Sonnet 147

Sonnet 147 is an extended metaphor, comparing love to a disease. It has robbed the speaker of his senses, and taken over his life. He finally realizes that he was not actually in love with her- he simply desired her. However, now he feels as though he cannot be cured, and that he will go insane. I think the theme of this sonnet is that love (or simply even attraction to other) can be blinding. In the ending couplet, the speaker comments that he thought the subject to be beautiful, but now realizes that she is “black as hell, dark as night.” He was simply so infatuated with her, that he was unable to make a correct judgment of her character.

Sonnet 146

The speaker is examining life choices in this sonnet. He realizes that it is easy to grow greedy for the material possessions in life. However, he has recognized that he will have to leave these items behind after his death; they will simply have no meaning in his eternal life. As a result, he has decided to focus on his spiritual wealth, rather than his physical wealth. The purpose of life is to enrich one’s soul to prepare for the afterlife. The way to defeat death, in his opinion, is to abandon physical desires. This sonnet is one of the later works of Shakespeare. I wonder if thoughts about his own mortality influenced his writing.

Sonnet 138

In this sonnet, the speaker describes his poor relationship with his mistress. They do not appear to be in love, as they have both have “settled” with each other. The speaker knows that his mistress is dishonest, and suspects that she may be cheating on him. Likewise, his mistress is involved with someone much older than herself, whom she probably does not find attractive. Although these are serious issues in a relationship, the pair simply chooses not to deal with them. The speaker’s mistress lies, calling the speaker a young man, and the speaker simply listens to her falsehoods. It is just easier to ignore life’s complications than to deal with them.

Sonnet 130

At first glance, it appears that the speaker is mocking his mistress. However, a closer reflection reveals that the speaker is actually mocking the other poets of his time. Poetry was frequently used as a cliché attempt to gain a woman’s attention, and (more times than not) a poet would compose verses that would falsely idolize their beloveds. The speaker in this sonnet clearly disagrees with their inaccurate descriptions. He honestly admits that his mistress is nothing spectacular. However, he feels that she is just as special as any of the other poet’s subjects. He simply chooses not to lie about her appearance and describe her as some type of goddess.

Sonnet 116

This is one of my favorite sonnets by Shakespeare. In this poem, the speaker conveys the true, unfailing nature of love. He states that love can withstand any circumstance, whether it is time or a natural disaster. I especially like the comparison of love to a star, as it is the guide to every boat, and its worth can never be measured. The speaker clearly has recognized the true, constant force of love compared to the short-lived sensation of infatuation. Love simply never changes, no matter what happens in life. The couplet which concludes the sonnet simply states that if the speaker is wrong about his beautiful description of love, no one has ever loved then.

Sonnet 94

I think this is an excellent reflection on human character. The speaker states that the best people are the ones who have the power to hurt others, but choose not to. They simply do not wish to exploit others and cause them pain, even if it would benefit them. The people the speaker describes are clearly unselfish and they will receive their reward eternally. However, in order to preserve their character, people must be careful of their actions. Everyone’s morals can be tempted, and if they succumb, they are no better than the worst criminals. The speaker clearly despises those who give a caring appearance, but are simply looking out for their own interests.

Sonnet 87

This sonnet is an attempt by the speaker to praise his beloved. He states that the subject of the sonnet is far too good for him, and that he would understand if she left him. He simply feels as though he does not deserve her. In Shakespeare’s time, this may have been a matter of money. Individuals were expected to marry within their own social class. Perhaps the woman the speaker had fallen for was wealthier than him, and he felt as though he did not have a chance with her. However, I do not believe that the speaker is being completely selfless in the sonnet. I think that he is only saying these things in order to flatter her, so she will not leave him.

