Sonnets - David-Glen Smith
Transcript of Sonnets - David-Glen Smith
1revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Sonnets
2
Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Historical Overview
• evolvedovercenturies;enduredforover700years
• originallydevisedasalyric,developedinsouthernFrance,northernItaly
• creationandtraditionallyattributedtoFrancescoPetrarch,
(July20,1304–July19,1374)theFatherofHumanism—
howeveritisclearhepopularizedtheformduringhislifetime
Defined
•Thesonnetisapoemcomposedwitharecognizedformula
andisconcernedwithasinglethoughtortheme,andmayhavea
secondarytheme.
•ThetermmeanslittlesonginItalian
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Types of Sonnets
Becauseofitspopularity,thepoemhastransformedovertime,retaining
importantcategorizingelements,yetmetamorphosingsomecomponents.
Common forms:
•Italiansonnet >orPetrarchansonnet
•Englishsonnet >orShakesperiansonnet
•Spenseriansonnet
•Blanksonnet
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Basic Characteristics of Traditional Sonnet
•fourteenlines
•chosenrhymeschemeandstrategicmeter
•aturnorshiftintheme(referredtoasthevolta)
Important Terms
•octave eightlines ||Forsonnetsthefirsteightlinescarryatheme.
•sestet sixlines ||Theremainingsixlinescantwistthetheme.
•tercet threelines
•quatrain fourlines
•couplet twolines
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Charles Simic || History
Onagrayevening
Ofagraycentury,
Iateanapple
Whilenoonewaslooking.
Asmall,sourapple
Thecolorofwoodfire,
WhichIfirstwiped
Onmysleeve. 8
ThenIstretchedmylegs
Asfarasthey’dgo,
Saidtomyself
Whynotclosemyeyesnow
BeforetheLate
WorldNewsandWeather. 14
}
}
octave: in this case composed of two quatrains
sestet:in this case composed of a quatrain and a couplet
Simic,Charles.“History.”The Making of a Sonnet: A Norton Anthology. EdwardHirschandEavanBoland,eds.NewYork:W.W.Norton.2008.Print.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
•Boththeoctaveandthesestetcontainparallelthemes,
ortwostorieswhicharerelatedtooneanother.
• Typicallytheoctavepresentsasituation,event,image,orgeneralization
andthesestetpresentsareflectionormeditationontheprevioussection,
areaction,oraresult.
Francesco Petrarch (July20,1304–July19,1374)
•notallowedtomarryduetoclericaldutieswiththeRomanCatholicChurch
• itisbelievedhefatheredtwochildrennonetheless
• wasaEuropeancelebrityfromhisearlywritingsinLatin
• diedofthePlagueinhislatesixties
• heestablishedcommonthemesinthesonnetformwhichbecometraditional
elementsforhundredsofyears
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
The Italian Sonnet
• sonnetsmustbewrittenaboutaBeloved
• thePoetwritermustbeobsessedwiththeBeloved
• theBelovedcannotbenamedinthework;theyaregivenasecretname
tohidetheirtrueidentity;thePoetwillmakepunsoutoftheBeloved’sname
• theBelovedisunattainableeitherbecausetheyarealreadybetrothed
ortheyarenotinterestedinthePoetatall;thePoetisbeneaththeirclass
• insomecasestheBelovedraisesthelowlystatusofthePoettohigherstatus
• —orcondemnshimtodamnation
• theBelovedisanintensebeauty,anIdealexample
• traditionallytheBelovedisblonde,blue-eyed
• theBelovedislovedevenbyHeaven
• thePoet’sloveissogreatheeventuallybecomessickwithwant
• itisacknowledgedthatloveisatrial;afrustrationforthePoet
• thePoetfallsinloveatfirstsightoftheBeloved
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
• insomecases,(aswithPetrarch)theBelovedisfatedtodieanearlydeath.
• thesonnetswillimmortalizetheBelovedonearth
• loveisshownalmostinamannerofstalking
• idolatryandinsomecasesintensesensualityanderoticallusions
• loveisequaltofeudalservicebetweenthePoetandtheBeloved
• thePoetwouldkillfortheBeloved
• thePoetwouldkillhimselfifasked
• Venus(Aphrodite)playsimportantrolehereattimes
• Cupid(Eros)isoftenshownaswell
To simplify, these poems can appear, when poorly written, over-dramatic,
pathos driven, scenes filled with heaving bosoms, and self-centered whining.
