Shakespeares sonnet essays

Shakespeare's sonnet essays How plainly here the poet speaks! In the enormous plenitude of his conceptions which have not as yet found a human sphere to vent themselves, the thought occupies him that his mind as well as his body will grow old, that the exuberance, or beauty, of his intellect, now gazed on with so much admiration, the youthful freshness of his intellectual powers, which now afford him such delight, will gradually decay, some day cease to be, and that, in the field of his intellectual beauty, time will dig deep trenches. If he should then be asked where all his beauty lies, where all the treasure of his lusty days, and he be forced to reply that they were in his own, then, deep-sunken (mind's) eyes, it would be an all-devouring shame, and thriftless praise. But, how much the more would the use of his beauty praise deserve, if he could answer: "This fair child of mine shall sum up my account, and make my old, i. e. late excuse." He must therefore use his mind's beauty, display it in productions, h e must create, beget an intellectual child. By this alone can he be represented in after ages. The beauty of his creations will be pointed out by posterity as belonging to him. How delightful the consolatory reflection, that even when his intellect grew aged, when the enthusiasm of youth, his intellectual blood became cold, he could still contemplate in his creations the glowing ardour of his prime! This sonnet raises the question of the locus of self-worth: Does it lie in the self, or in the world's opinion of self? We see for the first time in the sequence the technique of double exposure, by which Shakespeare offers to alternative scenarios both responding to the same situation. In an indirect discourse, the young man that Shakespeare refers to, at the age of forty, has two possible answers to the question, "Where lies thy beauty and Where all the treasure of thy lusty days? These questions are answered by the lines, "Within my own deep-sunken e...

Critical Essay on Shakespeares sonnets

Critical Essay on Shakespeares sonnets Critical Essay on Shakespeares sonnets Many people read Shakespeares sonnets because they find them to be very relevant in their lives. They know Shakespeare’s sonnets for the manner in which they articulate ideas about love and relationships. Though many people try to identify the message and apply it in their lives, they find it very difficult to do so. The reason is that they find poetry hard to understand since they are not used to the poetic devices of written literature. In order to write a good critical essay on Shakespeare’s sonnets: Message of several poems: The writer can identify the situation that best fits the message identified from a number of poems. In this case, the writer can use several poems that have a similar message for analysis, and the writer needs to understand that different groups of people can use a single sonnet for different purposes. People interpret messages depending on the situations that they are facing at any one particular time. Identify the suitable sonnets: Choose the Shakespeare’s sonnets that suit the situation at hand. This is important in preparing a good critical essay on the same. Read widely: Consult on those things that you least understand. Ensure that you research sound sources at these times. Pay attention to how you express the understanding you have gained, and present it in an interesting way. Use suitable stylistic devices: This is necessary to set the tone of the essay. For instance, the use of imagery is very important in writing a critical essay. The reader should be able to visualize the situation that the writer is analyzing in the essay, and be able to make the right judgment. The writer should also help the reader to understand what the correct reaction should be to the situation explained in the essay. The writer should help in creating the correct image that will elicit the readers’ reactions. Integrate the use irony: In a critical essay on Shakespeare’s sonnets irony goes well with sarcasm, and the writer should include sarcastic statements that will help in understanding the sonnets even better. Show the reality of the poem: Since the Shakespeare’s sonnets represent the reality in our societies, people should be able to see this reality through the critical essay. Unlike in the case of the poems, the essay should explain everything in detail, and assist readers to think about similar situations that either happened in their lives, or that could possibly happen in their lives. Shakespeare’s sonnets are not as hard to understand as people may think. However, they are important in shaping the thoughts and actions of people in society. The writers can therefore need to carefully select the sonnets,explore them critically using in depth investigation, and present them in well-structured critical essay writing.