Questions & Answers Question: What emotions are revealed by the diction of Shakespeare Sonnet 138? Answer: Sonnet 138 is traditionally classified as a "Dark Lady" sonnet; thus the speaker is exploring his relationship with that woman. He remains emotionally and physically (sexually) attracted to her, yet he feels that he is wasting his time and effort on her. His emotions run through disdain, disgust, disappointment and likely considerable grief at himself for allowing the continuation of the affair. Question: What is the mood of the Shakespeare sonnet 138? Answer: The mood or tone is somewhat playful; he is playing with deceit: Readers familiar with this speaker's devotion to truth as portrayed in his "Muse Sonnets" may find the falsity of this sonnet sequence a bit jarring. But if one notes carefully, the poet/speaker is quite aware of his allowing himself to be deceived, and he thus makes it clear that he is obviously just playing along to satisfy his lustful needs that he knows do not represent his higher self. Question: What is the theme of "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe? Answer: The theme of The Passionate Shepherd to his Love is a perceived idyllic life in Question: What is the purpose of the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe? Answer: The apparent purpose of the poem ‘The Passionate Shepherd to His Love’ is seduction. At least that is the purpose of the voice in the poem, who is entreating the person addressed to become his lover, promising all manner of wonderful things. However, a further purpose of the poem is to present an idealized view of rural life Question: how is the courtship expressed in the poem "Courtship in The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe? Answer: The poem is about seduction/enticement. These are the strategies that the voice in the poem is employing to lure his beloved to an erotic lifestyle in the countryside. He creates an idyllic image of country life and makes unrealistic but enticing promises about how he will use the bounty of nature to create for her wonderful items of clothing. Question: How should an essay about the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" begin? Answer: This question is really related to a general convention about how to structure an essay. A structured essay has a brief introductory paragraph that tells the reader what he can expect to be reading about in the main body of the work. This is followed by the main body of the essay and then a short conclusion. In other words 1. Briefly tell the reader what you intend to write about 2. Write about your main points, following each one with an example that illustrates the point 3. Conclude you have fulfilled the intention of the essay With regard to an essay about this poem, you must first familiarise yourself with the poem. You are then in a position to decide which specific aspects of it you will write about. The introduction that you write, in no more than a few sentences, might include the name of the poem and the poet, and the date it was written, followed by a brief summary of the aspects of the poem you will address in the main body of the essay. Give examples in your essay with an analysis of how these have contributed to the impression that the poem has made upon you. Question: Who is speaking and who is spoken to in the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe? Answer: We are not told who the voice in the poem belongs to, neither do we know who the voice is speaking to. However, the promised garments suggest that the person addressed is a female. Homosexuality was a serious crime at the time when the poem was written, so on that basis, we can assume that the voice is male. Question: From which anthology is the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe taken? Answer: Try the Penguin Classics Edition, The Complete Poems and Translations, Christopher Marlowe: ISBN 978 0-14-310495-7. Question: What is the poem 'Come Live With Me And Be My Love' about? Answer: Come Live With Me And Be My Love is a poem in the pastoral tradition, a mode of writing which idealizes country life and invariably includes references to shepherds. The prominent literary theorist Terry Gifford defines three different categories of pastoral literature, one of which is that of contrasting urban life with country life. Come Live With Me and Be My Love seems to fit into this category. The contrast is implicit as opposed to explicit. It lies in naming material goods that would have been found in wealthy 17th century homes. To seduce his love, the speaker idealizes these urban material pleasures in pastoral terms, rather than promoting simple pastoral pleasures. For example, consider: "lined slippers," "purest gold," "silver dishes," and "ivory table" (lines 13, 15, 16, 21, 23). Question: What is the ‘coral clasp’ mentioned in ‘The Passionate Shepherd To His Love’? Answer: Coral is a shade of orange, first recorded in the English language in 1513. A clasp, in the context of the poem, is a means of securing a belt on the waist - a buckle, for example. Question: What do the materials that are mentioned by the speaker in the "Passionate Shepherd to His Love" have in common? Answer: The Passionate Shepherd to His Love is a pastoral poem. Reflecting the genre, most of the materials mentioned are plants - roses, flowers, myrtle, straw ivy, wool. All are promised as materials to make garments for the person addressed by the speaker. The exceptions, which are not plants, are gold, coral and amber - but all of these are also materials that the speaker promises will be materials to make items of clothing to adorn his beloved.
