RL Sp: 1 Sonnet 18 & Sonnet 130
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?
Many people shared their ideas to the class and they associated summer with “warmth”, “happiness”, “the beach”, “pool”, “growth after spring”, the “opposite of winter”, and a “scorching heat.” Specifically, Andrew pointed out that in the winter many people and crops would die so the season was seen in a negative light. However, summer was the opposite of winter, so that made it more habitable for life. Also, Jonathan said he was reminded of freedom because there was no school.
My Thoughts: In a previous lesson, we were asked to finish the sentence “Love is…” Just like in this lesson, we were able to get a plethora of answers. This shows how a simple word, such as summer or love, can evoke so many reactions and emotions. This can tie into our poetry lesson since our word choice heavily influences the reader’s feelings.
Notes for the Day:
Structure of a Shakespearean Sonnet
Shakespearean sonnets have a specific structure:
It must have 14 lines
Traditionally about love, nature, and beauty
Divided into 4 parts: three quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end
Quatrain- a stanza of four lines (can be remembered by thinking 4 quarters in a dollar)
First quatrain introduces the subject
Second quatrain complicates the subject
Third quatrain and The couplet resolves or alters the subject in some way
Anytime Shakespeare makes a sonnet he always ends in a rhyming couplet
Follows the rhyme scheme- ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Written in iambic pentameter *click for more info*
An iambic foot contains two syllables, first unstressed and the second stressed. So, an iambic pentameter is composed of 5 iambic feet and has a total of 10 syllables in each line. In class, we used a/ and u to show the stress and unstressed syllables, respectively, in each word.
For example:
a / u a / u a / u a / u a / u a / u
a. Phoenix b. Forbid c. anew c. in turn d. repair e. heaven
Ms. Peterson gave us a mnemonic device to help us remember how to analyze poetry as we annotate
Team Group Work
After learning the basics of Shakespearean Sonnets, we started reading Sonnet 18. Afterwards, we were asked to answer the following questions. Once we completed them in a group, we came back to the main meeting and discussed our answers with the class. Below I have written our combined findings.
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?
The poem should be marked ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. According to the speaker, he prefers the subject over summer. In line 2, it states “Thou art more lovely and more temperate.”
In Quatrain Two: What are the problems the speaker has with summer?
What does line 7 mean (“and every fair from fair sometimes declines”)?
The speaker feels that summer is too extreme and does not last. The sun dims and fades from time to time. In line 7 , the word “fair” was a reference to women’s beauty so you can infer that he was alluding to women’s beauty fading over time like the summer.
In Quatrain Three: What is the main difference between the subject of the sonnet and summer?
The main difference between the subject of the sonnet and summer is that summer is short lived while the subject’s beauty is eternal. By writing this poem, he is able to immortalize her. He writes “But thy eternal summer shall not fade...When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st”
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?
In the conclusion of the sonnet, the speaker is saying that as long as men can live and see, the sonnet will always give life to the subject even long after they have passed. This confirms the messages expressed in the rest of the sonnet because throughout the poem Shakespeare is saying that summer and beauty will fade but yours will live forever.
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 will fade unlike nature’s beauty. Another theme could be that a person’s memory can live on through the works of others. The speaker’s attitude towards the subject is one of devotion. He was willing to preserve her beauty through the words of his poem.
Once we finished sharing, we went back into our breakout rooms and read Sonnet 130. In comparison to Sonnet 18, this poem had a very different approach on how to verbalize their love. Following the reading, we answered questions about it. For questions 1-5, these are the shared answers of my group. Question 6 includes a combined class answer.
Identify the rhyme scheme (by marking the poem as previously done) using the letters A-G.
The poem should be marked ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
In Quatrain One: How does the speaker describe his mistress? What specific attributes does he reference?
The speaker describes his mistress as someone who has very subjective beauty. Specific attributes he references are her eyes, lips, breasts, and hair.
In Quatrain Two: How does the speaker speak to: her cheeks, and her breath?
The speaker says that her cheeks are discolored and that her breath “reeks”.
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?
The speaker thinks his mistress’ voice is not nice to hear and she walks not gently. This contrasts to how most people would refer to their mistress because they would praise them rather than insult them.
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?
At the end of the poem, although she has many faults, he still loves her. He thinks his love is rare because there’s no one else like her. The poet plays with conventional stereotypes of love poetry by doing the opposite that everyone else does. By doing this, he’s making his work stand apart from the rest.
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 to show the contrast between the natural world and his mistress. For instance, he states “Coral is far more red, than her lips red..” The writer’s focus on physical beauty enhanced the emphasis and relevance on the theme for society at the time because he believed that it wasn’t what was on the outside that mattered. He still loved her despite her unappealing appearance. This theme is still relevant and prevalent today because anyone can become beautiful through makeup or surgery. However, your personality can’t change as easily. That is why it is important to make relationships with people, not for their face but for their character.
Reflection:
From this lesson, I learned how to identify, create, and analyze Shakespearean Sonnets. In addition, I learned about iambic pentameters and how to memorize the components for an analysis of poetry. By noticing the speaker, imagery, form, figurative language, tone/theme, setting/devices of sound, irony, and symbolism you can gain a better understanding and appreciation for the poet’s work. In my former english classes, we would do the usual haiku, acrostic, or lyrical but now we get to be exposed to more complexly structured poems. Without this lesson, I would have never been able to understand this form of poetry.
I’ll utilize the skills I’ve acquired to help me create my own Shakespearean Sonnet for my homework assignment and my poem anthology project.
Enrichment:
William Shakespeare – in a nutshell
The Sonnets - Episode One - An Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets
♪ IAMBIC PENTAMETER! ♪ by Matthew Patrick Davis
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