Renaissance Poetry
Poetic Devices and Terms
 Stanza: group of lines in poetry
 Couplet: 2 lines
 Quatrain: 4 lines
 Sestet: 6 lines
 Octave: 8 lines
 Rhyme Scheme:
 Pattern of end rhymes designated by a lettering system
Poetic Devices and Terms
 Apostrophe: A poet or speaker addresses an absent
person, abstract idea or object which cannot reply.
 Allusion: Reference to a known event, work, or person.
 Metaphor: Comparison of unlike objects
 Personification: Human characteristics given to a nonhuman
 Satire: When vices, follies, or shortcomings are held up
for ridicule.
Sonnet Form (General)
 14 lines
 Primarily Iambic Pentameter: 5 iambs (an iamb is
an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
syllable)
 To households both alike in dignity
 In fair Verona where we lay our scene
Sonnet Form (General)
 Sonnets typically have a defined rhyme scheme and
structure of content.
 Three of the most common sonnet forms:
 Shakespearean (English)
 Petrarchan (Originally an Italian form, but modified by
Englishmen Sir Phillip Sidney)
 Spenserian A variation of the English form
Sonnet Form
(Shakespearean):
 Shakespearean/English Sonnet:
 14 lines
 Iambic Pentameter
 Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDCDEFEFGG
 3 quatrains develop the problem, conflict, or issue
 Final couplet resolves, solves, or answers
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
1. When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
2. I all alone beweep my outcast state,
3. And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
4. And look upon myself and curse my fate,
5. Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
6. Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
7. Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
8. With what I most enjoy contented least;
9. Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
10. Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
11. (Like to the lark at break of day arising
12. From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
13. For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
14. That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
.
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
1. When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
2. I all alone beweep my outcast state,
3. And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
4. And look upon myself and curse my fate,
5. Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
6. Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
7. Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
8. With what I most enjoy contented least;
9. Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
10. Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
11. (Like to the lark at break of day arising
12. From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
13. For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
14. That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
.
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
U
/|U
/| U
/ |U
/ |U
/|
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
You try to label line 2
(Iambic: U/ Pentameter: 5)
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
What state is
the speaker in?
What word
choices
support your
answer?
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
The speaker is
in a state of
disgrace,
loneliness,
embarrassment,
or failure.
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
What poetic
device is used
in line 3 and
what is the
effect?
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Personification
(Heaven)
Heaven is deaf
to his futile
(bootless)
cries.
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
When the
speaker curses
his fate, what
does he wish
for?
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
He wishes for
what other
men have:
1. Hope
2. Good looks
3. Friends
4. Creativity
5. Intellect
*Jealousy
*Envy
*Covetousness
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
What is the
change in
tone that
occurs in the
3rd quatrain?
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
The speaker
by chance
thinks of his
love and
jealousy
vanishes.
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Tone switch:
Bleak to
Hopeful
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
What does
the speaker
reveal in the
couplet?
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
If he has his
lover, he has
everything he
needs.
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
What problem is
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
developed in the
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
first 3 quatrains?
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
How is it
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings resolved in the
couplet?
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
.
Sonnet 29 (Shakespeare)
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
The speaker is
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
jealous and
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
depressed over
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
the state of his
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
life.
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
His love
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
provides all the
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings validation he
needs.
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
.
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
1. Let me not to the marriage of true minds
2. Admit impediments. Love is not love
3. Which alters when it alteration finds,
4. Or bends with the remover to remove.
5. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
6. That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
7. It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
8. Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
9. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
10. Within his bending sickle's compass come;
11. Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
12. But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
13. If this be error and upon me prov'd,
14. I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
1. Let me not to the marriage of true minds
2. Admit impediments. Love is not love
3. Which alters when it alteration finds,
4. Or bends with the remover to remove.
5. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
6. That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
7. It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
8. Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
9. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
10. Within his bending sickle's compass come;
11. Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
12. But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
13. If this be error and upon me prov'd,
14. I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
U
/| U /|U
/ |U
/ |U
/|
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
You try to label line 2
(Iambic: U/ Pentameter: 5)
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Shakespeare
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
begins by calling
Admit impediments. Love is not love
real love a
Which alters when it alteration finds,
marriage of true
Or bends with the remover to remove.
minds, into which
he will not allow
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
obstacles.
