The Sonnets Sir Philip Sidney In about 1582, Sidney composed a sonnet sequence called Astrophel and Stella which contained 108 sonnets. This series is an autobiographical story of the relationship between Astrophel and Stella, representing Sidney and his former lover Penelope Devereaux respectively. Their engagement didn‟t work out and the sonnets correspond to the unrequited love and how much he suffers from it. Sonnet 31 Adventures in English Literature, page 159 In the first quatrain, Astrophel observes “how silently” and “with how a wan a face” the moon is climbing the sky. He recognizes in its pale face the same lovesickness he himself is experiencing. In lines 3 and 4, he questions whether Cupid‟s arrows have struck it even in a “heavenly place.” In the next quatrain, he concludes that that may be the source of the moon‟s “long-with-love-acquainted eyes,” that it is lovesick (“thou feel‟st a lover‟s case”). He recognizes its “languished grace” the same as he recognizes it in himself. In the last q uatrain, he asks the moon if women there were “as proud as here they be,” do they desire love yet scorn those that give them love, and do they call ungratefulness there a virtue. The connection between the moon and himself represents personification in which Sidney gives the moon human emotions. The moon can also be seen as an allusion to Diana, the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. He speaks to it as if it were a human being with human qualities. Although Diana is a perpetual virgin unaffected by love, Astrophel comes to the conclusion that Cupid‟s arrows were strong enough to make her love and she is therefore suffering from it. Sonnet 39 Adventures in English Literature , page 159 Astrophel appears to be suffering from his infatuation with Stella and therefore cannot sleep. The poem begins with him crying for sleep to come; he calls it the “poor man‟s wealth, the prisoner‟s release,” begging it to release him from his suffering. In the second quatrain, he asks Sleep to alleviate his suffering and cease the “civil war” that is raging between his heart and his head. In the third quatrain, he says all he asks for are “smooth pillows, sweetest bed,” “a chamber deaf to noise and blind to light.” Finally, in the last couplet, he devises a way to make sleep come to him. He tells it that once he is asleep, Stella will appear in his dreams, therefore continuing his suffering.
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The Sonnets
Sir Philip Sidney
In about 1582, Sidney composed a sonnet sequence called Astrophel and Stella which
contained 108 sonnets. This series is an autobiographical story of the relationship between
Astrophel and Stella, representing Sidney and his former lover Penelope Devereaux respectively.
Their engagement didn‟t work out and the sonnets correspond to the unrequited love and how
much he suffers from it.
Sonnet 31
Adventures in English Literature, page 159
In the first quatrain, Astrophel observes “how silently” and “with how a wan a face” the
moon is climbing the sky. He recognizes in its pale face the same lovesickness he himself is
experiencing. In lines 3 and 4, he questions whether Cupid‟s arrows have struck it even in a
“heavenly place.” In the next quatrain, he concludes that that may be the source of the moon‟s
“long-with-love-acquainted eyes,” that it is lovesick (“thou feel‟st a lover‟s case”). He
recognizes its “languished grace” the same as he recognizes it in himself. In the last quatrain, he
asks the moon if women there were “as proud as here they be,” do they desire love yet scorn
those that give them love, and do they call ungratefulness there a virtue.
The connection between the moon and himself represents personification in which
Sidney gives the moon human emotions. The moon can also be seen as an allusion to Diana, the
goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. He speaks to it as if it were a human being with
human qualities. Although Diana is a perpetual virgin unaffected by love, Astrophel comes to the
conclusion that Cupid‟s arrows were strong enough to make her love and she is therefore
suffering from it.
Sonnet 39
Adventures in English Literature, page 159
Astrophel appears to be suffering from his infatuation with Stella and therefore cannot
sleep. The poem begins with him crying for sleep to come; he calls it the “poor man‟s wealth, the
prisoner‟s release,” begging it to release him from his suffering. In the second quatrain, he asks
Sleep to alleviate his suffering and cease the “civil war” that is raging between his heart and his
head. In the third quatrain, he says all he asks for are “smooth pillows, sweetest bed,” “a
chamber deaf to noise and blind to light.” Finally, in the last couplet, he devises a way to make
sleep come to him. He tells it that once he is asleep, Stella will appear in his dreams, therefore
continuing his suffering.
Once again, Sidney is using a figure of speech to reference something to another. Here,
he uses an apostrophe where his heart and his head are referenced to love and reason. Reason and
love are personified as being in constant battle because of Stella‟s scorn. His head knows that his
infatuation is foolish and futile while his heart is persistent and insistent. There is also irony
because although he is begging sleep to relieve him of his suffering from Stella, an image of
Stella will always be in his mind, whether he is awake or asleep.
