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S O N N E T S

Shakespeare 101

+First things first…if it’s square it’s a sonnet! Sonnets:

Are square…super recognizable form Have 14 lines Have strict meter and rhyme scheme Are thematic Are either Shakespearean (English),

Spenserian, or Petrarchan (Italian)

+We will focus on Shakespearian sonnets.

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14 lines (We’ll practice with Sonnet 18)

1. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? 2. Thou art more lovely and more temperate:3. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,4. And summer's lease hath all too short a date: 5. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,6. And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; 7. And every fair from fair sometime declines,8. By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;9. But thy eternal summer shall not fade10.Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;11.Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,12.When in eternal lines to time thou growest: 13.So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,14.So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

What a sonnet looks like

+What a sonnet sounds like

Iambic penta(tum)meter

Shall I / com PARE/ thee TO / a SUM / mer’s DAY?

Thou ART / more LOVE / ly AND / more TEM / per ATE

+What a sonnet sounds like…

ababcdcdefefgg

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?a

Thou art more lovely and moretemperate: bRough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

aAnd summer's lease hath all too short a date:

b Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, cAnd often is his gold complexion dimm'd; d And every fair from fair sometime

declines, cBy chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

dBut thy eternal summer shall not fade

eNor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

fNor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

eWhen in eternal lines to time thou growest:

f So long as men can breathe or eyes cansee,

gSo long lives this and this gives life to thee.

g

+How a sonnet is organized

First quatrain establishes a theme or a problem.

Speaker compares lover to summer

+How a sonnet is organized

Second quatrain extends or qualifies the theme or problem.

Speaker extends claim that he/she is lovelier than summer

+How a sonnet is organized

Third quatrain indicates a shift in thought.

Speaker explains how his lover’s beauty will never fade (like summer’s) because…

+How a sonnet is organized

A rhyming couplet resolves the poem and ends the conflict

Speaker immortalizes lover in his poem

+How to analyze a Shakespearian sonnet Pay attention to literary devices (obvs)

Paraphrase like you’ve never paraphrased before.

So, say it your own words. Go line by line and unpack the language so you get it. Then, you’ll be able to say what it means.

Sonnet 18 ParaphraseShall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Shall I compare you to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate: You are more lovely and more constant:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, Rough winds shake May’s flowers

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: And summer is far too short

Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines, At times the sun is too hot,

And often is his gold complexion dim’d; Or often goes behind the clouds;

And every fair from fair sometime declines, And everything beautiful will lose its beauty,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d; By misfortune or nature’s predestined course.

But thy eternal summer shall not fade But your youth will not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; And you will not lose the beauty you possess;

Nor shall Death brag though wander’st in his shade, And even Death cannot claim you,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest: Because I have immortalized you in my poem.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, And as long as there are people on Earth,

So long lives this and this gives life to thee. My poem will be alive, too, and make you immortal.