Sonnet 18 "Shall I Compare Thee..."

Shakespearean Sonnets

Did William Shakespeare invent the sonnet? He did not, but he is undoubtedly the most famous practitioner of the poetic form. Sonnets trace back to the Italian Renaissance, approximately three hundred years before Shakespeare began composing them in England.

A Shakespearean sonnet is a variation on the Italian sonnet tradition. The form evolved in England during and around the time of the Elizabethan era. These sonnets are sometimes referred to as Elizabethan sonnets or English sonnets.

Although Shakespeare’s sonnets have prominently endured for centuries, he was hardly alone in his embrace of this poetic style. Many prominent English poets of the day, from John Donne to John Milton, also wrote sonnets.

Learning Targets

• describe characteristics of sonnets

• analyze the structure of sonnets

• analyze how a drama's or poem's form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning

• explain the historical background of sonnets

• determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings

• determine the meaning of symbols in literary text

NOTES

Shakespearean sonnets feature the following elements:

• They are fourteen lines long.

• The fourteen lines are divided into four subgroups.

• The first three subgroups have four lines each, which makes them “quatrains,” with the second and fourth lines of each group containing rhyming words.

• The sonnet then concludes with a two-line subgroup, and these two lines rhyme with each other.

• There are typically ten syllables per line, which are phrased in iambic pentameter.

Sonnets already contained fourteen lines before Shakespeare adapted the form. However, the Shakespearean form is easily characterized by its structure, meter, and rhyme scheme.

A rhyme scheme is the rhyming sequence or arrangement of sounds at the end of each line of poetry. It is typically represented by using letters to demonstrate which lines rhyme with which.

For example:

Roses are red—A

Violets are blue—B

Sugar is sweet—C

And so are you—B

A Shakespearean sonnet employs the following rhyme scheme across its fourteen lines—which, again, are broken up into three quatrains plus a two-line couplet:

ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

The ABAB CDCD rhyme scheme is seen in this excerpt from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 14”:

Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck;—A

And yet methinks I have astronomy,—B

But not to tell of good or evil luck,—A

Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality;—B

Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,—C

Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind,—D

Or say with princes if it shall go well,—C

By oft predict that I in heaven find:—D

Note that some of these rhymes are “soft”—such as “wind” rhyming with “find.”

Iambic Pentameter

Each of the fourteen lines of a Shakespearean sonnet is written in “iambic pentameter.” This means a line contains five iambs—two syllable pairs in which the second syllable is emphasized.

As an example, consider the opening line of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130”:

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun

With proper iambic emphasis, the line would be read aloud in the following way:

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun

Shakespeare was such a master of iambic pentameter that he even seamlessly inserted it into dramatic action. Consider Juliet’s line in Romeo and Juliet:

“But, soft! / What light / through yon / der win / dow breaks?”

Much of Shakespeare’s theatrical writing featured non-rhyming lines of iambic pentameter. This style of poetry is called “blank verse.” While blank verse contains the same poetic rhythm as sonnets, it does not feature the sonnet’s rhyme scheme.

Determining the Meter in Poetry

Poetic meter is a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. A meter's basic unit is called a foot, which consists of one stressed syllable (marked as / ) and one or more unstressed syllables (marked as u). Each pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables has a specific name.

In order to determine what part of the foot represents the stressed syllable, say the word out loud and notice what part of the word receives the most emphasis.

Sonnet 18

Spring Season Symbolism

Spring is a season overflowing with symbolism. It is a transitional time of year, when the cold and dark dwindle away and the rains of rebirth fall upon the Earth. The light begins to shine brightly once more, animals emerge once again, and plants and flowers “spring” into bloom. At this time of year, everything enters a state of renewal. This directly speaks to our mentality. Spring is a time for us to embark on new journeys and start new projects with fresh ideas. As far as physical symbols go, spring is abundant with them. Think baby animals, fresh new flowers, eggs as signs of fertility, rainbows, and pastel colors, to name a few.