When well-crafted, the poems share a common story of lost love with the reader.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
The Form’s Popularity
• considertheseaspop-songsoftheirday
• thepoemswerecomposedinthevernacularItalian,nottheacademicLatin
• thisallowshisworktobeaccessibletotheaverageperson
• likewise,Petrarch’smainthemedealswiththepsychologyofaspurnedlover,
aconceptanyonecanrelateto,nomatterwhatsocialclassoroccupation
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
The Sonnet Sequence
• ThroughPetrarch’sfullcollectionofpoemstheconceptofasonnetsequence
wascreated.
• Apopularformofwritingevenin16thCenturyEngland,200yearslater.
• Itiscrucialtofocuswasontheunityoftheworkasawhole.
• Thesequenceisapublicdeclarationofanartist’sdevotiontoaBeloved.
• Theoriginalintentionwasnottojustreadoneofthesepoemsrandomlyout
ofsequence,butrathertoreadtheentirecollectionfrombeginningtoend
toseethetransformationofthecharactersandtoseeastoryunfold.
• HismanuscriptistiltedRime Sparse, orinEnglish:Scattered Rhymes.
• Alsocalled:Canzoniere
• Thepoemsarearrangedasifcomposedinchronologicalorder,butrecent
studieshaveshownthathewrotethemoutofpropersequence.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
The Story within Rime Sparse
• inPetrarch’spoems,thebelovedisnamedLaura
• hewroteover366poemstoher,317aresonnets
• thefullmanuscriptisdedicatedtoher
• thecollectionevolvestoincludethemesofbereavementoverheruntimely
death,andthelostpossibilitiestobewithher,andmemoriesofherbeauty
• ablurringoffictionandrealityoccurhereaswell:
>heclaimsshewasarealpersonhesawatachurchonApril6,1327
>fellinloveinstantly
>shediedonEasterSunday,April6,1348bythereckoningatthattime.
• hisloveforherwasunreciprocated;sheneverrespondsinkind
• LaurawasalreadymarriedandturneddownallofPetrarch’sadvances
• itisunknownifthetwoeveractuallyspoke(ifshereallyexisted)
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Sonnet One from Rime Sparse
• themainthemeofcollectionexpressed:
>unrequitedlove
>remorse
>despair
• establishesintroductiontostoryofafailedloveaffair,twentyyearsprior
• poemactsasthethesisofthesequence
• Poetislove-lornandfoolish
• thereaderiswise
• Poetisridiculedbysociety
• theworldistemporal
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
The Italian Rhyme Scheme
A A
B B
B A
A B
A A
B B
B A
A B
C C
D D
E C
C C
D D
E C
}
}
octave: in this case composed of two quatrains
sestet:in this case composed of two tercets
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
English or Shakespearean Sonnet
TheEarlofSurrey,HenryHoward,inventedwhatisnowknownas
theEnglishorShakespeareanSonnet.
• followsoctave+sestetformulaslightly
• allowsforthreesetsofquatrainswithindividualrhymes
• anindependentcouplet,whichservesasaneffective“moral”tothepoem
• traditionallyfollowsiambicpentameter
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Henry Howard(1517–19January1547)
Complaint of the Lover Disdained
InCyprussprings,whereasDameVenusdwelt, A 5
Awellsohot,thatwhosotastesthesame, B 5
Wereheofstone,asthawediceshouldmelt, A 4.5
Andkindledfindhisbreastwithfixedflame; B 4.5
Whosemoistpoisondissolvedhathmyhate. C 4.5
Thiscreepingfiremycoldlimbssoopprest, D 5
Thatintheheartthatharbour’dfreedom,late: C 5
Endlessdespairlongthraldomhathimprest. D 5
Anothersocoldinfrozeniceisfound, E 5.5
Whosechillingvenomofrepugnantkind, F 5
TheferventheatdothquenchofCupid’swound, E 5
Andwiththespotofchangeinfectsthemind; F 5
Whereofmydearhathtastedtomypain: G 5
Myservicethusisgrownintodisdain. G 5
}
}
octave
sestet
Surrey,HenryHoward,Earlof.The Poetical Works of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. Boston:Little,BrownandCompany,1854.Print.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Spenserian Sonnet
ThisformwascreatedbyEdmundSpenser(1552—1599).
