever.

? Write down your answer to this underneath the poem. Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Remember, we guessed that the tone was positive. Can you How does this poem represent the lady? Beautiful More lovely than summer Prettier than the sun Her beauty will last forever in the poem (though it might not last forever in real life) You are ? Sweet May flowers Summertime? is too short Write down your answer to this underneath the poem. Sometimes the sun shines too hot His gold face is made dimmer ? But your everlasting summer won’t fade You won’t lose your beauty? Death won’t brag that you wander in his shade As long as men breathe and see This poem lives and makes you live forever.

Step 2: Underline what you DO understand. Sonnet # 130 By William Shakespeare My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head; I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some pérfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound. I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   As any she belied with false compare. Analysis Steps Step 1: Circle positive and negative words. Is the tone more positive or negative? Step 2: Underline what you DO understand. Step 3: Make notes over the parts you don’t understand. Step 4: Under the poem, write how you feel the poem represents the lady.

Literary Analysis How did Sonnet 130 represent the lady? Write a literary analysis essay that compares and contrasts the way the lady/mistress is represented in these two poems. Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Sonnet # 130 By William Shakespeare My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head; I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some pérfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound. I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   As any she belied with false compare. How did Sonnet 18 represent the lady? How did Sonnet 130 represent the lady?

Shakespeare’s Sonnets Literary Analysis

Literary Analysis How did Sonnet 130 represent the lady? Write a literary analysis essay that compares and contrasts the way the lady/mistress is represented in these two poems. Sonnet #18 By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Sonnet # 130 By William Shakespeare My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head; I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some pérfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound. I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   As any she belied with false compare. How did Sonnet 18 represent the lady? How did Sonnet 130 represent the lady?

Which text structure would be best? Literary Analysis Write a literary analysis essay that compares and contrasts the way the lady/mistress is represented in these two poems? Cause & Effect Compare & Contrast Problem & Solution Which text structure would be best?

Cause & Effect Essay Structure Introduction paragraph: Begin with a hook. Introduce the topic. End with your THESIS STATEMENT. Body Paragraph 1: Sonnet 18 Topic Sentence: Discuss the overall description of the lady Evidence: Textual proof of that description Elaboration: What does this say about the lady? Body Paragraph 2: Sonnet 130 Topic Sentence: Discuss the overall description of the lady Evidence: Textual proof of that description Elaboration: What does this say about the lady? Conclusion: Overall message about LOVE of the 2 sonnets. What does the author want the reader to think about?

Comparing 2 Texts Step 1: Review your notes and text markings about the 2 sonnets. Step 2: Compete the analysis of both poems: Sonnet 18 Sonnet 130 Step 3: Analyze the overall message about love in the poems.

Start by answering the question in the top box. Do the poems represent the ladies similarly or differently in the two poems?

Now, look at your notes from Sonnet 18 and use the sentence starters to help you fill out the first analysis Do the poems represent the ladies similarly or differently in the two poems? Sonnet 18 presents the lady as … Quote from Sonnet 18 This quote says the lady is ________ because ______. Quote from Sonnet 18 This quote says the lady is ________ because ______.

Now, look at your notes from Sonnet 130 and use the sentence starters to help you fill out the first analysis Sonnet 130 presents the lady as … Quote from Sonnet 130 This quote says the lady is ________ because ______. Quote from Sonnet 130 This quote says the lady is ________ because ______.

What overall message are the poems showing us about love? Finally, answer the reflection question at the bottom Do the poems represent the ladies similarly or differently in the two poems? Sonnet 18 presents the lady as … Sonnet 130 presents the lady as … Quote from Sonnet 18 Quote from Sonnet 130 This quote says the lady is ________ because ______. This quote says the lady is ________ because ______. Quote from Sonnet 18 Quote from Sonnet 130 This quote says the lady is ________ because ______. This quote says the lady is ________ because ______. What overall message are the poems showing us about love?