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
He then defines
love by what it is
not. What does he
say?
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Love does not
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
alter, change, or
Admit impediments. Love is not love
leave. Notice this
Which alters when it alteration finds,
classic use of
Or bends with the remover to remove.
Shakespearean
style.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
What extended
metaphor does
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Shakespeare use
Or bends with the remover to remove.
to define love?
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Love is a star:
-Guiding Sailors
-Never moving,
even in storms
(think North Star)
-Whose value is
unknown even
though sailors
know the
height/location.
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
What is the
allusion in the first
2 lines of the 3rd
quatrain and what
does it serve to
mean?
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
Love is not
subject to the
Grim Reaper.
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
What logic does
the speaker end
with?
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
The speaker
claims (in his
written poem) that
his definition of
true love is true or
else no man has
even written or
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
What issue is
Admit impediments. Love is not love
raised in the first 3
quatrains?
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
How is it
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
resolved in the
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
couplet?
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare)
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Can true love be
Admit impediments. Love is not love
defined?
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
Yes. And
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Shakespeare has
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
done so perfectly.
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
1. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
2. Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
3. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4. If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
5. I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
6. But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
7. And in some perfumes is there more delight
8. Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
9. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
10. That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
11. I grant I never saw a goddess go;
12. My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
13. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
14. As any she belied with false compare.
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
1. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
2. Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
3. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4. If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
5. I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
6. But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
7. And in some perfumes is there more delight
8. Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
9. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
10. That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
11. I grant I never saw a goddess go;
12. My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
13. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
14. As any she belied with false compare.
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
U
/| U
/| U
/|U
/| U
/|
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
You try to label line 2
(Iambic: U/ Pentameter: 5)
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
Shakespeare is
criticizing the clichés
used by sonnet writers
(like Petrarch of the
14th century). What
clichés does he
satirize? How does he
describe his mistress?
Note: His mistress is
his love, not
necessarily the way
we use the word today.
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
Blason: A poetic device in which a
speaker elaborately describes multiple
parts of a lover’s body.
Shakespeare is
criticizing the clichés
like, “my mistress
eyes are as bright as
the sun” or “her lips
are as red as coral” by
describing a woman
who is real, not ideal.
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
How does the tone
shift in the third
quatrain?
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Although she is still
not the ideal, he
loves to hear her.
How does the
couplet drive
his point
home?
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Although she is still
not the ideal, he
loves to hear her.
He thinks his
love is as rare
(wonderful) as
all those
women falsely
compared in
cliché sonnets.
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
1. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
2. Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
3. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4. If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
5. I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
6. But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
7. And in some perfumes is there more delight
8. Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
9. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
10. That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
11. I grant I never saw a goddess go;
12. My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
13. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
14. As any she belied with false compare.
What issue is
raised in the
first 3
quatrains?
How is it
addressed in
the couplet?
Sonnet 130 (Shakespeare)
1. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
2. Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
3. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4. If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
5. I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
6. But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
7. And in some perfumes is there more delight
8. Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
9. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
10. That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
11. I grant I never saw a goddess go;
12. My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
13. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
14. As any she belied with false compare.
His mistress is
real and not a
cliché ideal.
His mistress is
as wonderful
as those cliché
subjects of
other sonnets.
Sonnet Form (Petrarchan):
 Petrarchan/Italian Sonnet:
 14 lines
 Iambic Pentameter
 Rhyme Scheme:

ABBAABBA CDCDEE

ABBAABBA CDECDE
 Octave develops the problem, conflict, or issue
 Final sestet resolves, solves, or answers
 Sir Phillip Sidney used this form, but also played with it
Sir Phillip Sidney
 “Renaissance man”
 Courtier, scholar, poet, and soldier
 Attended Oxford and Cambridge
 Traveled extensively
 Sonnet Sequence: Astrophel and Stella
 Inspired by Penelope Devereux (Stella) who Sidney
(Astrophel) loved, but she broke off the engagement and
married Lord Rich.