• ItcombinestheItalianformwiththeEnglish,followingthethreequatrains
andcoupletconceptfromtheEnglish.
• HisrhymeschemefollowsamodificationofItalianversion:
italian : ABAB/ABAB/CDC/CDC
spencerian: ABAB/BCBC/CDCD/EE
• Likewisehedividesthepoemintothreesections:
>statementoftheproblem,asathesis;theopeningquatrainisusually
onesentence
>explorationoftheproblemintheresultingoctave
>solutionappearsintheendingcouplet
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Emund Spenser(1552—1599)
fromAmoretti || IX
LongwhileIsoughttowhatImightcompare
Thosepowerfuleyes,whichlightenmydarksight,
YetfindInoughtonearthtowhichIdare
Resembleth’imageoftheirgoodlylight.
Nottothesun,fortheydoshinebynight;
Nortothemoon,fortheyarechangednever;
Nortothestars,fortheyhavepurersight;
Nortothefire,fortheyconsumenotever;
(octave ends/sestet begins; Spenser blurs the two together)
Nortothelightning,fortheystillpersever;
Nortothediamond,fortheyaremoretender;
Noruntocrystal,farnoughtmaythemsever;
Noruntoglass,suchbasenessmightoffendher;
ThentotheMakerselftheylikestbe,
Whoselightdothlightenallthatherewesee.
thesis: problem
established
problem discussed
in following octave.
problem resolved
in couplet
A
B
A
B
B
C
B
C
C
D
C
D
E
E
5
5.5
5
5
5
5
5
5.5 /(6?)
5.5
5.5
5.5
5.5
5
5
English Sixteenth-Century Verse: An Anthology.RichardS.Sylvester,ed.W.W.Norton&Co., NewYork,©1974.Print.
Rhyme scheme || Meter
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Noticetheemphasisinline4ontheword“sight.”Withitfallingastheextrahalf
foot,itissubconsciouslystressedinthereader’smind.Thecorrelateswiththe
themeofwantingtodescribehisBeloved’seyes,whichblindhimwithlove.
Withhisnewformula,inthisparticularcasetheoctaveestablishesahierarchy
oficons,beginningwithmajorelementsfirst,thecelestialobjects,thenworksits
waydowntoearthlyelements,indescendingorder:
sun
moon
stars
fire
lightning
diamond
crystal
glass
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
•Helikewisetwistsallthenegativesintopositives,
allthewhilecomplimentinghisBeloved’seyes.
•Toforcethisidea,heutilizesatechniquecalled caesura,whichisapause
innaturalspeaking—whichdoesnotinterferewithmeter.
Here,thecaesura’srepresentanintakeofbreath.
• InSpenser’scase,heemployedthistrickinthestructureofthelistitself,
breakingbetweentheinferiormodelandtheperfectionoftheeyes.
• Theresolutioncouplettransformswhatappearstobeobviousfailure
toassertionofpositive:onlyGodcouldbeequaltohereyes.
ThePoetreachessalvationthroughhisBeloved.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
The Sonnets of William Shakespeare || English Sonnet
•ThesefollowtherhymeschemeABAB,CDCD,EFEF,GG
•Thisisanotherexampleofwhyitisimportanttoreadtheentiresequenceas
awhole,notliftoneortwopoemsoutoftheseries.Thereisastoryunfolding
betweenall154ofthepoemsinthiscollection.
• The SonnetsareattributedtoWilliamShakespeare,althoughlately
ithasbeensuggestedotherauthorsmayhavewrittenthese.