Sonnet 73

This sonnet describes how nothing in life can ever remain the same. After some time, the end is inevitable. The speaker paints a picture in the mind of the reader by describing the turning leaves of autumn, a fading sunset and the smoldering embers of a fire. However, the speaker is not bitter by the ending of these things. He is instead enchanted by them. I think it is simply human nature to feel this way, as we are clearly drawn to the things we cannot hold onto. Drawing on the speaker’s example of summer, isn’t it the shortness of the season that draws us to it? Living in such a snowy area, we especially crave the short months of sun. However, if we had the warm weather all the time, we would not look forward to it as much.

Sonnet 55

Sonnet 55 clearly demonstrates Shakespeare’s belief that poetry can immortalize an individual. During this phase of his literary career, Shakespeare began to play with the concept that having children is not the only way to live on after death. By writing about an individual, they will always be commemorated. In this sonnet, the speaker demonstrates how physical monuments (such as statues) can easily be destroyed. However, a written tribute will continue to live on. This may be because it can easily be reproduced and shared. Not only does this increase the audience of the work, but if a war did occur, a copy is likely to survive.

Sonnet 30

This is an extremely regretful sonnet of Shakespeare’s. The speaker seems to be reflecting on his life of sorrow. It appears that after years of repressing his emotions, he is finally releasing all of the built-up grief and pain. Sitting alone, all of his past experiences have come back to haunt him. He wishes he could change many events about his life- such as wasted time or the death of a loved one –even though he knows it to be impossible.  Despite the years that have passed, the pain of these incidents still stings. The only thing that seems to help pull him through the pain is his friend, the reader. He states just thinking of him eases the pain of the losses in his life.

Sonnet 18

This sonnet marks a shift in the subject of Shakespeare’s sonnets. At this time, he began to write about love, rather than reproducing. The speaker begins by comparing his love to a summer’s day. However, as he further examines summer, he realizes that the subject of the poem is even lovelier than the season. Summer is not always predictable, and after a while, it must come to an end. However, with this poem, the speaker has eternalized his subject. As he has written this sonnet, the subject’s memory will always live on. In addition, I think the speaker is attempting to prove that his love for the subject of the sonnet is unfailing as well. After all, if the subject lives on forever, so will his affection for him/her.

Sonnet 12

This sonnet clearly conveys the speaker’s disbelief of the expression “aging gracefully.” He paints a dreadful picture of growing old and dying. However, his insistence on portraying death as a gruesome end may simply be a method of frightening the reader. At the end of the sonnet, a solution is proposed to combat one’s demise. Having children can save the reader from this awful fate. By reproducing, an individual takes comfort in the fact that as they slowly fade away, his children will continue to live and grow. The reader needs to acknowledge that death is inevitable. Nevertheless, the process will be easier by surrounding himself with the youth and vigor of his children, as they will far outlive him.

Sonnet 2

In this sonnet, the speaker again encourages the reader to have children. The imagery used in this sonnet is amazing. Shakespeare simply does not say that someone is old- instead he refers to forty winters besieging one’s brow, “digging trenches in thy beauty’s field.” His use of language is so descriptive and vivid. The message in this poem is also quite inspiring. The speaker believes that having children can add meaning to one’s life. By bringing another person into the world, the reader has made a permanent impact. In a way, having children is a way to live on even after death. A parent is a child’s biggest influence in life, through both genetics and the way a child is raised. As a result, children greatly resemble their parent’s appearance and personality.

Sonnet 1

In this sonnet, the speaker encourages the reader to have children. However, the speaker only encourages to him to do so out of vanity. It seems that the only reason the reader should have children is because he is beautiful, and he needs to pass on his good looks. In a way, children are a way to live on, even after one's death. I think it is interesting that the poet only talks about the vain advantages of parenthood. He never comments about loving one's children or how they can bring joy to a person's life. Instead, he simply encourages procreation as another way to show off one's beauty. Personally, I think this is a very shallow reason to become a parent.

My First AP Blog!

This is my very first AP Lit blog ever! Sadly, it will not be the last....