 Astophel (Astro- Star, Phil- Lover) Stella (Star)
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
1. With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
2. How silently, and with how wan a face!
3. What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
4. That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
5. Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
6. Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
7. I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
8. To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
9. Then, ev'n of fellowship, O Moon, tell me,
10. Is constant love deem'd there but want of wit?
11. Are beauties there as proud as here they be?
12. Do they above love to be lov'd, and yet
13. Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess?
14. Do they call virtue there ungratefulness?
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
1. With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
2. How silently, and with how wan a face!
3. What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
4. That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
5. Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
6. Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
7. I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
8. To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
9. Then, ev'n of fellowship, O Moon, tell me,
10. Is constant love deem'd there but want of wit?
11. Are beauties there as proud as here they be?
12. Do they above love to be lov'd, and yet
13. Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess?
14. Do they call virtue there ungratefulness?
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
A
C
D
C
D
E
E
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
U /|U
/| U /
|U
/
|U /|
With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
(Iambic: U/ Pentameter: 5)
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
How silently, and with how wan a face!
What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
What two poetic
devices set the
initial tone?
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
How silently, and with how wan a face!
What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
Apostrophe and
Personification set
a somber tone.
Allusion
alert! Any
ideas?
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
How silently, and with how wan a face!
What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
Apostrophe and
Personification set
a somber tone.
Cupid!
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
How silently, and with how wan a face!
What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
Apostrophe and
Personification set
a somber tone.
Cupid!
Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
What does the
speaker see in the
moon?
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
How silently, and with how wan a face!
What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
Apostrophe and
Personification set
a somber tone.
Cupid!
Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
He sees the moon is
love sick.
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
Then, ev'n of fellowship, O Moon, tell me,
Is constant love deem'd there but want of wit?
Are beauties there as proud as here they be?
Do they above love to be lov'd, and yet
Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess?
Do they call virtue there ungratefulness?
What does the
speaker ask the
moon?
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
Then, ev'n of fellowship, O Moon, tell me,
Is constant love deem'd there but want of wit?
Are beauties there as proud as here they be?
Do they above love to be lov'd, and yet
Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess?
Do they call virtue there ungratefulness?
1. Are true and
faithful lovers
idiots?
2. Are beauties
always vain?
3. Do women
everywhere
push away the
nice guy who
will love
constantly and
be faithful?
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
How silently, and with how wan a face!
What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
Then, ev'n of fellowship, O Moon, tell me,
Is constant love deem'd there but want of wit?
Are beauties there as proud as here they be?
Do they above love to be lov'd, and yet
Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess?
Do they call virtue there ungratefulness?
What is the problem
developed in the
octave?
What is the resolution?
Sonnet 31 (Sidney)
With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies!
How silently, and with how wan a face!
What, may it be that even in heav'nly place
That busy archer his sharp arrows tries!
Sure, if that long-with love-acquainted eyes
Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case,
I read it in thy looks; thy languish'd grace
To me, that feel the like, thy state descries.
Then, ev'n of fellowship, O Moon, tell me,
Is constant love deem'd there but want of wit?
Are beauties there as proud as here they be?
Do they above love to be lov'd, and yet
Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess?
Do they call virtue there ungratefulness?
The speaker’s love
sickness is even
reflected in the
moon.
The speaker concludes
that it is a universal
quality of women to
choose pride over love.
