UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 1st, 18th, 116th , AND 127th SONNETS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Abstract

One of the most prominent poem sequences of all times, sonnets of William Shakespeare show us that poetry can be a great way to express feelings from diverse aspects and points of focus that range from frustration to lust. We can find a physical aspect of love and spiritual side of it while reading the sonnets. Shakespeare used more than one character in his sonnets to make the sequence more comprehensive and piquant. Through four characters, the sonnets capture the attention and curiosity of readers. In this paper, the 1^st, 18^th, 116^th and 127^th sonnets of Shakespeare will be analyzed and interpreted from the aspect of meaning, theme, and structure in order to comprehend the essence of the sequence better. These four sonnets are selected and analyzed on purpose; they are the four pillars of the sonnets through which the flow of the whole sequence is changed. There are 154 sonnets in the sequence. As a whole, sonnets tell us a love journey between four characters: a speaker, a blonde young man, a dark lady, and a rival speaker. Even though love is the main foci in the sequence, other sentiments that foster love will be elaborated in this paper. 

Keywords

• Poetry
• William Shakespeare
• Sonnet

References

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