Summer Season Symbolism

Coming next in the cycle is the hot, hot, hot season of summer. Once again, this season can speak wonders to us. The sun that nourishes us and sustains life beats down on the Earth fiercely, providing us with the perfect weather to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. The days are longer and the nights are warm and welcoming. In summer, we needn’t hide, hibernate, or bundle up. Life is an open book, with adventures waiting around every corner.

Joy, expression, action: these are only a few of the words that can be associated with this season. Many a party is had during this time, after all, especially in the pool or under the stars. All-in-all, summer reminds us of the vitality and youthfulness present in everyone’s heart and soul. When trying to classify summer symbols, just think of anything that exudes joy, fun, and parties.

Autumn Symbolism

Moving on to autumn, the weather starts to chill out a bit. Think of this as nature’s one last hoorah before fading away into winter. In the realm of life, this is like the golden age before death. The colors around us change to beautiful hues of red, orange, and yellow as plants begin to fade away. Animals start to stock up for the winter, and humans begin the bundling (and fattening) up process. We, too, must take stock, in a sense, during this time of year. The last of the harvests come and most of the world’s Thanksgiving holidays take place. It is a time to be thankful for what we have experienced throughout the year and begin to wind down and prepare for next year. Typical symbols may include red, orange, and yellow leaves, baskets, and teeming cornucopias.

Winter Season Symbol

Last but certainly not least, the year rounds out with winter. Cold and dark, this is the time that much of the natural world goes into hibernation. Activity seems to come to a standstill as dormancy makes its way through.

Winter is a time to analyze your actions. Think of the year that has passed. Understand what you have achieved and what you need to think about in the coming New Year. This is the time to plan your resolutions and work on fulfilling them. And also to have a wonderful time time with family which includes Christmas festivities.

Many people might feel dull and depressed in this winter season. But always remember that after this season comes light and spring. This is just a period to meditate and calm your mind.

Life is certainly an exciting and somewhat unpredictable journey, but it does has its regularities. The seasons symbols ground us when life becomes overwhelming. They remind us that nothing is exempt from the universe’s cyclical nature. Everything shall pass and be renewed once more.

The Craftsman

by MARCUS B. CHRISTIAN (*Link to Biography)

I ply with all the cunning of my art

This little thing, and with consummate care

I fashion it—so that when I depart,

Those who come after me shall find it fair

And beautiful. It must be free of flaws—

Pointing no laborings of weary hands;

And there must be no flouting of the laws

Of beauty—as the artist understands.

Through passion, yearnings infinite—yet dumb—

I lift you from the depths of my own mind

And gild you with my soul’s white heat to plumb

The souls of future men. I leave behind

This thing that in return this solace gives:

“He who creates true beauty ever lives.”



Learning Activity Prologue Sonnet

Now try recognizing a sonnet in the play Romeo and Juliet! The below is from the prologue.

Directions:

1. Identify and label the rhyme scheme, the stanza breaks, the quatrains the couplet, the feet, and the stressed and unstressed syllables.

2. Explain how you know the rhythm here is iambic pentameter:

3. Explain how you know this fits the structure of a Shakespearean Sonnet:

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Do with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death mark'd love,

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;

The which if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

Learning Activity First Kiss Sonnet

Directions:

1. Identify and label the rhyme scheme, the stanza breaks, the quatrains the couplet, the feet, and the stressed and unstressed syllables.

2. Explain how you know the rhythm here is iambic pentameter:

3. Explain how you know this fits the structure of a Shakespearean Sonnet:

4. Why is there a hidden sonnet here? How does this structure impact the scene?

ROMEO

If I profane with my unworthiest hand

This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

JULIET

Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,

Which mannerly devotion shows in this;

For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,

And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

ROMEO

Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

JULIET

Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

ROMEO

O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do.

They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

JULIET

Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.

ROMEO

Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.

He kisses her.

Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged.

JULIET

Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

ROMEO

Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!

Give me my sin again. He kisses her.

JULIET

You kiss by th' book.

