Shakespeare Sonnet 8 Essay

Considered to be one of the best—if not the greatest writer in the English language—William Shakespeare continues to dominate the world of literature, nearly five hundred years after his death. His infamous novels: Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, King Henry VI, to name a few, are celebrated and read at every corner of the globe; however, it is Shakespeare’s sonnets that continue to hold a sense of mystery as they are far less analyzed in comparison to his plays. Shakespeare’s sonnets appeal to readers who are familiar with Shakespeare’s intimate tie between both historical and literary events—making for a smaller audience—but presenting a greater sense of intimacy between one of the greatest collections of poetry in the English language and the …show more content…
Within the poem, the poet appears to be rather jealous of his mistress playing as well as touching the instrument rather than him: “Do I envie those Iackes that numble leape” (5). This frustration continues to grow as the poet fantasizes kissing his mistress in the same controlled yet tender manner that she appears to be using while playing the instrument. In the concluding couplet of the sonnet, the poet calls the instrument’s levers “saucy Iackes so happy” and rather than continue his melancholy behavior, the poet finds comfort in the Dark Lady’s—his mistress’s—sensual manner while she continues to play the musical instrument (13). The poem is intricate in the sense that the frustration the poet feels carries on through the piece while the young mistress continues to play the wooden instrument rather beautifully, and the thoughts and emotions of both characters are muddled together with the music. Shakespeare is able to beautifully depict music in both of these poems, but in addition to portraying the sweet tones, Shakespeare is also able to depict numerology—adding to the complexity of his