Analysis Of Sonnet 116 'And A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning'

As time goes on, society ages. The values people hold dear also changes with time. Throughout history, each new period/age tends to emphasize different values and mindsets. For example, topics such as individuality and humanism were of huge interest during the Renaissance but were less important in the 17th century. “The Renaissance [embraced] a series of religious, economic, and political changes which [rippled] into areas of science, literature, and philosophy” (Judkins). It was during this time that authors such as Shakespeare gained great prominence for exploring the sources of humanity’s ideas and emotions within his works. The 17th century, on the other hand, focused greatly on expression and focused less on the greatness of humanity …show more content…
For example, when comparing intellectual love to various inanimate objects, the speaker in “Sonnet 116” says, “It is the star to every wandering bark / Whose worth 's unknown, although his height be taken” (Shakespeare 7-8). By comparing intellectual love to a star, Shakespeare emphasizes how intellectual love has more potential than any other type of love. The star in the sky represents “love of the minds” as stars are great and powerful. Because stars are distant, they are able to guide ships to their destination through observation. Essentially, the speaker in the sonnet advocates for the same in love. The speaker calls for an “untouchable” love that is great and guiding, but not based on physical feel. Although intellectual love is portrayed as a transcending love, the description of intellectual love in conjunction with time and death throughout the poem as well as lack of humans in its description creates a detached tone throughout the sonnet. When compared to “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”, Donne’s poem actively mentions humans in order to tell …show more content…
No matter how far apart the two lovers are, a marriage based on spiritual love always unites the two people. Also, because they are connected at the top and the bases can be spread apart, it demonstrates the necessity of both physical love and a love based on the spirit or mind. Donne’s poem is structured so that it contains 4 unique conceits that deal with the topic of true love. While Shakespeare’s sonnet is modeled in a similar way, “Sonnet 116” is more similar to that of a logical argument that ends with conditional statements; thus, Shakespeare writes, “If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved” (Shakespeare 13-14). Essentially, Shakespeare intentionally designed “Sonnet 116” to model an argument to stress the importance of a highly logical love. However, upon closer inspection, the first twelve lines make logical sense while the couplet reveals a logical fallacy. Because the “Sonnet 116” is comprised of a series of logical arguments, when the couplet is reversed, the statement that is created should be true. However, the statement “I never writ, nor no man ever loved” is false. Thus, it indicates that the speaker is ultimately confused as to what true love really is. Whereas John Donne understands that love is both spiritual and physical, the speaker in “Sonnet 116” is left misunderstood,