By Manan, Grade 10
We all groan when we start our poetry unit in school, particularly sonnets in high school. But guess what? Sonnets aren't as tough as you might think! Once you learn a few poetic devices, understanding Shakespeare's sonnets becomes way easier. 🙌
A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and structure (ABABCDCDEFEFGG). The last two lines, known as the Heroic Couplet, are signalled by the “turn”, or the volta. Shakespeare used sonnets to explore themes like love, beauty, and life's meaning. 💕
I know Shakespeare's language can be confusing, but that's where poetic devices come in handy:
🔮Metaphor: Comparing two unlike things to create new meaning.
🎭Antithesis: Juxtaposing two opposite things to take a different view
🎨 Imagery: Vivid descriptions that paint a picture in your mind.
🔍 Symbolism: Objects or ideas representing something deeper.
By looking for these devices, you can start to decode Shakespeare's sonnets and figure out what he's really saying. It's like solving a riddle! 🕵️♀️
Also, you can’t just use these devices in a vacuum. Remember to identify some abstract concepts that really bring about the meaning, called “leitmotifs”. It’s a motif, something that appears throughout the poem, but it’s not tactile, aka an abstract idea: something like “kindness”, or in the case that we are about to see, “idealized love”. (Yes, many of these leitmotifs make up a theme).
So next time you're struggling with a poetry unit, remember: sonnets aren't as scary as they seem. With a little know-how, you can unlock the secrets of Shakespeare's language and discover a whole new world of meaning. 🌎(and make your English teacher happy!)
Now it’s time to demo how poetic devices are actually legit in analyzing Shakespeare’s gobbledygook with an example, using quotes:
Sonnet 35: No more be grieved at that which thou hast done
By William Shakespeare
No more be grieved at that which thou hast done:
Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud,
Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,
And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud.
All men make faults, and even I in this,
Authórizing thy trespass with compare,
Myself corrupting salving thy amiss,
Excusing thy sins more than thy sins are:
For to thy sensual fault I bring in sense—
Thy adverse party is thy advocate—
And ‘gainst myself a lawful plea commence.
Such civil war is in my love and hate,
That I an áccessory needs must be
To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me.
Love & Imperfections: Illusions of Perfect Love
William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 35 “No more be grieved at that which thou hast done” narrates the internal conflicts of an individual in pursuit of true love. Two major leitmotifs are the necessity to challenge the illusion of perfect love by recognizing the blemishes associated with it and the idea that everything has inherent flaws. Shakespeare utilizes poetic devices like metaphors, personification, paradoxes and antithesis, and imagery to elucidate the poem’s observation: it observes that everyone, no matter how seemingly perfect, always has inherent flaws. Overall, the poem teaches individuals that ethical compromises have to be made in the pursuit of true love.
In the first stanza, the speaker begins by declaring that everyone must have faults, as nature does. He speaks directly to his lover, telling her to “[n]o more be grieved at that which thou hast done,” citing than even “[r]oses have thorns, and silver fountains mud” (Shakespeare 1-2). He conveys to her that she shouldn’t be sad about faults she has committed, as everything must have flaws. The speaker metaphorically compares the inherent imperfections in humans by referencing thorny flowers and muddy water, setting up the thesis of rupturing the hyperreality of idealized love. The speaker continues that everything is open to the infection of imperfect things no matter how hard a person tries, declaring that “Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun, [a]nd loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud” (3-4). He extends the idea of faults being present everywhere by saying that a fungus can grow in even the most beautiful flower and that even the brightest of celestial bodies can be covered. He personifies “eclipses” with being able to stain something, providing visual imagery that elucidates his point about true perfection is impossible.
The speaker continues at the beginning of the second stanza by claiming that he will allow his lovers’ slight imperfections, admitting he himself isn’t perfect enough to make fault with her, vying for pure love. In his humility, the speaker declares that “[a]ll men make faults, and even I in this, [authórize] thy trespass with compare” (5-6). Everyone makes mistakes; even the speaker is guilty of this. In these lines, he goes so far as to hint to the fact that he is willing to compromise with her in his love. In the second and third stanzas, the speaker reassures his lover that he will do everything to excuse her of any wrongdoing. He bends himself to her every will as he swears “[m]yself corrupting salving thy amiss, [e]xcusing thy sins more than thy sins are: [f]or to thy sensual fault I bring in sense— [t]hy adverse party is thy advocate” (7-10). The speaker finds himself justifying the other's mistakes and becoming an accomplice in the process. Paradoxically, the speaker talks about allowing a trespass, which helps him to explicate further about how he blurs the line of ethics to be with her in spite of her faults.
In the last stanza, the speaker reveals that these compromises confuse his sense of right and wrong. He bemoans that “And ‘gainst myself a lawful plea commence[s]. Such civil war is in my love and hate” (11-12). The speaker is torn between acceptance and rejection, leading to an internal conflict. The speaker antithetically references the idea of a civil war in love, as well as the idea of arguing against your own person. He builds on the idea that an internal battle can commence when we deliberate about the flaws of love. The volta serves to signify the transition from his internal dilemma to his ultimate decision on how he chooses to move forward with his relationship with his lover.
The poem closes with the speaker affirming his love and commitment to staying with his lover. He concludes that “I [am] an áccessory [that] must be; To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me” (13-14). Despite the pain, he feels compelled to forgive and acknowledges the complex nature of this decision, referencing his lover as the robber who steals his peace from him. The speaker juxtaposes gustatory imagery of “sour” and “sweet” with “thief” to encapsulate his opinion of his lover and how she is both sweet in her love but a thief as she causes his internal turmoil. Overall the poem teaches that true love can and will exist despite imperfections, finding a delicate balance between the intrinsic imperfections with love and an idealized hyperreality of love.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 35, “No more be grieved at that which thou hast done,” explicates the blemishes of idealized love via revealing the inherent flaws in everything. In the poem, The speaker begins by alluding to the ugly sides of nature as he explains that his lover shouldn’t be ashamed of her faults. He declares that he will allow his lovers’ imperfections, admitting he himself isn’t perfect, reassuring her that he will do everything to excuse her of any wrongdoing. Unfortunately, the speaker reveals that these compromises confuse his sense of right and wrong on how to navigate their love for each other. Luckily, the speaker comes to the conclusion although there may be some faulty aspects, they can revel in each other's love after all. Several poetic devices find use, including metaphors, personification, juxtaposition, and imagery. Overall, Shakespeare argues that people should rupture their understanding of a perfect love, especially in love, but recognize that a balance can be found for the happiness of both lovers.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 30: No more be grieved at that which thou hast done." Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50645/sonnet-35-no-more-be-grieved-at-that-which-thou-hast-done. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.
No more be grieved at that which thou hast done:
Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud,
Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,
And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud.
All men make faults, and even I in this,
Authórizing thy trespass with compare,
Myself corrupting salving thy amiss,
Excusing thy sins more than thy sins are:
For to thy sensual fault I bring in sense—
Thy adverse party is thy advocate—
And ‘gainst myself a lawful plea commence.
Such civil war is in my love and hate,
That I an áccessory needs must be
To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me.
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