Comparing Poetry by William Shakespeare and Phillip Sidney William Shakespeare and Phillip Sidney’s sonnets (specifically, 130 for Shakespeare and 7 for Sidney) do similar things like comparing women to things in nature, but they come up with different conclusions in the end. For example, one could say that Shakespeare compares the woman in his poem to nature in order to prove that it isn’t necessary to be similar nature to make her beautiful and rare. Then, Sidney compares his lady, Stella, to nature and says that it made her his way and he gives several reasons or possible explanations for this but eventually shifts and comes to a rather different conclusion in the very end that the reason that her eyes are black is to mourn the death of
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In Sidney’s sonnet seven, he writes “When Nature made her chief work, Stella’s eyes, In colour black, why wrapped she beams so bright?” (1-2). In these lines he is asking why Nature made Stella the way that it did because the typical beautiful eyes of the time were not usually considered to be dark ones. Sidney is asking why Nature would make eyes dark that are so bright. The brightness, however, can still be seen even in their dark hue. In sonnet one hundred thirty by Shakespeare, he writes “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red,” (1-2). In these lines, Shakespeare is going against the traditional Petrarchan poetry traditions (comparing a lady to coral, diamonds, ivory, roses, etc.) because even though he is still comparing her to nature, he is not doing so in the typical way. Usually the poet would compare her to specific things nature and say that she was beautiful like something natural, but he is saying that she is not like the other ladies. In both of these sonnets, ladies are compared to things in nature and it is being said that they are not the typical “beautiful lady” who is comparable to physical traits or objects that are highly acclaimed in society. This is not to say that the ladies are not “natural,” they just are not the rare and highly valuable things that are found in nature like coral, roses, diamonds, and …show more content…
In Sidney’s poem, he begins by asking why Nature made Stella’s eyes black, and then continues to pose several possible explanations to answer this initial question like her beauty would be overwhelming if her eyes were not black or that Nature made her eyes black to prove that her beauty is so powerful that it can make even the color black seem stunning. However, he gives his strongest answer to his opening question in the last two lines: Nature has made Stella’s eyes black so as to mourn the deaths of all of the men who die from loving her too strongly. Sidney shifts from giving rather superficial explanations for the color of Stella’s eyes to giving a deeper and more emotional answer. He goes from outside appearances and expressions to the profound feeling of love so strong that men die for it. In Shakespeare’s poem, he runs a somewhat humorous tone by saying things like how his lady’s hair is like wire and that when she walks, the sound is not entirely pleasant, but then, like Sidney, he has a shift in the last two lines of the sonnet. He says “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare,” (13-14). Here, he changes from painting a rather unpleasant picture of his lady by comparing her to dull colors, having wiry hair, and reeking breath, to saying that she is
In Sidney’s sonnet seven, he writes “When Nature made her chief work, Stella’s eyes, In colour black, why wrapped she beams so bright?” (1-2). In these lines he is asking why Nature made Stella the way that it did because the typical beautiful eyes of the time were not usually considered to be dark ones. Sidney is asking why Nature would make eyes dark that are so bright. The brightness, however, can still be seen even in their dark hue. In sonnet one hundred thirty by Shakespeare, he writes “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red,” (1-2). In these lines, Shakespeare is going against the traditional Petrarchan poetry traditions (comparing a lady to coral, diamonds, ivory, roses, etc.) because even though he is still comparing her to nature, he is not doing so in the typical way. Usually the poet would compare her to specific things nature and say that she was beautiful like something natural, but he is saying that she is not like the other ladies. In both of these sonnets, ladies are compared to things in nature and it is being said that they are not the typical “beautiful lady” who is comparable to physical traits or objects that are highly acclaimed in society. This is not to say that the ladies are not “natural,” they just are not the rare and highly valuable things that are found in nature like coral, roses, diamonds, and …show more content…
In Sidney’s poem, he begins by asking why Nature made Stella’s eyes black, and then continues to pose several possible explanations to answer this initial question like her beauty would be overwhelming if her eyes were not black or that Nature made her eyes black to prove that her beauty is so powerful that it can make even the color black seem stunning. However, he gives his strongest answer to his opening question in the last two lines: Nature has made Stella’s eyes black so as to mourn the deaths of all of the men who die from loving her too strongly. Sidney shifts from giving rather superficial explanations for the color of Stella’s eyes to giving a deeper and more emotional answer. He goes from outside appearances and expressions to the profound feeling of love so strong that men die for it. In Shakespeare’s poem, he runs a somewhat humorous tone by saying things like how his lady’s hair is like wire and that when she walks, the sound is not entirely pleasant, but then, like Sidney, he has a shift in the last two lines of the sonnet. He says “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare,” (13-14). Here, he changes from painting a rather unpleasant picture of his lady by comparing her to dull colors, having wiry hair, and reeking breath, to saying that she is