“Sonnet 144” (1609) William Shakespeare

Index Location “Sonnet 144” Content analysis Form analysis Conclusion

1. Location Title: “Sonnet 144” or “Two loves I have of comfort and distress”, included in Sonnets (1609). Genre: poetry; subgenre: Shakespearean or English sonnet Author: William Shakespeare (1564-1616)  Literary period: Renaissance The greatest writer in the English language (aka. “the Bard”) He wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 long narrative poems. Major qualities: Outstanding psychological comprehension of human passions Unrivalled poetic imagination and sense of structure Flexibility to combine all the best in other authors’ work and to use the most diverse materials Variety: equal aptitudes for tragedy & comedy, for the sentimental & the burlesque, for lyrical fantasy & character-study Relevance of Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Lyric verse was fashionable during his time but he introduced some novelties: Most poems are addressed to a young man (i.e. the Beautiful Youth). He included four participants: the poet, the Beautiful Youth, the Dark Lady and a second poet. He wrote about fresh topics like the connection of love and friendship with time.

2. “Sonnet 144” Two loves I have of comfort and despair, Which like two spirits do suggest me still; The better angel is a man right fair, The worser spirit a woman colour'd ill. To win me soon to hell, my female evil Tempteth my better angel from my side, And would corrupt my saint to be a devil, Wooing his purity with her foul pride. And whether that my angel be turn'd fiend Suspect I may, but not directly tell; But being both from me, both to each friend, I guess one angel in another's hell: Yet this shall I ne'er know, but live in doubt, Till my bad angel fire my good one out.

3. Content analysis (summary) Love triangle: Poet Dark Lady = evil Beautiful Youth = good To make the poet jealous, the Dark Lady has tempted his Beautiful Youth. Poet = uncertain whether his Beautiful Youth will fall for her or not.

3. Content analysis (themes) Jealousy and uncertainty Evil vs. good Sexual love vs. Platonic love

3. Content analysis (structure) FIRST QUATRAIN = SITUATION The poet is constantly tempted by two spirits: a good male angel and a bad female spirit The Beautiful Youth  brings “comfort“, is “a better angel”, is “a man right fair” The Dark Lady  brings “despair”, is a “worse spirit”, is “a woman coloured ill” SECOND QUATRAIN = EMOTIONAL PROBLEM His female evil has seduced and corrupted his better male angel to make the poet jealous The Beautiful Youth  “my better angel”, “my saint”, “his purity” The Dark Lady  “female evil”, “corrupt”, “her foul pride” THIRD QUATRAIN = SOLUTION? The poet doesn’t know for sure that his angel has been turned fiend but he suspects. The Beautiful Youth  “my angel”, “one angel” The Dark Lady  “another’s hell” COUPLET = EVALUATION OF SOLUTION The poet will live in doubt until they sleep together. The Beautiful Youth  “my good one” The Dark Lady  “my bad angel”

4. Form analysis (rhyming scheme) A (despair) B (still) A (fair) B (ill) C (evil) D (side) C (devil) D (pride) E (fiend) F (tell) E (friend) F (hell) G (doubt) G (out)

4. Form analysis (rhythm) “Sonnet 144” is composed (mostly) in iambic pentameter (5 pairs of metrically weak/strong syllables) The worser spirit a woman colour‘d ill. x / x / x / x / x /

4. Form analysis (literary devices): SYMBOLS & ANTITHESIS BEAUTIFUL YOUTH DARK LADY Platonic love = love between two minds Timeless, eternal Comfort Angel and saint  Heaven Purity Sexual love = love between two bodies Temporary Despair Fiend and devil  Hell Corruption and pride

4. Form analysis (literary devices): METAPHORS “Man right fair” “Woman coloured ill” TENOR: Beautiful Youth VEHICLE: right fair COMMON GROUND: honesty and beauty TENOR: Dark Lady VEHICLE: coloured ill COMMON GROUND: moral darkness and disease

4. Form analysis (literary devices): SIMILE “like two spirits do suggest me still” TENOR: Beautiful Youth & Dark Lady VEHICLE: spirits COMMON GROUND: they constantly tempt the poet

4. Form analysis (literary devices): EMJAMBMENT To win me soon to hell, my female evil  Tempteth my better angel from my side,  Play with the expectations of the reader. Provide a sense of both suspense and surprise.

5. Conclusion William Shakespeare = brilliant playwright + outstanding poet (154 sonnets) “Sonnet 144” = unique sonnet  explicit reference to DL and BY “Sonnet 144” = atypical sonnet  poet = detached + “objective” Personal interpretation of “Sonnet 144”: “LOVE” TO THE OTHER SEX View on women (misogynist?) Despair, worse, ill, evil, corrupt, foul, hell, bad Careful with gender stereotypes!! SAME-SEX LOVE Fresh topics which are relevant today Shakespeare is not that boring!  LOVE TO ONESELF Jelousy  Uncertainty Insecure + not self-confident  jelousy  uncertainty + suffering