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
1. Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
2. The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
3. The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
4. Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
5. With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
6. Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
7. O make in me those civil wars to cease;
8. I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
9. Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,
10. A chamber deaf to noise and blind of light,
11. A rosy garland and a weary head;
12. And if these things, as being thine by right,
13. Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,
14. Livelier than elsewhere, Stella's image see.
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
1. Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
2. The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
3. The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
4. Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
5. With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
6. Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
7. O make in me those civil wars to cease;
8. I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
9. Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,
10. A chamber deaf to noise and blind of light,
11. A rosy garland and a weary head;
12. And if these things, as being thine by right,
13. Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,
14. Livelier than elsewhere, Stella's image see.
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
E
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
U
/
|U
/| U
/ |U
/ |U
/|
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
You try to label line 2
(Iambic: U/ Pentameter: 5)
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
What poetic
device is used
immediately
and what do we
learn about the
speaker?
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
Apostrophe
(Sleep)
We learn that
the speaker
hopes to find
peace in sleep.
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
What 6
metaphors are
used to describe
the power of
sleep
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
Sleep:
1. Place where
wit is found.
2. Place for
healing of
woe
3. $ for the
poor
4. Release for
the prisoner
5. An
impartial
judge
6. Shield
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
What poetic
device is used
and what do we
learn about the
speaker?
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
Personification
(Despair)
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
The speaker is
severely
depressed.
What deal does
the speaker
suggest?
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
If sleep can stop
his civil war,
The speaker
will pay him.
Can you relate
to a break up
feeling like an
internal civil
war? Heart vs
head?
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,
A chamber deaf to noise and blind of light,
A rosy garland and a weary head;
And if these things, as being thine by right,
Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,
Livelier than elsewhere, Stella's image see.
What poetic
device is
used and
what is the
speaker’s
offer?
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,
A chamber deaf to noise and blind of light,
A rosy garland and a weary head;
And if these things, as being thine by right,
Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,
Livelier than elsewhere, Stella's image see.
Personification
(chamber)
The speaker
offers a perfect
sleeping place.
What is the
final ringer, or
deal clincher
that the
speaker offers?
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,
A chamber deaf to noise and blind of light,
A rosy garland and a weary head;
And if these things, as being thine by right,
Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,
Livelier than elsewhere, Stella's image see.
Personification
(chamber)
The speaker
offers a perfect
sleeping place.
The speaker
will allow sleep
to see Stella in
his dreams.
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,
A chamber deaf to noise and blind of light,
A rosy garland and a weary head;
And if these things, as being thine by right,
Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,
Livelier than elsewhere, Stella's image see.
What is the problem
introduced in the octave?
How is it resolved in the
sestet?
Sonnet 39 (Sidney)
Come Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low;
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,
A chamber deaf to noise and blind of light,
A rosy garland and a weary head;
And if these things, as being thine by right,
Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,
Livelier than elsewhere, Stella's image see.
The speaker can’t find
peace/sleep.
The speaker bribes sleep
with dreams of Stella.
Sonnet Form
(Spenserian):
 Spenserian Sonnet (Variant of Shakespearean Sonnet):
 14 lines
 Iambic Pentameter
 Rhyme Scheme: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
 3 quatrains develop the problem, conflict, or issue
 Final couplet resolves, solves, or answers
Edmund Spenser
 1552-1599
 The Faerie Queen:
 Written purposefully in archaic diction
 Recounts the adventures of several knights and their
virtues.
 Allegory of good and evil
 Dedicated to Queen Elizabeth (The Faerie Queen)
 Amoretti: sonnet sequence written for his own wife, not
an idealized beauty.
