Sonnet 116 Essay

The Beauty Of Love In Shakespeare's Sonnet 116
Two of the most famous sonnets in its entire sequence of its time and modern day, are "Sonnet 130"
and "Sonnet 116". Both poems, written by William Shakespeare, revolve around the theme of love.
"Sonnet 130", compares the imperfect physical attributes of the speaker's mistress in essence of his
extraordinary love for her. "Sonnet 116", expresses the speaker's idea of infinite and genuine love
through defining what love is and is not. Throughout both compositions, William Shakespeare
communicates the beauty of love through the use of imagery, symbolism, and figure of speech to
convey its overall theme.
In "Sonnet 130", Shakespeare makes fun of the traditional sonnet content of Petrarch, by contrasting
its metaphors. During Shakespeare's...show more content...
The use of imagery supports the sonnets' symbolism when differentiating the requirements of a
preferred woman, to that of the mistress' characteristics. In line 5, the speaker claims to have
witnessed damasked roses that are generally pink. Which, explains why he continues with "red and
white" to contrast a real damask rose color and allude the mistress' skin and non–blushed cheeks.
Moreover, in the third quatrain, "I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks,
treads on the ground" symbolizes a clichГ© reference of poems that contain comparisons of
women to Goddess. The word "heaven" in line 13, too supports the absurdity of godly
comparisons to women. Despite the fact, the speakers' mistress doesn't walk gracefully like a
goddess, he still sees her like one. Emphasizing that writing complete truths about the speakers'
mistress, with imperfections and all, his love for her is something meaningful that is hard to
find. The literary devices Shakespeare uses in this sonnet are mainly imageries, hyperboles, and
metaphors. Visual imagery is evident with the help of metaphors regarding the mistress' qualities in
line 2 for lips, line 3 for skin, and line 4 for hair. Shakespeare places words "like" in line 1 and "as"
in line 13, creating similes. And hyperboles in lines 8
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Rhyme Scheme Of Sonnet 116
I choose the Shakespeare's sonnet 116. The topic of this sonnet is "love". Shakespeare takes a very
optimistic approach of love. He also considers loyalty as the theme of this sonnet, as if the two
persons have true feelings about each other, none can separate them. The versification of this sonnet
is that the fourteen lines are divides into three stanzas, called quatrains, each of four lines. The rhyme
scheme of this sonnet is very simple that is abab cdcd efef gg.
In the first quatrain, Shakespeare claims that two true minds who love each other should not be
joined together. He does not make it clear that whether he is talking about marriage or other
relations. In first line, word "marriage" is used as the metaphor of the union of the two souls or
two minds. The author used phrase "two minds", rather than of using two persons or a couple.
Therefore, he shows that marriage is, in fact, of minds or hearts, not of physical bodies. In the
second line, he uses phrase "admit impediments" with "love is not love", which means that the
author wants to say that the obstacles confession is the characteristic of that love, which is not a real
love. The love not remains as love, when the circumstances change or the beloved one becomes
unfaithful, and the real love does not change with alterations. In these lines, poet shows the
vulnerability of love from words – "alters" and "alteration". "Let me not to the marriage of true
minds", this line uses a poetic device – alliteration, as

Theme Of Sonnet 116
Love is an emotion and feeling that will either fade away as time goes by or stay with a person for
a lifetime. Love is not only between opposite sexes but rather between the thought of humankind. In
a poem written by Shakespeare, he discusses the idea of love staying the same under any challenge
that an individual may face throughout their lives. "Sonnet 116," written by Shakespeare argues that
love is powerful and that time is mainly influenced by the thought of love. The central message of
this poem demonstrates that although love is a mystery to some people it is the mindset of one to
face the challenges of love; love is constant, patient, and kind. Based on the message that
Shakespeare hints to his readers, I can agree with the theme...show more content...
In brief, love cannot be changed by an individual themselves or by their surrounding; love will
always remain constant. When it comes to the topic of love, most people will have the mindset that
love is not important. The qualities that someone may have for the topic of love may be identified
as either positive or negative in that the outcome of love will never be the way some people will
want it to be. In making this statement, Shakespeare discusses the complications that love may be
permanent or temporary. In his poem, "Sonnet 116," Shakespeare maintains that "O no! It is an
ever–fixed mark/That look on the tempest and is never shaken;" (5–6). He addresses that this to give
readers the understanding that the "ever–fixed mark" is just the mark that remains in the qualities of
affection. Shakespeare had expressed the negative side of what love is not and is now suggesting
that love does not change and that it is permanent. Additionally, if love is considered permanent
individuals should be responsible for the challenges they may face over time. In the transition to the
idea that love cannot be changed and that love is permanent, Shakespeare holds attention to the idea
that love is time. The topic of love challenges the idea that time is a