Edmund Spenser
Sonnet 75
Adventures of English Literature, page 156
In this sonnet, Spencer claims to impart immortality upon his beloved. The first two lines
tell of how he wrote his love‟s name on the beach, but the waves washed it away. Lines 3 and 4
tell of how he attempted to rewrite it but again the waves erased it. This indicates the metaphor
between his efforts (pains) being eaten (“made…his prey”). Likewise, the waves are seen as a
symbol of time, a never ending cycle.
In the second quatrain, his beloved speaks of his efforts as futile and indicates that like
her name, she, too, will eventually be wiped away (“For I myself shall like to this decay”). From
here, Spenser makes the allusion between this sonnet and Christianity, that mortality is an
inevitable inheritance among all living things. Although he speaks of the unavoidability of death
in the octet, he claims that he will be able to impart immortality among his beloved in the sestet.
This is especially indicated in lines 11 and 12. Although he reassures her in lines 9 and 10
that she will not die the way her name was washed away, without a trace or implant in the world,
her “glorious name” will be written in the heavens, signifying that heaven serves as the ultimate
immortality. In the last couplet, Spencer tells her that their love will overshadow death, that they
will live on in the afterlife (“Our love shall live, and later life renew”).
Sonnet 79
Adventures of English Literature, page 157
In this sonnet, Spenser is speaking to a woman about what he believes is true beauty. He
starts off the first two lines saying that the women men call beautiful know that they are beautiful
too. In lines 3 and 4, he states that the truly beautiful women are the ones with a “gentle wit”
and “virtuous mind.” In the second quatrain, he says that the women with only external beauty
will eventually fade because of the effects of “frail corruption,” in which age will cause the
outward beauty to “turn to naught and lose that glorious hue.” Spenser therefore informs the
woman that true beauty is one that does not fade, unlike external beauty, because it is the person
that‟s inside that matter.
In the final quatrain, according to Spenser, the reason why women possess true beauty is
because God created her, making her “divine and born of heavenly seed”. This is where “perfect
beauty did at first proceed” because she is “derived from that fair Spirit.”
Furthermore there is a consonance of “t” and “d” sounds that give a harsh tone especially
in the three quatrains. In line 6, “Shall turn to naught” has a harsh “t” sound which indicates
Spencer‟s disapproval of women with only external beauty. The “d” sounds in the final quatrain
emphasize Spencer‟s reason for why internal beauty is more important, especially in line 12,
“And perfect beauty did at first proceed.”
In the last couplet, there is a change in tone. The “t” and “d” sounds disappear with “r”
sounds replacing them. The “r” sounds contribute to a softer tone in contrast to the lines before
which had a harsher tone. The “r” sounds in “fair,” “flowers,” and “fade” create a more soothing
attitude in Spencer‟s voice. This can be referenced to Spencer‟s strong belief in God and it is
illustrated through a more consolatory approach.
William Shakespeare
In 1609, Shakespeare published 154 sonnets in the same story structure as Sidney‟s
Astrophel and Stella. In contrast, Shakespeare‟s sonnets are much more mysterious, addressing
three different people, one a young man with great beauty and promise, another a rival poet, and
the other a lady with dark hair, eyes, and complexion. To add drama, both the speaker and young
man seem to be romantically linked to the lady. In relation to meaning, Shakespeare explores the
themes and questions of time and death, beauty and moral integrity, love, and poetry.
Sonnet 18
Adventures in English Literature, page 166
In the first quatrain, the speaker attempts to compare the young man‟s beauty to a
summer‟s day but decides that there is no comparison, for the young man‟s beauty is “more
lovely and more temperate.” This is also because the summer is fleeting and inconsistent,
especially in lines 3 and 4. He then goes on to describe the imperfections of summer saying that
it is “too hot” and that “his gold complexion” is often “dimmed” by passing clouds. The speaker
suggests that the summer brings great disappointment through these lines in contrast with the
youth, whose “eternal summer shall not fade.”
The speaker also seems to want to immortalize the youth. He doesn‟t want his beauty to
fade even though death is inevitable as explicitly stated in line 7. The third quatrain illustrates the
speaker‟s claim that the young man will not “lose possession of that fair thou owest” and “nor
shall death brag thou wander‟st in his shade,” meaning that death will not affect his beauty. His
reason is found in line 12, where he plans to capture the youth‟s beauty in his verse (“eternal
lines”), which he believes will outlast the ravages of time. The couplet further exemplifies his
reasoning when he says “so long lives this” (this sonnet) will the young man‟s beauty live
forever (“and this gives life to thee”).
Sonnet 29
Adventures in English Literature, page 167
In this sonnet, the speaker laments on his misfortunes and his outcast state (lines 1 and 2).
He says he is abandoned by everyone and weeps to the “deaf heaven.” The source for his
depression results from his separation from the young man, who is “with friends possessed.” The
second half of the second quatrain indicates that the speaker wishes he had those qualities and
wealth that the youth and his friends posses so that he, too, can be with them.
