This paper tries to expose the differences between traditional "Petrarchan Sonnets" and "Shakespearean Sonnets", with a specific focus on Shakespeare´s sonnets 9 and 127.
In order to do this the author will firstly introduce the theory of traditional sonnets, particularly with regard to form, addressees and themes. Furthermore, I he will have a closer look at the abovementioned addressees of Shakespeare´s sonnets.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Traditional sonnets: Theory
2.1 Form
2.2 Addressees/ Ideal of beauty
2.3 Themes
3. Shakespeare’s sonnets
3.1 Interpretation of Sonnets 9 and 127 with regard to their addressees and their themes
3.2 What is new about the addresses of Shakespeare’s sonnets regarding to form, addressees and themes/ How do these sonnets differ from the tradition
3.3 Possible real identities of the ‘Young Man’ and the ‘Dark Lady’
4. Conclusion
Aims and Topics
This paper examines how Shakespeare’s sonnets differ from the Petrarchan tradition in form, addressees and themes. Through interpretations of Sonnets 9 and 127, it explores the portrayal of the Young Man and the Dark Lady and considers proposed real-life identities for them.
- The form and conventions of traditional Petrarchan sonnets
- Elizabethan ideals of beauty and the portrayal of beloved women
- Close readings of Sonnets 9 and 127
- Shakespearean rhyme, metre and representations of love
- Proposed identities of the Young Man and the Dark Lady
Excerpt from the Book
Interpretation of Sonnet 9
Sonnet 9 comprises fourteen lines and is arranged into three quatrains and one rhyming couplet, the rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg, whereas the verses are composed in iambic pentameter.
Sonnet 9 deals with impatient love. Belonging to the procreation sonnets, the poet tries to convince his addressee, the young man, to marry and beget children. For that purpose, he opens the first quatrain with a question to find out why the young man is still single. He asks if the young man is single “for fear to wet a widow’s eye (l. 1)”, e.g. because he is scared to leave a sad and crying widow when he dies anytime. To continue his sonnet, the poet assumes that his question is answered in the affirmative by the young man, with the result that his worry to leave his wife alone in the world after his death is indeed the reason to remain childless. If and only if the fear to widow his wife as soon as he dies is the motive for not marrying, the following rhymes apply, otherwise they do not (cf. Duncan- Jones 9).
The poet declares the argument as unsound whilst he tells the young man in verses four and five the fact that the whole world will weep forever about his childlessness and will miss him like a widow would miss him after his death. He has left no children to replace his beauty while other widows who have children with their husbands can recognize their deceased in their children‘s eyes. These widow women always have the image of her children to console them after the loss because the children look alike their father in his prime when he was young or they resemble him in their habits.
In quatrain three Shakespeare suggests that if someone spends money unwisely, the money anyway remains in the world, but if somebody wastes his beauty by not having children, he destroys his own beauty when he dies.
In the rhyming couplet that ends sonnet 9, Shakespeare proclaims a scathing remark, namely that someone who does not marry and have children would commit a “murderous shame” (l. 4). Somebody who wastes his beauty hereby had no love for others in his heart, because not having a child was egoistic, unfriendly and shameful toward the whole world.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The paper introduces Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence and sets out its comparison of traditional and Shakespearean sonnets. It identifies Sonnets 9 and 127 as the focus of its interpretations.
2. Traditional sonnets: Theory: This chapter outlines Petrarchan sonnet form, conventions for depicting addressees and recurring themes. It discusses the idealized beloved and the role of unrequited love.
3. Shakespeare’s sonnets: The chapter interprets Sonnets 9 and 127, compares Shakespeare’s approach with sonnet tradition and surveys proposed identities for the Young Man and the Dark Lady.
4. Conclusion: The paper summarizes its comparison and suggests further questions about the sonnets’ addressees and readership.
Keywords
William Shakespeare, Sonnets 9 and 127, Petrarchan sonnet, Shakespearean sonnet, Young Man, Dark Lady, sonnet form, rhyme scheme, ideal of beauty, procreation sonnets, literary interpretation, Elizabethan poetry
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this paper about?
It compares Shakespeare’s sonnets with the Petrarchan tradition, focusing on their form, addressees and themes.
What are the main topics?
The paper examines sonnet structure, ideals of beauty, representations of love, the Young Man and the Dark Lady.
What is the paper’s main research aim?
Its aim is to identify how Shakespeare’s sonnets differ from traditional Petrarchan sonnets and to consider possible identities of their addressees.
What method does the paper use?
It combines literary interpretation of two selected sonnets with a comparison of sonnet conventions and a discussion of secondary literature.
What does the main part cover?
It introduces traditional sonnet theory, interprets Sonnets 9 and 127, compares Shakespeare’s approach with the tradition and discusses proposed identities for the addressees.
Which keywords characterize the paper?
Key terms include Shakespearean sonnet, Petrarchan sonnet, Young Man, Dark Lady, ideal of beauty and procreation sonnets.
Why are Sonnets 9 and 127 examined?
They provide selected examples associated with the two principal groups of addressees: the Young Man and the Dark Lady.
How does the paper approach the addressees’ possible identities?
It reviews proposals found in secondary literature, including candidates associated with the initials W.H. and suggested identities for the Dark Lady.
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- Nicole H. (Autor:in), 2016, Comparing Shakespearean and Petrarchan Sonnets. Shakespeares Addressees in his Sonnets 9 and 127, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/471267