• ThethemesarecloselylinkedtothePetrarchanconceptintroducedearlier
inthecourse.However,oftentimesthethemesaretwisted.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Themes include:
• love
• sex
• beauty
• politics
• (im)mortality
Four characters appear within the poems’ plot-structure:
1.ThePoet-Speaker
2.TheYoungMan
3.TheDarkLady
4.RivalPoet
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Looking at the entire sequence of 154 poems:
•Thefirst17sonnetsarewrittentoayoungman,urginghimtomarry
andhavechildren,therebypassingdownhisbeautytothenextgeneration.
Thesearecalledtheprocreation sonnets.Theearliestpoemsinthe
collectiondonotimplyaclosepersonalrelationship;instead,they
recommendthebenefitsofmarriageandchildren.Thiswasacommon
themeatthetime.
•Thefollowingsonnets,18-126,areaddressedtoayoungmanexpressing
thepoet’sloveforhim—criticsarguewhetherthisisaspirituallove,a
brotherlyaffection,oragayrelationship—eitherwaytheyareread,
thesepoemsdefinitelyreshapethePetrarchanmodelofaBeloved.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
•Finally,sonnets127-152arewrittentoafemalefigure,theDarkLady;
thesepoemsexpressastrong,earthylove—thesealsobreakthePetrarchan
modelofanIdealBeauty.
• TheDarkLadyisnotblonde,norblueeyed,butinsteadisadarkhaired,
oliveskinnedwomanofmiddleclass.
• Allofthesonnetsfollowaformatofthreequatrains(4lines)
andafinalcouplet.
• Theyaremostlycomposediniambicpentameter.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
William Shakespeare(1564—1616)
18
ShallI/compare/theeto/asum/mer’sday?
Thouart/morelove/lyand/moretemp/erate;
Roughwinds/doshake/thedar/lingbuds/ofMay,
Andsum/mer’slease/hathall/tooshort/adate;
Sometimetoohottheeyeofheavenshines,
Andoftenishisgoldcomplexiondimm’d;
Andeveryfairfromfairsometimedeclines,
Bychanceornature’schangingcourseuntrimm’d;
Butthyeternalsummershallnotfade,
Norlosepossessionofthatfairthouow’st;
NorshallDeathbragthouwander’stinhisshade,
Whenineternallinestotimethougrow’st:
Solongasmencanbreatheoreyescansee,
Solonglivesthis,andthisgiveslifetothee.
The Sonnets and Narrative Poems: The Complete Non-Dramatic Poetry.SylvanBarnet,ed. SignetClassic,PenquinBooks,NewYork,1989.Print.
thesis: problem
establishedand
discussed in octave
sestetshifts
in tone
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Rhyme scheme || Meter
25
Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Sonnet 18: “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” • oneoftheYoungManpoems;afrequentlyquotedpiece • rhymeschemeisanexampleoftypicalEnglishsonnet: ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG • themeterisaperfectiambicpentameter
• ll1-4:thePoetopenswithaquestioningofhiscreativepowers,seeking anappropriatemetaphorfortheBeloved;throughthecontextofthepoem hediscoverstheYoungManisamorepositiveimagethantheseasonitself • ll5-8:thePoetbringsuptheconceptofApollo,theyoungGreekgodof thesun,music,andpoetry;heisalsoseenasaleaderoftheartisticMuses. ThePoetalsoresolvesthatallbeautyfadesovertime,eitherbycasual circumstancesorbyseasonalchangesintheyear. • ll9:establishesthetraditionalvolta,“Butthyeternalsummershallnot fade”—duetothepoemitselfpreservingasenseoftheyouth’sbeauty. • ll13-14:ithasbeensuggestedthattheclosingcoupletencouragesasense thattheyouthisrathervain.
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
William Shakespeare(1564—1616)
29
Whenin/disgrace/withFor/tuneand/men’seyes,
Iall/alone/beweep/myout/caststate,
Andtrou/bledeaf/heaven/withmy/bootless/cries,
Andlook/upon/myself/andcurse/myfate,
Wishingmeliketoonemorerichinhope,
Featuredlikehim,likehimwithfriendspossess’d,
Desiringthisman’sart,andthatman’sscope,
WithwhatImostenjoycontentedleast.
