Aim: How can further implementation of our poetry skills enhance our exploration and analysis of Shakespearean Sonnets?
Do Now: Whole Class Discussion
Consider the word “Summer”. What symbolic meanings or connotations are usually associated with this word? Why?
In response to this question, one student said that he associates positive thoughts, no school, and freedom to the word summer. For another classmate, summer was a polar opposite to winter. He said that winter can represent bitterness, and cold weather. In the past, winter would kill people and their crops. He then contrasts this representation by mentioning how summer is more habitable for life. One student adds that summer is associated with warmth, both literally and symbolically. Summer can represent “warmth” in the sense that people associate fun or happiness with this season. Some other students said that summer reminded them of the beach, the pool and warm places. Conversely, I answered that summer reminded me of scorching heat, sweat, and sunburns.
The Structural Components of a Shakespearean Sonnet:
After completing the class discussion, we swiftly transitioned into today’s lesson about Shakespearean sonnets. We first learned the main elements of this style, as the defining characteristics of a Shakespearean sonnet is what distinguishes it from other forms of poetry.
Shakespearean Sonnets:
Consist of fourteen lines. These verses are grouped into one rhyming couplet (two lines of verse with the same rhyme scheme and meter that form a unit), and three quatrains, or stanzas that each contain four lines.
First Quatrain: Introduces the subject of the piece.
Second Quatrain: Complicates and elaborates on the subject.
Third Quatrain & Couplet: Solves, clarifies or modifies the subject
Have a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. In each quatrain, the first and three lines will rhyme, while the second and third verses rhyme. GG is the rhyme scheme of the couplet. In this case, both lines will rhyme with each other.
Are written in iambic pentameter, a metric line containing a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables.
An iambic foot is composed of two syllables, first one stressed and the second unstressed. For example, in the word “above”, the unstressed syllable is “a” and the stressed syllable is “-bove” (a-BOVE).
An iambic pentameter is a line of five iambic feet. This means the verse has a total of ten syllables, with the “unstressed, stressed” pattern repeating five times.
The iambic measure is often referred to as the heartbeat rhythm since it has a similar pattern to the human heart.
Shakespeare’s sonnets discuss many topics, but he often wrote about love, nature and beauty. The first two quatrains typically introduced a problem, with the third quatrain and couplet suggesting a solution or providing a twist.
Enrichment:
Iambic Pentameter: Iambic Pentameter Explained - YouTube
Rhyme Scheme: Rhyme Scheme - YouTube
Rhyme Scheme: Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme in Poetry - YouTube
Teamwork & Analysis Overview:
After learning about the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet, we then began to analyze them. As a class we read Sonnet 18 and then answered a few questions about the poem with our group. Afterwards, we came together as a class to discuss our answers. Once this was completed, we repeated this procedure for Sonnet 130. While analyzing the poems, we were told to keep the following mnemonic in mind to help us look for certain components in the sonnet:
Sonnet 18
1 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? A
2 Thou art more lovely and more temperate: B
3 Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A
4 And summer's lease hath all too short a date: B
5 Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, C
6 And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; D
7 And every fair from fair sometime declines, C
8 By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd; D
9 But thy eternal summer shall not fade E
10 Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; F
11 Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, E
12 When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st; F
13 So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, G
14 So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. G (rhyming couplet)
Questions & Answers:
Using the capital letters A-G, mark the poem (in the same way as the example to the right) for its rhyme scheme. In Quatrain One: According to the speaker, how does this subject compare to summer? Which does he prefer?
As seen in the poem above, we annotated the sonnet to indicate its rhyme scheme. For instance, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” and “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,” are both labeled with a bold A since these lines have the same rhyme scheme. In quatrain one, the speaker compares the subject to summer by mentioning how she is “more lovely and more temperate”. The speaker prefers the subject because unlike her fairness, summer’s beauty is short-lived (“And summer's lease hath all too short a date:”).
In Quatrain Two: What are the problems the speaker has with summer?
What does line 7 mean (“and every fair from fair sometimes declines”)?
Some problems that the speaker has with summer is that it’s heat can be extreme and it's sunny days can quickly turn dark or gloomy. The speaker understands that summer’s beauty does not last long. Based on this information, we knew line seven meant that like summer’s beauty, the woman’s fairness will one day fade as well.
In Quatrain Three: What is the main difference between the subject of the sonnet and summer?
We concluded that the main difference between summer and the subject is that while summer is brief, the woman’s beauty will be eternal as long as this sonnet lives on.
Rhyming Couplet: Look at lines 13-14. What is the speaker saying in the conclusion of the sonnet? Does this confirm the messages expressed in the rest of the sonnet or alter them in some way?
The speaker is saying that as long as men can see or breathe and as long as this sonnet lasts, it will always give life to the woman, honoring her existence even after her death.
What is the theme of this sonnet?
What is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject?
The theme of this sonnet is that mortal beauty is not eternal and will fade, unlike nature’s beauty. The speaker’s attitude toward the subject seems to be admiring, since he acknowledges how beautiful the woman is and wrote this sonnet to immortalize her beauty.