William Shakespeare 's Sonnet 116
William Shakespeare was born in April of 1564. His exact date of birth is unknown. By the time he
passed away on April 23, 1616 he was regarded worldwide as the greatest writer in the English
language. He was a playwright, poet, and actor. Unfortunately, he passed away at an early age of
fifty–two and the world will never know what other great works he would have produced. "To the
world, he left a lasting legacy in the form of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two narrative poems" ("The
Life of William Shakespeare"). William Shakespeare's plays, sonnets, and narrative poems are still
appreciated and read today. One of his famous works is his sonnet, Let Me Not to the Marriage of
True Minds, which is also referred to as sonnet 116. Sonnet 116 was first published in the year 1609.
In his sonnet Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds, Shakespeare's use of end rhyme, iambic
pentameter, and metaphors which allows the reader to understand what Shakespeare felt that true
love should be like.
Shakespearean sonnets, also known as Elizabethan sonnets, were sonnets that Shakespeare used
quite often. Shakespearean sonnets (Elizabethan sonnets) consist of fourteen lines, has an iambic
pentameter rhythm, and has three quatrains and one couplet. A quatrain is a type of stanza that
consists of four lines. A couplet is two lines of a verse. The quatrains in Shakespearean sonnets have
alternating end rhymes and the couplet is rhymed. Having end rhyme in a poem creates a rhyming
pattern so the

Shakespeare's "Sonnet 116" is critically acclaimed to be one of the most famous poems in English
Literature. The poet's diligent work in tone, word choices and figurative languages along with the
many musical aspect of poetry, contributes to making the sonnet a masterful craft. It has been
widely researched for years in order to get in depth of what the writer is trying to say. In my essay I
will depict the many poetic techniques applied in writing the sonnet and the affect of them on the
overarching meaning of the sonnet. The sonnet written in the traditional iambic pentameter, focuses
on the concept of "Love" and more specifically the strength and purity of the ideal love everyone
strives for. The poet conceptualizes and then describes the power of love through various
metaphors and poetic conceits. The poet claims that it is universally true that the power of love
is everlasting. To the poet, love in the total marriage between two minds not just a ceremony for
two persons to physically engage or to pass on their bloodline. The love of the mind is the
compatibility, understanding and selfless feeling between two people and it is less superficial.
He believes that "altering love" is not love, rather true love never changes. In the sonnet we also
see the concept of time faced with love. The poet reveals that love withstands the challenge of
time, even if the beauty fades and hardship comes in a relationship to break the bond. Shakespeare
mention, just like the north star, the love and affection between two people never changes.
Shakespeare firmly believes in his argument and challenges the readers to analyze his words and
to find flaws in his writing. He concludes the sonnet by saying if his argument doesn't hold, then
all of his poems are wrong and all the love in the world are of lies and of deceptions. By creating
parallels between positive and negative tone, Shakespeare is able create imagery in the sonnet and
convey the overarching theme of the what it means to be in love.
The assessment of the language in the poem shows the balance of this positive and negative tone
Shakespeare is trying to achieve to develop the theme. The sonnet focuses on the theme of love and
loyalty, but also alludes to the

Imagery is used in almost all literary works. Authors use imagery to keep readers or listeners
interested in the story. This is a very common way of writing and is found a lot in poetry. It is an
easy way to have the reader feel more involved in the story. Imagery is used through similes and
metaphors in the works of Shakespeare, Shakespeare, and Spenser.
A lot of William Shakespeare's imagery was used to describe love and how the affected the different
relationships. In Sonnet 106, " Then in blazon of sweet beauty's best of hand, of foot, of lip, of
brow, I see their antique pen would have express'd even such a beauty as you master now."
(Shakespeare 275). In this quote, Shakespeare goes into detail about how this one particular girl
has an unique beauty. Ha also explains how he has never seen such a beauty like hers.
Shakespeare also says in Sonnet 116, " Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit
impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, bends with the remover to
remove."(Shakespeare 276). The first sentence of the quote is basically explaining that not all
marriages of relationships come easy, they all have obstacles. The second of the quote is explaining
that love doesn't changed when something in the relationship changes, it will stay the say no matter
what. Shakespeare is known for imagery in terms of explaining love and relationships, it is very
well represented in a lot of his sonnets.
Edmund Spenser is also known for using imagery to