Yetinthesethoughtsmyselfalmostdespising,
HaplyIthinkonthee,andthenmystate,
Liketothelarkatbreakofdayarising
Fromsullenearth,singshymnsatheaven’sgate;
Forthysweetloveremember’dsuchwealthbrings
ThatthenIscorntochangemystatewithkings.
The Sonnets and Narrative Poems: The Complete Non-Dramatic Poetry.SylvanBarnet,ed. SignetClassic,PenquinBooks,NewYork,1989.Print.
thesis: problem
establishedand
discussed in octave
sestetshifts
in tone
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
B
E
B
F
F
5
5
5.5
5
5
5
5
5
5.5
5
5.5
5
5
5
Rhyme scheme || Meter
27
Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Sonnet 29: “When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes” • oneoftheYoungManpoems;mostquotedfromthefullsequence • thepoemispresentedasonelongsentence • rhymeschemeisanexperimentinthiscase;theopeningquatrain establishessamerhymesusedinthethirdquatrain: ABAB/CDCD/EBEB/FF
• ll1-2:thePoetannouncesheisaloneintheworld,indisgrace • ll3-4:likeJob,hecomplainstoheaven,cursinghislostreputation • ll5-6:becauseofhisbadluck,hewishesforother’ssuccesses, anotherman’spopularity, • l7:another’screativity,another’svision • l8:atcloseofoctave,thePoetisleastsatisfiedwithhischosencareer • ll9-10:Yet,despitethesethoughtsofself-hatred,justbythinkingofthe YoungMan,thePoetfeelsacontentment • ll11-12:heformsananalogycomparinghimselfwithalark:justasa commonbirdsingstoheavenatdawn:Poet(bird)toYoungMan(sun) •ll13-14:TheloveoftheYoungManisenoughtohelpthepoetsurvive; somuchsohewouldn’tchangehislotinlife
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Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
William Shakespeare(1564—1616)
130
Mymist/ress’eyes/arenoth/inglike/thesun;
Coral/isfar/morered/thanher/lips’red;
Ifsnow/bewhite,/whythen/herbreasts/aredun;
Ifhairs/bewires,/blackwires/growon/herhead.
Ihave/seenros/esda/mask,red/andwhite,
ButnosuchrosesseeIinhercheeks;
Andinsomeperfumesistheremoredelight
Thaninthebreaththatfrommymistressreeks.
Ilovetohearherspeak,yetwellIknow
Thatmusichathafarmorepleasingsound;
IgrantIneversawagoddessgo;
Mymistress,whenshewalks,treadsontheground:
Andyet,/byheav/en,I/thinkmy/loveas/rare
Asan/yshe/belied/withfalse/compare.
The Sonnets and Narrative Poems: The Complete Non-Dramatic Poetry.SylvanBarnet,ed. SignetClassic,PenquinBooks,NewYork,1989.Print.
problem resolved
in couplet
thesis: problem
establishedand
discussed in octave
sestetshifts
in tone, slightly
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5.5
5
Rhyme scheme || Meter
29
Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Sonnet 130: “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun”
• Thefirstlineisironicinthesensethatallofthepoemsaddressingthe
YoungMancomparehimtothesun,orassertheisasbeautifulasApollo,
theGreeksun-god;theDarkLadyisofoppositecharacterization.
• Thefullpoemexplainsthecontrastofidealismandreality.
• Thesonnetendswithanassertionthathisbelovedisasbeautifulasany
thathasbeenfalselycomplimentedbyotherpoets.
A slight rewording of the final couplet for modern clarification:
Andyet,Iswearbyheaven,Ithinkmyloveisrare
Asanyshe(that is:anyotherwoman)misrepresentedwithfalsecompliments.
Theword“compare”inthiscaseisbeingusedbythePoetasanounnotaverb.
30
Sonnet Form
revised 12.27.12 || English 1302: Composition II || D. Glen Smith, instructor
IfyoucomparetheDarkLadyagainstthecharacterizationofPertrarch’sLaura,
yougetacollectionofextremecontrastingelements.
Laura: Dark Lady:
beautiful average
blonde/blueeyes brunette/browneyes
pale,fairskin olivetones
artificialidealism realisticbeauty
icon/outofreach/goddess downtoearth/obtainable/mortal