Sonnet 130
1 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun, A
2 Coral is far more red, than her lips red, B
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun: A
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head: B
5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white, C
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks, D
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight, C
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. D
9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know, E
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound: F
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go, E
12 My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. F
13 And yet by heaven I think my love as rare, G
14 As any she belied with false compare. G
Questions & Answers:
Identify the rhyme scheme (by marking the poem as previously done) using the letters A-G.
Similar to the previous sonnet, we also marked the rhyme scheme by placing the letters at the end of every verse. For example, “And yet by heaven I think my love as rare/As any she belied with false compare” were both labeled with a G since they have the same rhyme scheme.
In Quatrain One: How does the speaker describe his mistress? What specific attributes does he reference?
My team said that the speaker describes his mistress as inferior to the wonders of the world. He references her cheeks, hair, breasts and lips, comparing each attribute to roses, wires, snow and coral, respectively. For each contrast, we noticed that the speaker is observing how his mistress does not appear to look like or even rival the qualities of the objects she is being compared to. For example, the speaker says, “If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun:”. From this verse, we can see the speaker questioning why his mistress’s appearance cannot compare to nature’s, when the opposite is so often found in love poetry. In this case, the speaker is asking: if his mistress is supposed to be as beautiful as nature, as love poetry suggests, then why are her breasts not as white as snow?
In Quatrain Two: How does the speaker speak to: her cheeks, and her breath?
The speaker mentions how perfume is more delightful than his mistress’s breath. He uses the word “reek” to describe her breath, which usually has a more negative connotation. The speaker also observes that his mistress’s cheeks are not as rosy as the decorated roses he’s always seen. Based on these remarks, we concluded that the speaker speaks to these attributes in a satirical manner, since it’s clear that he is making fun of the way some poets form exaggerated comparisons between their subject’s beauty and nature.
In Quatrain Three: How does the speaker address his mistress’ voice and walk?
How does this contrast with what most people would claim about their mistresses?
Based on the sonnet, we said that although the speaker finds his mistress’s voice to be delightful, the sound of music is sweeter. Furthermore, he knows his mistress is not a goddess, since she walks on the ground. These comparisons contrast with what most people would claim about their mistresses since they do not work in the subject’s favor. Every time the speaker compares the woman to an item, it seems that the object is always uplifted instead. On the other hand, most people would make comparisons to uplift their lover’s virtues.
Rhyming Couplet: Look at lines 13-14.
What is the speaker saying in the conclusion of the sonnet? Why does the poet think his love is rare?
How does the poet play with conventional stereotypes of love poetry?
The speaker is saying that although his mistress does not compare to the beauty of nature, he thinks his love is valuable nonetheless. He believes this because he knows that for him, his mistress does not need to be “more beautiful than the stars” for him to love her. In love poetry, the woman is often compared to nature, the speaker mentioning countlessly how nature’s beauty does not compare to her’s. However, in this poem, the poet points out that women do not need to be exaggeratingly beautiful for one to be completely in love with her.
How is the speaker's lover an inversion or parody (an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect) of the petrarchan (A Petrarchan lover is melodramatic, self-consciously suffering and has given himself up to the power of his mistress) and medieval lover?
How has Shakespeare used juxtaposition, and for what purpose?
In what way(s) has the writer’s focus on physical beauty enhanced the emphasis and relevance on the theme for society at the time?
How is this theme still relevant and prevalent today?
Shakespeare uses juxtaposition and tackles love in a nontraditional way by contrasting his mistress to nature, when love poems usually make exaggerated comparisons to praise their lover’s beauty. The writer’s satirical take on physical beauty shows us that women do not need to look like flowers or the sun to be beautiful. This theme is relevant to the modern world and society in the past since strict beauty standards have been, and continue to be, perpetuated within society.
Reflection:
Today I learned that Shakespearean sonnets are structure specific. Some defining characteristics would include having fourteen lines divided into three quatrains along with one couplet, using iambic pentameter to set a rhythm similar to a heartbeat, and following the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. I also learned how to analyze Shakespearean sonnets by observing the piece’s tone, theme, setting, imagery, figurative language, symbolism and more. As a result, I am able to gain a deeper understanding of the sonnet as well as the message Shakespeare portrays in his work. I believe we learned about this topic so that we feel comfortable reading poems that are known to be difficult for students to interpret, due to the unfamiliar structure of phrases or outdated terms used. That way, we are able to better understand poems from the past and effectively read works like The Odyssey, an ancient Greek epic poem. I will use what I have learned from this lesson by continuing to look for certain clues in a poem, such as symbolism, to help me better analyze the piece’s message and development. As a result, I will become more comfortable with interpreting poems and less intimidated when faced with the task of analyzing works from the past.
Enrichment:
Shakespeare Sonnets: All 154 Sonnets With Explanations✔️ (nosweatshakespeare.com)
Why Shakespeare loved iambic pentameter - David T. Freeman and Gregory Taylor - YouTube
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