Imagery in Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare
The romantic poet William Shakespeare speaks about love in his poem "Sonnet 116". He starts
out by saying what love is not; love never stops, changes, or dies. He then goes on to tell how love
doesn't terminate with old age and loss of beauty, it guides people through tough times. Finally,
Shakespeare threatens his own reputation by saying, "If this be error, and upon me proved, I never
writ, nor no man ever loved". The theme of this poem is that love is a truly powerful force that
cannot be changed. Shakespeare builds the theme of love through employing powerful imagery,
metaphors, and alliteration. Through imagery, Shakespeare helps one to imagine the power of love.
For example, Shakespeare exclaims, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" in the first line of "
Sonnet 116". Instead of using something like body or heart, Shakespeare uses mind to get his idea
across. This shows how he wants the reader to connect true love with harmony on the mind, not
just whim or hormones. Also, he compares through imagery how love does not change throughout
time unlike physical rosy cheeked beauty that will eventually fade in line nine. One can notice
that Shakespeare can call upon powerful images while only using a limited number of words as
apparent when he says, "...Within his bending sickle's compass come". A picture of the grim
reaper, sickle in hand, looming comes to mind. The clear imagery used builds upon the poems
theme of love by giving clear pictures of what love is and

The Theme Of Love In Sonnet 116
The theme of love is presented in different ways by various poets through the use of diverse
linguistic techniques, such as metaphorical and emotive language, and personification to express
their strong viewpoints on love. Many poets, including Shakespeare, believe that love is
spontaneous and immeasurable. However, other poets such as Carol Ann Duffy bring out the
negative consequences of love. She believes love starts and stops, one minute you are together and
the other you are isolated. She emphasises the intimidating and overpowering aspect of love.
Overall, the poets present three focal aspects of love which are; love, separation, and betrayal.
In the poem 'Sonnet 116', Shakespeare highlights love as being everlasting and the key part...show
more content...
William Shakespeare believes love to be an everlasting unbreakable bond, whereas Carol Ann
Duffy tends to challenge the traditional belief of love and highlights the negatives. In 'Sonnet
116', Shakespeare uses "Love's not time's fool" this use of metaphorical language implies true
love is endless and will last from the first to last second. However, in 'Valentine' Carol Ann Duffy
uses an "onion" as the symbol of love, the "onion" rots showing how love will end. This shows the
diversity of Carol Ann Duffy's and Shakespeare's views of

Personification In Sonnet 116
William Shakespeare – Sonnet 116
William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, illustrates the poet's beliefs regarding that of a true love, and
union. Through his depiction of the 'ever–fixed mark' (5) that love imprints onto the soul,
Shakespeare is able to reflect on the purity and immortality of a 'marriage of true minds' (1) through
both structural and contextual devices. Through the personification of love, the speaker is able to
argue as to what does and does not constitute as a 'true' (1) love, and that the emotion itself is
subjective to those taking part.
Sonnet 116 comprises of three quatrains and concludes with a rhyming couplet, that of which is
exemplary of a sonnet in the Shakespearean style. This Shakespearean form is then maintained
through the rhyme scheme used of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. Each of the individual quatrains illustrate
two separate justifications of the central theme, with the arguments of the first and third quatrains
framing the explication of the second. This reflects the poet's persistence of his belief that 'Love
alters not' (11), and articulates a passion of one who may be attempting to convince themselves of
this vehement rapture. Nasal alliteration within the first two lines also illustrates what may be the
beginning of a casual, insouciant conversation, but quickly becomes an ardent debate through the
halting of these 'M' sounds for the rest of the sonnet. As is indicative of the traditional Shakespearean
sonnet, the volta occurs after the final line of

