Comparing and Contrasting “Cherry-Ripe” and Shakespeare’s “Sonnet XVIII”
“Cherry-Ripe” and “Sonnet XVIII” have many similarities and differences. They were written at around the same time so they both have similar historical contexts, though their authors had very different life experiences. Both authors rely on metaphors and symbolism to convey their themes of beauty. They also have the same rhythm, though the two poems have different structures. One of the poems is also much more sexually suggestive than the other. “Cherry-Ripe” was written by a British man named Thomas Campion, who lived 1567-1620. According to Jeffrey Pulver, Campion had a considerable amount of musical training by the time he started to publish some of his literary …show more content…
One of the differences between these two poems is their rhyme schemes. “Cherry-Ripe” has the rhyme scheme ABABCC DEDEFF GHGHII. This rhyme scheme emphasizes the last two lines of each stanza, one of which is always “Till ‘Cherry-Ripe’ themselves do cry” (18). Conversely, “Sonnet XVIII” has the rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG, which emphasizes the couplet at the end. Both utilize alternating rhymes, making both poems flow but they emphasize different parts of their poems. Similarly, their form is different as well. “Sonnet XVIII” is an English or Shakespearean Sonnet that has three quatrains and a couplet at the end. The quatrains all focus on the man and his beauty, while the couplet focuses on how her beauty will last “so long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,/So long lives this, and this gives life to thee” (13-14). Meanwhile, “Cherry-Ripe” consists of three stanzas that are six lines each. Each of these stanzas focuses on a different part of the woman’s face. The first stanza focuses on her skin, the second on her lips, and the third focuses on her eyes and brows. Additionally, “Sonnet XVIII” contains two caesuras in lines 13 and 14, while “Cherry-Ripe” does not contain any caesuras. The caesuras in “Sonnet XVIII” break the poem up and causes the reader to read the poem at a slower
“Cherry-Ripe” and “Sonnet XVIII” have many similarities and differences. They were written at around the same time so they both have similar historical contexts, though their authors had very different life experiences. Both authors rely on metaphors and symbolism to convey their themes of beauty. They also have the same rhythm, though the two poems have different structures. One of the poems is also much more sexually suggestive than the other. “Cherry-Ripe” was written by a British man named Thomas Campion, who lived 1567-1620. According to Jeffrey Pulver, Campion had a considerable amount of musical training by the time he started to publish some of his literary …show more content…
One of the differences between these two poems is their rhyme schemes. “Cherry-Ripe” has the rhyme scheme ABABCC DEDEFF GHGHII. This rhyme scheme emphasizes the last two lines of each stanza, one of which is always “Till ‘Cherry-Ripe’ themselves do cry” (18). Conversely, “Sonnet XVIII” has the rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG, which emphasizes the couplet at the end. Both utilize alternating rhymes, making both poems flow but they emphasize different parts of their poems. Similarly, their form is different as well. “Sonnet XVIII” is an English or Shakespearean Sonnet that has three quatrains and a couplet at the end. The quatrains all focus on the man and his beauty, while the couplet focuses on how her beauty will last “so long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,/So long lives this, and this gives life to thee” (13-14). Meanwhile, “Cherry-Ripe” consists of three stanzas that are six lines each. Each of these stanzas focuses on a different part of the woman’s face. The first stanza focuses on her skin, the second on her lips, and the third focuses on her eyes and brows. Additionally, “Sonnet XVIII” contains two caesuras in lines 13 and 14, while “Cherry-Ripe” does not contain any caesuras. The caesuras in “Sonnet XVIII” break the poem up and causes the reader to read the poem at a slower