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
1. My hungry eyes, through greedy covetise
2. Still to behold the object of their pain,
3. With no contentment can themselves suffice;
4. But, having, pine; and, having not, complain.
5. For, lacking it, they cannot life sustain;
6. And, having it, they gaze on it the more;
7. In their amazement like Narcissus vain,
8. Whose eyes him starv’d: so plenty makes me poor.
9. Yet are mine eyes so filled with the store
10. Of that fair sight, that nothing else they brook,
11. But loathe the things which they did like before,
12. And can no more endure on them to look.
13. All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me,
14. And all their shows but shadows, saving she.
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
1. MY hungry eyes, through greedy covetise
2. Still to behold the object of their pain,
3. With no contentment can themselves suffice;
4. But, having, pine; and, having not, complain.
5. For, lacking it, they cannot life sustain;
6. And, having it, they gaze on it the more;
7. In their amazement like Narcissus vain,
8. Whose eyes him starv’d: so plenty makes me poor.
9. Yet are mine eyes so filled with the store
10. Of that fair sight, that nothing else they brook,
11. But loathe the things which they did like before,
12. And can no more endure on them to look.
13. All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me,
14. And all their shows but shadows, saving she.
A
B
A
B
B
C
B
C
C
D
C
D
E
E
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
U
/|U /|
U
/|U
/| U / |
My hungry eyes, through greedy covetise
Still to behold the object of their pain,
(Iambic: U/ Pentameter: 5)
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
My hungry eyes, through greedy covetise
Still to behold the object of their pain,
With no contentment can themselves suffice;
What poetic device is used
immediately to set the tone for the
poem?
But, having, pine; and, having not, complain.
For, lacking it, they cannot life sustain;
And, having it, they gaze on it the more;
In their amazement like Narcissus vain,
Whose eyes him starv’d: so plenty makes me poor.
Mythological
allusion alert!
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
My hungry eyes, through greedy covetise
Still to behold the object of their pain,
The speaker’s eyes are personified,
which leads to a feeling of intense
longing.
With no contentment can themselves suffice;
But, having, pine; and, having not, complain.
For, lacking it, they cannot life sustain;
And, having it, they gaze on it the more;
In their amazement like Narcissus vain,
Whose eyes him starv’d: so plenty makes me poor.
What feeling is evoked in
the speaker as he gazes
on this (so far) unnamed
object?
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
My hungry eyes, through greedy covetise
Still to behold the object of their pain,
The speaker’s eyes are personified,
which leads to a feeling of intense
longing.
With no contentment can themselves suffice;
But, having, pine; and, having not, complain.
For, lacking it, they cannot life sustain;
And, having it, they gaze on it the more;
In their amazement like Narcissus vain,
Whose eyes him starv’d: so plenty makes me poor.
He suffers because he
can never get enough.
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
Yet are mine eyes so filled with the store
Of that fair sight, that nothing else they brook,
But loathe the things which they did like before,
And can no more endure on them to look.
All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me,
And all their shows but shadows, saving she.
What has
happened to
all other
things in the
speaker’s
vision?
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
Yet are mine eyes so filled with the store
Of that fair sight, that nothing else they brook,
But loathe the things which they did like before,
And can no more endure on them to look.
All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me,
And all their shows but shadows, saving she.
They pale in
comparison
to her and
become
irrelevant.
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
Yet are mine eyes so filled with the store
Of that fair sight, that nothing else they brook,
But loathe the things which they did like before,
They pale in
comparison
to her and
become
irrelevant.
And can no more endure on them to look.
All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me,
And all their shows but shadows, saving she.
Object alert!
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
MY hungry eyes, through greedy covetise
Still to behold the object of their pain,
With no contentment can themselves suffice;
But, having, pine; and, having not, complain.
For, lacking it, they cannot life sustain;
And, having it, they gaze on it the more;
In their amazement like Narcissus vain,
Whose eyes him starv’d: so plenty makes me poor.
Yet are mine eyes so filled with the store
Of that fair sight, that nothing else they brook,
But loathe the things which they did like before,
And can no more endure on them to look.
All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me,
And all their shows but shadows, saving she.
What is the problem
developed in the
first 3 quatrains?
What is the solution
in the couplet?
Sonnet 35 (Spenser)
MY hungry eyes, through greedy covetise
Still to behold the object of their pain,
With no contentment can themselves suffice;
But, having, pine; and, having not, complain.
For, lacking it, they cannot life sustain;
And, having it, they gaze on it the more;
In their amazement like Narcissus vain,
Whose eyes him starv’d: so plenty makes me poor.
Yet are mine eyes so filled with the store
Of that fair sight, that nothing else they brook,
But loathe the things which they did like before,
And can no more endure on them to look.
