“Two loves I have, of comfort and despair” – for somebody who is familiar with that kind of poetry, this beginning of Shakespeare’s sonnet 144 should be striking for at least two reasons: 1) For one thing, it is the fact that the lyrical speaker talks of two loved ones. Usually, sonnets praise one beloved person (or concept, such as love itself) which the speakers love with all their heart but which they cannot reach for one reason or another. 2) The emotions the lyrical speaker has towards those loves are quite strange: “comfort and despair”. Typically, the predominant if not the only feeling the speakers of such love poetry have is love, without any further requests, regrets, or conditions under which they love, especially without such biased concepts as “comfort and despair”. Hopefully, it becomes clear that this Shakespearean sonnet is far from being typical of the genre, at least as far as the treatment of the addressee is concerned.
However, this peculiarity is not only limited to this poem, but it permeates all of Shakespeare’s sonnets, which are an outstanding example of the development and changes taking place within that genre. And this is also the reason why, in this paper, I will be concerned with Shakespeare’s addressees in his sonnets, pointing to striking attitudes the speaker has towards his addressees, hinting at the development of the relations, and also outlining the Elizabethan sonnet tradition. [...]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Elizabethan Sonnet Tradition
3. Shakespeare’s Adressees
3.1. The Fair Male Youth
3.2. The Dark Lady
4. Thus…
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines how William Shakespeare revolutionized the sonnet genre through his unique treatment of addressees, moving beyond traditional Petrarchan tropes to introduce more complex and realistic depictions of love and human relations.
- The historical development of the Elizabethan sonnet tradition
- The shift from traditional female muses to the Fair Male Youth
- Analysis of the Dark Lady as a subversion of conventional beauty ideals
- The transition from secular, romantic love to more abstract thematic concepts
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. The Fair Male Youth
The question that arises at the beginning is: how do we know that it is a man, which is considered to be fair; for we have heard that it was usually women who were praised by the lyrical speakers of sonnets. The answer is conceivably simple: the speaker says it explicitly. Apart from numerous allusions to the sex of the addressee throughout the whole sequence, the lyrical speaker explicitly states in 144, 3: “The better angel is a man right fair”.
And that he seems to have stronger feelings towards this youth already becomes obvious in 10, 11-14:
Be as thy presence is, gracious and kind;
Or to thyself at least kind-hearted prove,
Make thee another self for love of me,
That beauty still may live in thine or thee.
As far as the word ‘presence’ is concerned, Jones notes that it refers to the “visible demeanour, appearance” of the addressee (130), indicating that the speaker’s loved one looks “gracious and kind”, but that he does not act that way. The speaker is hurt by that, wanting his love to be a good person, and therefore he appeals to his personality. What is striking about this passage is that the speaker does not want the youth to change “for the sake of the world” (Jones: 130), but rather “for love of me” (10, 13), i.e. as “a gesture of affection to the speaker” (Jones: 130). Here, it becomes clear that the speaker is striving to gain the addressee’s attention and emotion.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction establishes the non-traditional nature of Shakespeare’s sonnets, specifically regarding the complex emotions of "comfort and despair" and the unique addressees he employs.
2. The Elizabethan Sonnet Tradition: This chapter outlines the historical origins of the sonnet from Petrarch through Wyatt, establishing the traditional beauty ideals and thematic limitations that Shakespeare would eventually challenge.
3. Shakespeare’s Adressees: This section investigates the two primary figures in Shakespeare's sonnet sequence, the Fair Male Youth and the Dark Lady, exploring how these relationships deviate from conventional Elizabethan standards.
3.1. The Fair Male Youth: This chapter analyzes how Shakespeare explicitly addresses a male youth, using metaphors of nature and time to explore themes of eternal beauty, affection, and spiritual intimacy.
3.2. The Dark Lady: This chapter argues against the notion that the "Dark Lady" is merely a symbol of disgust, positing instead that she represents a more realistic, ambivalent, and human character than previous sonnet muses.
4. Thus…: The conclusion summarizes Shakespeare’s role as a "poet of transition" who bridged traditional sonnet forms with new, abstract, and realistic approaches to love.
Keywords
Shakespeare, Sonnets, Elizabethan Tradition, Fair Male Youth, Dark Lady, Petrarchan, Transition, Love, Human Relations, Poetry, Addressees, Beauty Ideals, Literary Analysis, Ambivalence, Modernity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this academic paper?
The paper explores how Shakespeare deviates from the established Elizabethan sonnet tradition through his specific choice and treatment of the addressees in his sonnet sequence.
What are the central thematic areas covered in the analysis?
The themes include the evolution of the sonnet genre, the subversion of beauty ideals, the nature of human relationships, and the transition toward more abstract concepts of love.
What is the primary research goal of the author?
The author aims to demonstrate that Shakespeare acted as a "poet of transition" by combining traditional genre elements with revolutionary new themes and characterizations.
Which scientific or analytical methods does the author employ?
The author utilizes literary analysis and close reading of specific sonnets, supplemented by critical references to scholarly editors like Katherine Duncan Jones.
What does the main body of the work focus on?
The main body is divided into the analysis of the Fair Male Youth, highlighting the speaker's search for permanence, and the Dark Lady, emphasizing her realism and the speaker's complex emotional entanglement.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Shakespeare, Elizabethan Sonnet Tradition, Fair Male Youth, Dark Lady, Transition, and Beauty Ideals.
How does the author interpret the relationship between the speaker and the Dark Lady?
The author rejects the idea that the speaker hates the Dark Lady, instead suggesting that their relationship is characterized by a realistic and often painful ambivalence that sets them apart from idealized poetic lovers.
In what way does the author believe Shakespeare's work influenced later poets?
The author concludes that Shakespeare’s move toward more abstract and complex treatments of love provided a "golden bridge" for later poets like John Donne to explore even more diverse and unconventional themes.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Mate Madunic (Autor:in), 2006, "Two loves I have, of comfort and despair". An examination of the addressees in Shakespeare's sonnets, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/115346