Analysis Of Sonnet 116 By William Shakespeare
''Love is not love,'' alters when it alteration finds,'' or bends with the remover to remove'' the first
phrase ''Love is not love,'' alter when it alteration finds, simply means that love is not love when it
continues to change even when one person has noticed that their beloved has changed. However, If
one partner changes, the relationship should stay the same and not be affected by an alternative
individual. The second phrase used by Shakespeare is ''or bends with remover to remove,'' this
phrase basically means that love is not love if it changes with another individual or person. In order
words, love is constant and must work with an adapting or suitable individuals
Therefore, according to my close reading analysis the poem (Sonnet 116 by Shakespeare) is a
fourteen line poem that is organized into three quatrains, ending with a rhymed couplet. It also has a
regular stress pattern which makes the reader to go through some difficulty in understanding what
the author is trying to convey in his poem. The first quatrain of the poem began with a statement to
puzzle upon ''Let me not to the marriage of true mind/Admit impediments (1–2),'' this line means
that love cannot be disturbed by disaster or calamity neither be changed over time. Rather, it is one
unchangeable emotion that is always constant, and has a meaning to it. And so, with this illustration,
we can say that there is nothing that could come between two persons who are already in love with
themselves.
The second

Metaphors In Sonnet 116
William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 116" illustrates an image of what true love is and what it is not.
Through the use of imagery, the speaker defines love as unchanging and persevering, but if it isn't,
then it can't be considered true love. Although this may be true, the speaker concludes that if he is
wrong and is proven so, then his idea of love is false and no man has ever loved.
The speaker begins by saying, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admitimpediments" (1–2).
In these lines, the speaker says he won't impose on two lovers who possess true love for one
another and prevent them from marrying. These lines are a play on the words from the Episcopal
Book of Common Prayer, "If any of you know cause or just impediment",which...show more
content...
In the last line, the speaker says love that isn't real will erase if a person is willing to erase it. But
even if they try to stop themselves from loving someone, real love will never disappear, or be
removed. Furthermore, the speaker says, "O no! it is an ever–fixed mark / That looks on tempests
and is never shaken" (5–6). In other words, the speaker is saying love isimmovable and withstands
even the strongest storms. At this point in the sonnet, the speaker then goes on to explain what he
thinks love really is. The overall mood of the poem changes from negative to positive. In the first
line, the exclamation of "O" signifies a change in tone. Thespeaker denies that real love isn't what
he's proclaimed until this point, but is something different. The ever–fixed mark is the North Star,
which served as a guide for sailors on the sea. Like this star, love is a guide and is unmoved by the
hands of time. Even though time may pass, true love will stay strong despite changes like physical
beauty. Love is never shaken by obstaclesor hindrances that pose as a threat. Like a rock, it's strong
and solid.
To conclude, the overall theme of the sonnet is mutual love that is unchanging. The opening
remarks of marriage within the first line set the tone and overall meaning of the speaker's
definition of true love by showing how bound lovers are to each other. In Shakespeare's time, the
average life expectancy was 30 to 40 years,

True Love In Sonnet 116 And Sonnet 130
'How does shakespeare perceive true love in sonnet 116 and sonnet 130?'. The sonnets that are
focused is 'Sonnet 116 – Let me not to the marriage of true minds' and 'Sonnet 130 – My mistress'
eyes are nothing like the sun'.
First I would like to quickly review what the definition of a sonnet is. Two kinds of sonnets have been
most common in English poetry, and sonnets were named after the two famous poets. The Petrarchan
sonnet and the Shakespearean sonnet. Since my presentation is focused on specific Shakespearean
sonnets, I will only go in detail for Shakespearean sonnets. A common sonnet is made up by 14 line
lyric poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is when in lines 10
syllables long, an emphasis is put on every second syllable, for example 'Shall I compare thee to a
summer's day?'
In addition, the sonnets take a usual rhyming scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. Sonnets are
divided into 4 parts, The first three parts are four lines long and are known as quatrains; the fourth
part is called the couplet and is two lines. Shakespeare's sonnets are often used to develop a
sequence of metaphors or ideas, one in each quatrain, while the couplet offers either a summary or a
new take on the preceding images or ideas.
I will now move on to discuss Sonnet 116. This is one of Shakespeare's most famous poems in his
collection of work. Essentially, this sonnet presents Shakespeare's loyalty towards true love. His
beliefs regarding true love remains to be pure and innocent, without physical and artificial bias. The
sonnet has a relatively simple content, with each quatrain attempting to describe what love is (or is
not) and the final couplet reaffirming the poet's words by placing his own reputation on the line.
This sonnet is worthy for its lack of imagery, we could speculate that it is evident in the lines itself
in what he is trying convey, that he truly believes love is unmovable.
The opening lines of the sonnet encourage the reader to dive into its theme at a rapid pace,
accomplishing in part by the use of enjambment "Let me not to the marriage of true minds/ Admit
impediments" This first quatrain asserts that true love is immortal and unchanging: It neither
changes on its own nor