(1.5.104-122)

Learning Activity Analyzing Shakespearean Sonnets

DIRECTIONS for this side of your handout (2-sided): Together we will read Sonnet #18. We will annotate and discuss the imagery in the poem and meaning of the poem. To help with this, be sure to underline images and to make notes in the margins of the poem.

After we discuss the poem’s images and meaning, then you will label the 14 lines, 3 quatrains, the couplet, and the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, gg. Then, you will mark the feet (and the unstressed and stressed syllables), and rhythm (iambic pentameter) on first four lines.

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed,

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,

Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

• Paraphrase this poem as you annotate.

• Identify and explain the symbolism of the seasons in this poem.

• What is the meaning of this poem?

• How does the form/structure of the sonnet help reveal the meaning in the poem?

DIRECTIONS for this side of your handout: Together we will read “The Craftsman”. We will annotate and discuss the imagery in the poem and meaning of the poem. To help with this, be sure to underline images and to make notes in the margins of the poem. After we discuss the poem’s images and meaning, then you will then answer the below questions.

The Craftsman By Marcus B. Christian 1900–1976

I ply with all the cunning of my art

This little thing, and with consummate care

I fashion it—so that when I depart,

Those who come after me shall find it fair

And beautiful. It must be free of flaws—

Pointing no laborings of weary hands;

And there must be no flouting of the laws

Of beauty—as the artist understands.

Through passion, yearnings infinite—yet dumb—

I lift you from the depths of my own mind

And gild you with my soul’s white heat to plumb

The souls of future men. I leave behind

This thing that in return this solace gives:

“He who creates true beauty ever lives.”

• Is this poem a sonnet? How do you know?

• What is the meaning of this poem?

• How does the form/structure of the sonnet help reveal the meaning in the poem? (HINT: was this poem carefully ‘crafted’?)

Sonnet Vocabulary Terms

Foot

A metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables. For example, an iamb or iambic foot is represented by ˘', that is, an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. Frost's line "Whose woods these are I think I know" contains four iambs, and is thus an iambic foot.

Meter

The measured pattern of rhythmic accents in poems.

Rhythm

The recurrence of accent or stress in lines of verse.

Iamb

An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, as in to-DAY.

Iambic Pentameter

A type of meter that has 10 syllables in a line of poetry.

Imagery

Language used to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. Usually it is thought that imagery makes use of particular words that create visual representation of ideas in our minds. The word imagery is associated with mental pictures. However, this idea is but partially correct. Imagery, to be realistic, turns out to be more complex than just a picture. Read the following examples of imagery carefully:

• It was dark and dim in the forest. – The words “dark” and “dim” are visual images.

• The children were screaming and shouting in the fields. – “Screaming” and “shouting” appeal to our sense of hearing or auditory sense.

• He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee. – “whiff” and “aroma” evoke our sense of smell or olfactory sense.

• The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric. – The idea of “soft” in this example appeals to our sense of touch or tactile sense.

• The fresh and juicy orange is very cold and sweet. – “ juicy” and “sweet” when associated with oranges have an effect on our sense of taste or gustatory sense.

Stanza

A division or unit of a poem that is repeated in the same form--either with similar or identical patterns or rhyme and meter, or with variations from one stanza to another.

Quatrain (4 lines)

A four-line stanza in a poem. A Shakespearean sonnet contains three quatrains followed by a couplet.

Couplet (2 lines)

Two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought. It is marked by a usual rhythm, rhyme scheme and incorporation of specific utterances.

“The time is out of joint, O cursed spite

That ever I was born to set it right!”

Rhyme

The matching of final vowel or consonant sounds in two or more words. The following stanza of "Richard Cory" employs alternate rhyme, with the third line rhyming with the first and the fourth with the second:

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,

We people on the pavement looked at him;

He was a gentleman from sole to crown

Clean favored and imperially slim.

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhyming words that appears at the ends of two or more lines of poetry.

Sonnet

A fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter. The Shakespearean or English sonnet is arranged as three quatrains and a final couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg. The Petrarchan or Italian sonnet divides into two parts: an eight-line octave and a six-line sestet, rhyming abba abba cde cde or abba abba cd cd cd.