Anyone who is familiar with famed writer William Shakespeare can easily list some of his most famous plays, such as the tragedies Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet. Many casual readers do not recognize his sonnets, except for perhaps his eighteenth, which describes a lover who is compared to a beautiful summer day. The majority of his sonnets are fairly unknown to many people, so they miss the part of his writing that offers a more personal glance into his life and opinions. In his sonnets, Shakespeare masks himself behind an unknown, imaginary poet in order to communicate his personal beliefs on love, time, beauty, and competition.
All 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets are categorized into multiple topics; the first and largest category pertains to …show more content…
This person is the aforementioned young man, who might just be a platonic interest. The poet cannot get enough of the woman’s love, though he simultaneously feels regretful of his sinful behavior. He makes it apparent that his woman’s appearance is not very attractive, and does not match with the beauty standards at the time. Sonnet 130, one of Shakespeare’s most famous, describes that this woman’s skin, lips and cheeks are unappealing and dull. However, the poet prides himself in believing that he loves this woman regardless, because at least his opinions about her are honest. Some of the other poets he knows probably share descriptions of their lovers that are dishonest or “belied with false compare” (Shakespeare). In Sonnet 141, the poet gives a similar description of his female lover. Her outward appearance is not attractive, but the poem ends in his thinking that he is trapped in her love and cannot escape the lustful sin. In this series of sonnets, Shakespeare is communicating that his poet is terrified to lose the female lover because he loves her, but at the same time he feels regretful over the immoral affair. Sonnet 145 explains that the poet was sure the woman was about to say “I hate [you]” but when she finished her statement with “…not you,” he felt so relieved that she figuratively saved
All 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets are categorized into multiple topics; the first and largest category pertains to …show more content…
This person is the aforementioned young man, who might just be a platonic interest. The poet cannot get enough of the woman’s love, though he simultaneously feels regretful of his sinful behavior. He makes it apparent that his woman’s appearance is not very attractive, and does not match with the beauty standards at the time. Sonnet 130, one of Shakespeare’s most famous, describes that this woman’s skin, lips and cheeks are unappealing and dull. However, the poet prides himself in believing that he loves this woman regardless, because at least his opinions about her are honest. Some of the other poets he knows probably share descriptions of their lovers that are dishonest or “belied with false compare” (Shakespeare). In Sonnet 141, the poet gives a similar description of his female lover. Her outward appearance is not attractive, but the poem ends in his thinking that he is trapped in her love and cannot escape the lustful sin. In this series of sonnets, Shakespeare is communicating that his poet is terrified to lose the female lover because he loves her, but at the same time he feels regretful over the immoral affair. Sonnet 145 explains that the poet was sure the woman was about to say “I hate [you]” but when she finished her statement with “…not you,” he felt so relieved that she figuratively saved