True love, the most powerful force known to mankind according to not only Disney, but also
Shakespeare. Sonnet 116 is arguably his most famous piece of poetry, and his most loved. When
Shakespeare comes to mind readers think about love, tragedy, and passion; all characteristics that can
be found in this sonnet. At first glance this piece can seem one dimensional and simple, but two
writers will share their point of view and thoughts on what this sonnet actually means. Along with
that, I will share my cold read impression. Sonnet 116 portrays the power of true love. The theme is
that true love will persevere through old age, bad times, and change. Shakespeare really drives his
point with the faithful tone he uses. Readers can really feel the passion in his words. Shakespeare
also uses lots of metaphors to give more depth to his piece. What sets this sonnet apart is that it
doesn't use a rhyme scheme like most, it instead uses the contradictory version of certain words to
show how strong true love is. One of my favorite things about this sonnet is that it is timeless. This
was written in 1609, but the message still remains relevant and applies to a modern audience.
Annemarie Muth dissects Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 into three parts, marriage, navigation, and aging.
She first covers the symbolism of marriage. Muth points out that Shakespeare does not use the legal
definition of marriage, but the more idealistic and romantic version of the word (2). It's described
as powerful and equal bond between two beings, rather than just a slip of paper. Shakespeare writing
about two equal beings would be controversial for his Elizabethan time era, which further drives the
point that Shakespeare is solely focusing on Walker 2 the faith, and trust in a relationship rather than
obedience and submission. Another aspect of the sonnet Muth analyzes is Navigation. Sonnet 116
references the north star in line 7, which is
"fixed", never moving; it's guiding lost souls home, together (2). Muth explains that Shakespeare
used the north star because it represents love

Sonnet 116 Literary Devices
Love is timeless and an unstoppable force of nature. "Let Me Not To The Marriage of True Minds"–
also known as Sonnet 116 – is a poem by Shakespeare claiming that love withstands every situation
and is the only constant in our world and viewing it optimistically in this sonnet. Beauty and youth
can disappear, but as long as love is alive it will remain strong. Containing several literary devices,
personification was used the most to prove the theme. "Let me not to the marriage of true minds,"
(line 1) understanding the word 'marriage' and what the author is saying minds cannot be married,
only people can. "Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks," (line 11) the "his" signifies that
the "brief hours and weeks" belong to time, continuing the personification of the concept. This idea
that time has no control over love is emphasized in this line since the passing of time has no effect
whatsoever upon true love. The line, "ev'n to the edge of doom", (line 12) the last day of life shows
the nature of love that is stable throughout time and remains evermore. Imagery stated in the poem of
love as constant as a star used by navigators to determine the location of ships. The image is an
extended metaphor that makes up stanza two, and reveals love that stays constant through storms
and is never shaken.
On the other hand, the poem "I Find No Peace" by Sir Thomas Wyatt is about how Love brings both
happiness and sorrow. The poet expressed a certain murky love experience which

Essay on Poem Analysis вЂ“ Sonnet 116
Poem Analysis – Sonnet 116
'Let Me Not To The Marriage Of True Minds'
Study the first 12 lines of the poem. Discuss how Shakespeare makes a statement in the first and
second lines, and then use lines 2–12 to give examples which supports his viewpoints.
In the first two lines of the poem Shakespeare writes,
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments: love is not love
The first line shows that he thinks you should not marry unless you are faithful. He says 'let me not'
which means that he does not approve of the untrue or unfaithful minds marrying. The second line
means that there will be obstacles in your way and you must be willing to face or overcome them.
Otherwise 'love is not love', or you will...show more content...
This continues Shakespeare's idea of being faithful and then continues to think about the other
person. He uses the word 'remover' as the one who falls out of love which emphasises the fact that
it is their fault and they are the ones being unfaithful. This could also be used as an example of one
of the obstacles, which Shakespeare explains exists in the second line.
In the next two lines Shakespeare explores love being there forever.
O no, it is an ever fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken
Here he starts to use metaphors to explain his viewpoints on love. In the first of the two lines he
uses the word 'mark' which means buoy to show that the feeling of love does not change or move.
He then says that love faces 'tempests' or storms and is still never shaken. These lines are a contrast
to the last two as they now show love never changing. The next lines show how faithful you can be
and that true love will always come through.
It is the star to every wand'ring bark
Whose worth's unknown, although his height can be taken
A metaphor is used here, love is the star to a wandering ship. It guides you and gives you
direction. Also it means that you always follow it or always go back to your true love and also

