Shakespeare Has A Romantic Sense Of Humor Sonnets 130 (p885) & 138 (p )

The Man Himself Born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden Died on his 52 nd birthday in the same town Attended the local grammar school (reportedly of a very high quality) but no record of any higher education

The Man Himself (Cont.) Married at 18 to Anne Hathaway Had three children: Susanna, Judith and Hamnet (who died at age 11) No record of Shakespeare exists between 1585 and 1592 Worked as an actor and playwright with the Lord Chamberlain’s Players company Published 38 plays, 154 sonnets and 5 narrative poems

Literary Terms English (Shakespearean) sonnet: 14 lines organized into three quatrains and a couplet with an ababcdcdefefgg rhyme scheme. Both works fall under this category. Satire: A kind of literature that ridicules human folly with the purpose of warning against said folly. Both sonnets satirize the nature of romantic poetry. Pun: a play on words. Look at lines 3 and 8 in Sonnet 130 and lines 7-8 and 13 in Sonnet 138 Paradox: a seemingly self contradictory statement which is true. See Sonnet 138, lines 1, 5-6

Sonnet 130 (“My mistress’s eyes) p885 S- A man (poetry critic?) in love O- Reflecting on the poetic standards of the time A- Poets and romantics in general P- To show that love shouldn’t be expressed in exaggerated terms S- A mistress’s non-poetic appeal Tone- reflective, loving

Discussion Questions Why does the speaker present his lover in such an unappealing manner? What does this poem say about the true nature of love?

Sonnet 138 (“When my love swears..”) p S- An older man O- Commenting on dishonesty within love A- Anyone who wishes to understand love P- To show that love isn’t perfect S- Love isn’t always honest Tone- passive, humorous

Questions How does the view of love presented in this poem compare to the view given in the previous poem? Is this really love?

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