All this world’s glory seemeth vain to me,
And all their shows but shadows, saving she.
His eyes cannot be
satisfied…
…with anything
else but her.
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
1 One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
2 But came the waves and washed it away:
3 Again I wrote it with a second hand,
4 But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
5 Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
6 A mortal thing so to immortalize,
7 For I myself shall like to this decay,
8 And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
9 Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
10 To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
11 My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
12 And in the heavens write your glorious name.
13 Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
14 Our love shall live, and later life renew.
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
1 One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
A
2 But came the waves and washed it away:
B
3 Again I wrote it with a second hand,
A
4 But came the tide, and made my pains his prey. B
5 Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
B
6 A mortal thing so to immortalize,
C
7 For I myself shall like to this decay,
B
8 And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
C
9 Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
C
10 To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
D
11 My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
C
12 And in the heavens write your glorious name. D
13 Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue, E
14 Our love shall live, and later life renew.
E
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
U / | U / | U / | U /| U / |
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
(Iambic: U/ Pentameter: 5)
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
What problem does the
speaker face? What is the
symbolic meaning?
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
Every time he writes his love’s
name, the water erases it.
Symbolism: The speaker is
trying to immortalize love, but
time/nature will run itscourse
and it will end.
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
What is his lover’s
response?
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
She is more realistic than
romantic (idealistic). She
says that he works in vain.
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.
What is the
speaker’s
response to his
lover’s doubt?
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.
He will
immortalize his
lover through his
poetry.
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.
What is the
conclusion?
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.
Death shall be the
end for all the
world, except
their love which
will bring new
life.
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.
What is the problem
developed in the first 3
quatrains?
What is the solution in
the couplet?
Sonnet 75 (Spenser)
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue,
Out love shall live, and later life renew.
The speaker wants to
immortalize his love and
his lover is skeptical.
This poem will
immortalize their love.
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
(Marlowe 1599)
The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd (Raleigh 1600)
Marlowe
Raleigh
Lived to excess- his motto
was “what nourishes me,
destroys me”
University educated
Influence on Shakespeare
Murdered at a young age
under unusual
circumstances.
 Often empathized with
morally ambiguous
speakers.
Renaissance man: soldier, courtier,
philosopher, explorer, scientist,
historian, and poet.
Named Virginia
Found/Exaggerated El Dorado and
then “searched for it again”
Went to jail more than once (marring
Elizabeth’s lady in waiting and then
conspiring against King James)
Introduced Edmund Spenser to
England.
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
(Marlowe 1599)
The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd (Raleigh 1600)
 The Nymph’s reply is a direct answer to the popular
Passionate Shepherd.
 They relate in content and form.
 Form:
 6 stanzas: Each a quatrain
 Rhyme Scheme: AABB
 Meter: Iambic Tetrameter (4 iambs)
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the Rocks,
Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow Rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing Madrigals.
The speaker begins
with an invitation
for his love to come
live and experience
(prove) all the
pleasures.
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the Rocks,
Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow Rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing Madrigals.
He then paints a
pastoral, or idyllic image
of a utopian countryside.
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the Rocks,
Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow Rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing Madrigals.
The speaker paints a
very leisurely picture
for his intended.
Given what you know
about 16th century
life, could this be too
good to be true? How
does that add to the
moral ambiguity of
the speaker?
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the Rocks,
Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow Rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing Madrigals.
What poetic device adds
to the beauty of this
pastoral, idyllic scene?
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,
That Valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods, or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the Rocks,
Seeing the Shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow Rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing Madrigals.
Alliteration!
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
And I will make thee beds of Roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty Lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold;
Posies may refer to the
flower or the poem. E ither
way, he is implying a
physical relationship.
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
And I will make thee beds of Roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty Lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold;
The speaker
continues the images
of floral, natural bed
clothes that he will
make.
**Allusion to the
Garden of Eden?