In lines 9 through 12, however, his attitude begins to change to a more optimistic state
when he recalls his friendship with the youth (“Haply I think on thee”). He establishes a
metaphor comparing his happiness of these memories to a “lark at break of day arising/From
sullen earth, sings hymns at Heaven‟s gate.” The last couplet concludes his attitude to the
separation: his memories of the youth‟s love and friendship keep him moving forward.
Sonnet 30
Adventures in English Literature, page 167
The speaker feels a growing attachment to the young man and the reader now realizes
that the speaker cannot function without him. The sonnet begins with the speaker drifting off into
“remembrance of things past”. The reader learns that these are painful memories with the death
of his friends and former love affairs that have ended. He has already lamented on these
memories yet he is lamenting again as though he has never had before. The concluding couplet
brings the appearance of the young man who serves as a cure for his grievances (“But if the
while I think on thee, dear friend/All losses are restored and sorrows end”).
Shakespeare conveys the beauty of the speaker‟s lamentation through great use of
alliteration such as “sessions of sweet silent thought,” “with old woes new my dear time‟s
waste,” and “then I can grieve at grievances forgone.” In addition, he also uses assonance with
the ending “-nce,” especially in “remembrances” and “grievances.”
Sonnet 73
Adventures in English Literature, page 168
The speaker in this sonnet fears the coming of the end of his life. Shakespeare illustrates
the passage of time in three different stages: the first quatrain focusing on months, the second
quatrain shortening to hours, and in the third is the finale.
In the first quatrain, he compares his approaching death to the late autumn season
approaching the winter, where everything is dead (“Upon those boughs which shake against the
cold/Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang”). In the second quatrain, his life is
shortened further. His sun has “fadeth in the west” and “death‟s second self” (night) will put him
to sleep, or is bringing closer his death.
The first two quatrains establish life as an infinite cycle, whereas quatrain three imparts
to the speaker that death is permanent; it does not come and go. This is when he compares
himself to a fire, but a fire will be extinguished and it is not reborn from ashes (“That on the
ashes of his youth doth lie/As the deathbed whereon it must expire”). The final couplet addresses
the recipient, perhaps the young man, that one‟s love should grow stronger as one's time left to
love is running out.
Shakespeare uses metaphors in this sonnet, such as when he‟s comparing the speaker‟s
death to the late autumn season and to a fire extinguished into ash. In addition, yellow is used as
a symbol of age or passing of time whereas black is used to symbolize the dreaded or death.
Sonnet 116
Adventures in English Literature, page 168
This is one of Shakespeare‟s most famous sonnets because of his defense for true love.
The first quatrain asserts that true love is immortal and unchanging; it holds no restrictions (“Let
me not to the marriage of true minds/Admit impediments”) and it never changes (“Love is not
love which alters when it alteration finds”). The second quatrain establishes two metaphors: it is
“an ever-fixed mark,” a sea mark that navigators use to guide their course, and “the star to every
wandering bark,” meaning it is the North Star. In the final quatrain, the speaker establishes love‟s
undying essence prevailing against the “bending sickle” of time. He states that love far outlasts
time‟s “brief hours and weeks” and that love will withstand even until Judgment Day. In the final
couplet, the speaker puts his own merits on the line; if what he‟s said is proven false, then he‟s
never written and no one has ever loved.
Sonnet 130
Adventures in English Literature, page 169
In this sonnet, Shakespeare makes comparisons of the things beautiful in nature to that of
the dark lady. In the first three quatrains, the speaker provides contrasting similes and metaphors.
For instance, in the first quatrain, he says her eyes are “nothing like the sun” and her “breasts are
dun,” meaning that her breasts aren‟t as pale and fair. He also says, in the second quatrain, that
he‟s seen “roses damasked,” roses of a variety of color (i.e. red, pink, white, etc.), yet he‟s seen
“no such roses” in “her cheeks,” implying that her face possesses no natural beauty. In quatrain
three, he compares her to a goddess, but unlike other exaggerated comparisons, he states her
walk is like that of a mortal, that she is not a goddess. In the final couplet, he describes her just as
extraordinary (“rare”) as any other woman who is exaggeratedly compared to a goddess. The
reader learns that despite the comparisons he made in the first three quatrains, he loves her
nonetheless.
John Donne
In the early 17th
century, Donne wrote a series of nineteen sonnets, which he called Holy
Sonnets. These sonnets represent Donne‟s strong belief in God and deals with the themes of
repentance and revelation.
Holy Sonnet 4
Adventures in English Literature, page 269
In the first quatrain, Donne makes the allusion to the Book of Revelations in the Bible. In
the first quatrain, he tells the angels at the four corners of the earth to blow their trumpets and
calls for the sinful souls to “arise from death” and return to their “scattered bodies.” In line 5, the
“flood” and the “fire” allude to the great flood of Noah and the destructive fire prophesized in