Sonnets

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Sonnets

• Generally deal with the expression of emotion,
  especially love.
• 14 lines long
• Meter - iambic pentameter

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Shakespeares Sonnets

• 14 lines
• Written in iambic pentameter
• Three quatrains a rhyming couplet
• Quatrain group of four lines
• Couplet two lines
• Rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef,gg

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Shakespeares Sonnets - Structure

• Often, 1st quatrain introduces situation
• 2nd 3rd quatrains explore situation
• Often a turn or shift in thought occurs at the
  3rd quatrain or at the couplet.
• Couplet resolves the situation (punch line)

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Sonnet 18

• Shall I compare thee to a summers day?
• Thou art more lovely and more temperate
• Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
• And summers 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 natures changing course untrimmed
• But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
• Nor lose possession of that fair thou owst,
• Nor shall death rag thou wandrest in his shade,
• When in eternal lines to time thou growst,
• So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
• So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

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Sonnet 18 - paraphrase

• Shall I compare thee to a OOOOH Baby I think I
  summers day? shall compare you to a
  summer day
• Thou art more lovely But, you know, youre
  prettier and more temperate and even better,
  even calm
• Rough winds do shake Because sometimes it gets
• the darling buds of May, windy and the buds on
  the
• trees get shaken off
• And summers lease And sometimes summer doesnt
• hath all too short a date last very long

6

• Sometime too hot the eye Sometimes its too hot
• of heaven shines,
• And often is his gold And pretty faces lose
• complexion dimmed, their shine
• And every fair from fair And everything
  gorgeous
• sometime declines, loses its looks
• By chance, or natures changing By getting hit
  by a truck
• course untrimmed OR just because
  everyone and everything
• gets old and
• ugly and shabby

7

• But thy eternal summer shall But (and heres the
  turn)
• not fade, Your beauty will last forever
• Nor lose possession of that Im going to make
  sure
• fair thou owst, that you never lose your
  good looks
• Nor shall death rag thou And that nasty old
  Death
• wandrest in his shade, can never rag about
  owning you
• When in eternal lines to time Because I shall
  write this
• thou growst, poem about you

8

• So long as men can breathe As long as men can
• or eyes can see, breathe (are you
  breathing?)
• So long lives this, and this As long as men
  can see gives life to thee. (Are you looking
  at this
• poem?) Then this poem lives, and
  it gives life and memory to your
  beauty.

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Sonnet 29

• When in disgrace with When I feel unlucky and as
  
• Fortune and mens eyes, if no one likes me
• I all alone beweep my And I feel all alone and
  cry
• outcast state,
• And trouble deaf heaven And its as if my
  prayers to
• with my bootless cries, heaven have no power at
  all because no one is listening
• And look upon myself And I feel sorry for myself
  and
• and curse my fate, think that m the unluckiest
  person alive

10

• Wishing me like to one I wish that I had that
  persons
• more rich in hope, opportunities
• Featured like him, That I looked like that cute
• like him with friends person and was as popular
  as
• possessed, the most popular person in my
  class
• Desiring this mans art, Wishing that I had that
  mans
• and that mans scope, talent, and that mans
  understanding of difficult concepts
• With what I most enjoy Not at all happy with the
  things I
• contented least, usually enjoy

11

• Yet in these thoughts Even then, almost hating
• myself almost despising, myself for thinking this
  way
• Haply I think on thee, Perhaps my thoughts think
  
• and then my state, about you, and then my soul,
• Like to the lark at break Just like the lark
  that sings
• of day arising at the moment the light of day
• From sullen earth sings Breaks over the cold
  earth,
• hymns at heavens gate, sings a song filled with
  joy
• and light

12

• For thy sweet love Because I remember the
• remembred such sweet love we share,
• wealth brings, and the richness
• that it brings
• That then I scorn And, at that point,
• to change my state remembering what we
• with kings. have together, I wouldnt
  change my present condition even with a
  king.

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Paraphrase

• Takes difficult language and explains it in
  easier, more understandable, language.
• Usually as long as or longer than the original
  piece.
• Generally does not contain any of the original
  language.

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YOUR TURN

• Grab a partner try your hand at paraphrasing
  sonnets 130 90