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
And I will make thee beds of Roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty Lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold;
Describing each piece of
clothing is a riff on blazon
(poetic device describing parts
of a lover’s body)
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
A belt of straw and Ivy buds,
With Coral clasps and Amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.
The Shepherds’ Swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me, and be my love.
Hmm…promises
continue to feel too
good to be true.
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
A belt of straw and Ivy buds,
With Coral clasps and Amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.
The Shepherds’ Swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me, and be my love.
Physically charged
words and a repetition
of a possible refrain
help us see the
speaker’s true
motivation (and
desperation?)
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
A belt of straw and Ivy buds,
With Coral clasps and Amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.
The Shepherds’ Swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me, and be my love.
Now all the young
boys (Shepherd’s
Swains) will please
his intended.
May is an allusion to
May Day a pagan
celebration of
general debauchery.
The Passionate Shepherd to
His Love (Marlowe)
A belt of straw and Ivy buds,
With Coral clasps and Amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me, and be my love.
The Shepherds’ Swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me, and be my love.
His final repetition
of the invitation
continues the
theme of this
poem: Carpe Diem
(Seize the Day)
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move,
To live with thee, and be thy love.
Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb,
The rest complains of cares to come.
What does this initial
hypothetical imply about
the Nymph's answer?
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move,
To live with thee, and be thy love.
Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb,
The rest complains of cares to come.
Since these situations are
obviously not true, the
Nymph is saying no.
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move,
To live with thee, and be thy love.
Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb,
The rest complains of cares to come.
This use of the refrain
along with the title,
content and form
(quatrains, meter, and
scheme) solidify the
relationship between the
two poems.
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move,
To live with thee, and be thy love.
Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb,
The rest complains of cares to come.
Notice the
use of
alliteration…
it is just
beginning!
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move,
To live with thee, and be thy love.
Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb,
The rest complains of cares to come.
The speaker begins to
break down the
Shepherd’s argument:
•Seasons change and
we can’t hang out in
those beds of roses all
year.
•Your leisure activities
are impractical (sitting
on rocks)
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move,
To live with thee, and be thy love.
Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When Rivers rage and Rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb,
The rest complains of cares to come.
Philomel: Allusion,
Pun, and Symbol all in
one!
Allusion: Greek
mythology character
who turns into a bird.
Pun: Myth character
and also nightingale
and also instrument.
Poetic Symbol:
Inconstant love that
can end at any moment.
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
The flowers do fade, and wanton fields,
To wayward winter reckoning yields,
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall.
Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of Roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten:
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
The speaker
continues the imagery
of the seasons to point
out to the Shepherd
that spring doesn’t
last forever…
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
The flowers do fade, and wanton fields,
To wayward winter reckoning yields,
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall.
Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of Roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten:
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
Smooth words lead to brazen
actions which seem great in
the moment, but will be
regretted later.
**Gall means both brazen
and bitter
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
The flowers do fade, and wanton fields,
To wayward winter reckoning yields,
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall.
Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of Roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten:
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
What does the Nymph
say about the
Shepherd's seductive
clothing blazon?
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
The flowers do fade, and wanton fields,
To wayward winter reckoning yields,
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall.
Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of Roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten:
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
All his promises are
empty and will fade.
Ripe and Rotten:
continue the pastoral
imagery, but flip it on
its head.
Remember the double meaning of posies (flower
and poem)
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
Thy belt of straw and Ivy buds,
The Coral clasps and amber studs,
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy love.
But could youth last, and love still breed,
Had joys no date, nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee, and be thy love.
Flat out
rejection.
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
Thy belt of straw and Ivy buds,
The Coral clasps and amber studs,
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy love.
But could youth last, and love still breed,
Had joys no date, nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee, and be thy love.
Does this soften
the blow? In a
perfect world
where we were
always in the
spring of life,
then…maybe.
The Nymph’s Reply to the
Shepherd (Raleigh)
 The theme of carpe diem is turned
upside down.
 Since time flies, we should NOT seize
the day (because winter is around the
corner)
 We do not live in Eden, we live in a
fallen world.