gives the idea of life and love being a voyage or journey. The second line means that love has no
worth, it is priceless although it can be measured. This continues to expand Shakespeare's ideas on

Meaning Of Sonnet 116
CHANGING CONCEPT OF LOVE FROM SHAKESPEARE TO ELIZABETHAN
REFRENCES: * SONNET 116 BY SHAKESPEARE. * WHEN YOU ARE OLD BY W.B YEATS.
Shakespeare: William Shakespeare was an English poet,playwright and actor,widely regarded as the
greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre–eminent dramatist. Sonnets were the last
of Shakespeare's non dramatic works to be printed. Period was English renaissance.
W.B YEATS
W.B yeats was an irish poet and one foremost figures of the 20th century. He was a symbolist poet, in
that he used allusive imagery and symbolism structures throughout his career.
THEME
SONNET 116: In this sonnet,the theme is the poem.Shakespeare presents an argument,forcing...show
more content...
Love doesn't alter with the brief hours and weeks. Acc. to Shakespeare, this would be a strong oath
for Shakespeare who was incredibly prolific writer, and certainly men have loved. Mainly
Shakespeare is trying to answer the universal question. "what is love".Acc. to Shakespeare true love
should be loyal to each other, should never admit or allow anything to hinder their love or come
between them.whatever the situation is, true love love cant be changed for each other.whether its
spiritual, mental or physical change, those who love each other,they don't change their minds about
each other.true love is defined as the adherence of two hearts, even if the person becomes more
distant,true love remains the same and eternal.shakespeare express that in order of succession, their
comes a lot of physical changes in beauty, but the true love doesn't change with the beauty, time is
personified in this poem and Shakespeare only believes in inner

How is love presented/explored in the poems Sonnet 116, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, My Last
Duchess and three others?
(Intro) Love is a constant theme explored in English Literature and can be presented through a
variety of connotations, such as romantic, sexual and possessive. The poems Sonnet 116, La Belle
Dame Sans Merci and My Last Duchess all portray these notions. Sonnet 116 presents a real,
romantic and everlasting love, as the poem explores the meaning of love in its most ideal form.
This is reflected in Shakespeare's other sonnet, Sonnet 18, in which the simplicity of the poem
emphasises love in its most perfect form; pure and unbreakable. It is also interesting to note that
he often writes using a sonnet structure as this is one frequently associated with the conceit of
romantic love. The poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci is undoubtedly an example of the effects of
lust, which is similar to To His Coy Mistress, in which the theme of lust is certainly present, as the
speaker desperately tries to tempt his mistress into the act of sex, through a persuasive argument.
Robert Browning's poems My Last Duchess and Porphyria's Lover, are both alike in being
dramatic monologues, portraying the possessive nature of love and the idea of submission, as the
cynical speakers of both poems are describing their former loved ones, who, in both cases, are
suggested to be dead.
(Theme) Shakespeare's two poems Sonnet 116 and Sonnet 18 are identical in sharing the sonnet
structure of

An Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 Essay
An Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116
Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, denying Time's harvest of love, contains 46 iambic, 15 spondaic, 6
pyrrhic, and 3 trochaic feet. Like the varying magnitudes of stars that distinguish the sky's
constellations, infused with myths describing all degrees and types of love, the spondaic, trochaic,
and pyrrhic substitutions create a pattern of meaning that can be inferred by the discerning eye
and mind. Shakespeare emphasizes his denial of the effects of Time on love by accenting "not" in
lines 1, 2, 9, and 11, and "no" in lines 5 and 14. The forceful spondees at the beginning and the
regular iambic feet at the end of each quatrain progressively build the poet's passionate rejection of
love's transience....show more content...
the quality and duration of love reciprocated, without additional information.
The meanings of the poem's brilliantly varied iambic lines revolve around love's one fixed star,
extending this image to the whole sonnet. Quatrain 1 begins with the unusual scansion of spondee,
trochaic, iambic, pyrrhic, and spondee. No matter how unusual the situation, Shakespeare will not
object to mutual love between honest people. Furthermore, their love should not depend on
circumstances or people's opinions. The iambic foot of "Which alters" links across the poem to the
spondee of "Love alters" in Quatrain 3. The abrupt trochaic, "even," in line 12, reinforces the
importance of reciprocity in love, for love to be eternal. Moreover, the word "bears" alludes to
the myth of the enduring love of Callisto and her son, Arca, as represented by the constellations of
Ursa Major and Minor, with the North Star at the point of the tail of Little Bear. Quatrain 3, with a
ratio of 15 regular to 5 irregular feet, begins with 2 spondees followed by 8 iambic feet. This
sequence of regular feet evokes the sweep of Time's sickle, alluding to the far–reaching arc of the
tail of the Great Bear cutting through and reaping the love legends linked to such constellations as
Virgo ("rosy lips and cheeks"), Gemini ("looks on tempests"), and Andromeda and Perseus
("impediments" to the "marriage of true minds").
Unlike the quatrains, the final couplet begins quietly with iambic and pyrrhic feet. Then,

Comparison of Shakespeare's Sonnets 116 and 130
Shakespeare examines love in two different ways in Sonnets 116 and 130. In the first, love is
treated in its most ideal form as an uncompromising force (indeed, as the greatest force in the
universe); in the latter sonnet, Shakespeare treats love from a more practical aspect: it is viewed
simply and realistically without ornament. Yet both sonnets are justifiable in and of themselves, for
neither misrepresents love or speaks of it slightingly. Indeed, Shakespeare illustrates two qualities of
love in the two sonnets: its potential and its objectivity. This paper will compare and contrast the two
sonnets by Shakespeare and show how they represent two different attitudes to love. In Sonnet 116,
Shakespeare defines love by way of truth. He begins not by launching into a discourse on the
nature of love but on the nature of marriage, which, he implies, is built on commitment and truth:
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments." If two people are honest and
truthful then they will have understood just what is expected of them in their marriage vows
therefore, the poet sees no reason to object. Love follows on truth, he seems to say. In fact, this
must be so for the same principle applies in Sonnet 130. After an entire sonnet of lines in which
the poet denigrates his mistress, he still finally refers to her as is his love despite it all, simply
because she is unique in and of herself and the other half of

Comparison of Shakespeare's sonnet "Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds" and Sheeran's
composition "Thinking Out Loud."
In the poem "Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds" also known as "Sonnet 116," Shakespeare
uses a love theme to articulate that despite obstacles, real love never expires. First, he defines love as
though it obtains a decree. For example, over time, circumstances and a person may change, but
Shakespeare declares that a person cannot influence love. After some explanation the regulations of
love, Shakespeare defines love as though it contains no boundaries. For instance, throughout the
sonnet, he clearly indicates that love cannot move, be measured, or die. Much like Shakespeare, Ed
Sheeran wrote the song "Thinking Out Loud" with a similar love theme about the endurance of love.
However, Sheeran marvels over...show more content...
Sheeran uses personification in his song to ruminate on whether taste can remember love.
Sheeran's lyrics ask, "Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?" (Sheeran 3). This
quote gives human characteristics to a mouth because it implies that the mouth has a memory.
However, a mouth does not hold memories: the brain contains memories. Sheeran questions the
thought of whether his lover will remember the way his love tastes. Sheeran's lyrics also use
hyperbole when he states "'Cause honey your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen" (Sheeran
20). This quote is an example of hyperbole because it is an extreme exaggeration used to grab the
listener's attention. Sheeran suggests that the woman's soul will never die or get old; he
exaggerates how long her soul will live. He suggests that her soul will stay young, beautiful, and
green like fresh grass in the spring for all of eternity. These examples show how Sheeran uses
personification and hyperbole to connect to the theme of never–ending

Sonnet 116 Essay

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Sonnet 116 Essay