1. Sonnet 30 and Sonnet 75
Edmund Spenser

2. Sonnet 30
Lines 1-4
The speaker compares his love to ice. She is cold (indifferent to him), and his fire (passion for her) cannot break this indifference.
In fact, his fire makes her ice harden.
Lines 5-8
The speaker states that his love’s coldness does not temper his passion.
In fact, his passion intensifies the more indifferent this girls acts.

3. Sonnet 30
Lines 9-12
The speaker marvels at this miraculous exchange – that fire can harden ice, and ice can feed fire.
How can this be possible?
Lines (these lines reveal the theme)
Love is powerful.
Love is even powerful enough to defy the laws of nature.

4. Sonnet 30 Paradox – an apparent contradiction that if somehow true.
The paradox that fire can harden ice, and ice can feed fire makes sense given that love is powerful enough to change the laws of nature.
Form – Spenserian Sonnet

5. Sonnet 75
This poem provides a dialogue, a conversation, between a man and a woman.
Lines 1-4
A man writes his love’s name in the sand. The waves come in and wash away her name, so he again writes her name in the sand. The waves again wash away her name.

6. Sonnet 75
Lines 5-8
The woman finds the man’s efforts foolish (“vain”).
She tells him that he cannot immortalize a mortal thing.
He cannot keep her name written in the sand forever.
She says that like her name was washed away by the waves, she too (her “name”– her life, existence) will be “wiped out” (she will die, be forgotten).

7. Sonnet 75
Lines 9-12
The man will NOT allow his love to die and be forgotten.
Baser (vile, dishonorable) things can do this, but she is much more important.
He will make his love famous and eternal, keep her name in the heavens, by writing about her in his “verse” (poetry).

8. Sonnet 75
Lines 13-14
Even when death conquers the entire world, it will not be able to conquer them or their love because he has kept them alive in his poetry.
Eternizing conceit – Submit to my love, and I’ll make you famous and even immortal through my writing.
Theme – Poetry about love can make love immortal.
Form – Spenserian Sonnet