Poem 1: Sonnet 29 By William Shakespeare Learning Objectives • Understand the different features of a Shakespearean Sonnet. • Look at how Shakespeare uses imagery and negative reinforcement to bring across his intention. • How a rhyming couplet ensures a profound ending to the poem. Finding A Silver Lining • Sometimes in life, we have difficult periods in which it can be difficult to see any positives. • Part of dealing with life’s pressures is our ability to motivate ourselves and remember that though things may be difficult now, they can always change for the better. • Individualism has reinforced the idea that we are all unique with special talents and abilities. Yet, we also spend a great deal of time comparing ourselves to others. Why? Is this just the way we are or is it a societal construct? • Whether it is family or friends, we all need people that we can rely on from time to time. The poem we are going to look at today does exactly that: expresses gratitude for someone’s existence and finds a silver lining. The Bard of Many Talents • Shakespeare is probably best remembered as a playwright. His 37 plays are still being performed and taught some 400 years after his death. How many of Shakespeare’s plays have you encountered before? Did you enjoy them? • Whilst Shakespeare frequently made use of poetic language or devices (such as soliloquys or songs) in his plays, he also found time to compose over 100 sonnets. • Some of them, such as Sonnet 116 (‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’) or Sonnet 18 (‘Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?’) are widely regarded as some of the best love poems ever written. But what exactly is a sonnet? Sonnets • There are two main types of sonnet that you are likely to encounter in your academic careers: • The Elizabethan or Shakespearean Sonnet • The Petrarchan or Italian Sonnet • We will be looking at examples of both types of poem in this unit. • Sonnets usually (but not always!) consist of 14 lines. The conventions that apply to this form are usually quite strict which means experimenting with it whilst retaining the look of a conventional sonnet is almost impossible. • Shakespeare was by no means the only English poet to use the sonnet form but he certainly perfected it in a way that few others did. Hence, we can call them “Shakespearean”sonnets. The Shakespearean Sonnet • Shakespearean sonnets consist of 14 lines that are divided up into different parts: • 3 Quatrains (Four lines usually with a single image or idea expressed in each of them but again, not always!) • A rhyming couplet (Two lines at the end of the poem that MUST rhyme) • An easy way to tell the difference between a Shakespearean sonnet and an Petrarchan or Italian sonnet is to look at the final two lines of the poem: if they rhyme, chances are you are looking at a Shakespearean Sonnet. Sonnet 29: Differential Diagnosis • The poem begins almost as a lament: the speaker in the poem is clearly not in good spirits. Which words tell us this and help to create a sense of despondency? • What is the effect of the semi-colon (;) at the end of the second quatrain? • Why do you think the perspective shifts from an inward one to a more outward focus? What is the speaker attempting to express? • What is the effect of the rhyming couplet? Why do you think Shakespeare chooses to end his poem off in this manner? Negative Reinforcement • Shakespeare was fond of this technique in much of his poetry. Instead of writing about what a person is or expressing what they mean to him (like every other poet) he chooses to focus on what they are not. • He does so in order to highlight what they are through the use of contrast. Contrast is usually established directly by placing two opposing ideas or images in close proximity to one another. • In this case, the speaker begins by examining themselves and what they perceive their flaws to be. • They then move onto what they lack when compared to others. • But in the third quatrain, we see the speaker begin to find their silver lining: the speaker thinks of the person they love and ultimately, this helps to restore their spirits to such an extent that they would not trade it away. Famous Last Words: The Rhyming Couplet • The rhyming couplet is the crowing achievement of any Shakespearean sonnet. Not only is it an incredibly difficult skill to master but it is also the last chance the poet has to bring their intention across. • Shakespeare lived in a time where social mobility was virtually impossible. Added to this, life for most people was a struggle often filled with danger and grief. Political instability, civil wars, religious persecution, disease, relentless taxation and a lack of opportunity meant life for the average person in Britain in the 16th and 17th Centuries was pretty tough. Who in their right mind when offered a chance to be royalty would not want to take it?? • Therein lies the genius of what Shakespeare is arguing in the rhyming couplet: think about what we mean when we use the word wealth?
