Theme Of Sonnet 55 - 848 Words

â€Å"Sonnet 55† was written by William Shakespeare and can be found in the textbook on page 892. Everyone wants to be remembered for something one way or another, and in Sonnet 55 Shakespeare alludes to this. The theme of immortality is evident throughout the entire sonnet, and Shakespeare does not stray away from it at all. Shakespeare’s tone in the first quatrain of this sonnet comes off as a bit arrogant, but it is necessary to get his point across. His tone then shifts to being negative, but quickly becomes much more uplifting from the third quatrain until the end of the sonnet. Imagery of decay and destruction are also used in this sonnet to support the points that Shakespeare wants to make. The first quatrain instantly shows the†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, it can be argued that Shakespeare is talking about how war causes the death of a culture, which leads to changes and people being forgotten (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008). â€Å"When wasteful war shall statues overturn†(5) is an example of alliteration used to help the beginning of this quatrain flow smoothly. Shakespeare uses personification to drive home the fact that death and fire cannot destroy ones â€Å"living memory†(8) that resides in the lines of his sonnet: â€Å"Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn/the living record of your memory†(7-8). Shakespeare deviates from decay and destruction in the third quatrain to bring the theme of immortality back to the forefront. His tone begins to sound more uplifting when talking about going against death: â€Å"‘Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity/Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room†(9-10). In saying this, Shakespeare wants the readers to know that death is not concerned with who is going against it, so if this sonnet marches forward though history the prince will always be praised. His arrogance in this poem briefly shows itself again in this quatrain: â€Å"your praise shall still find room/even in the eyes of all posterity/That wear this world out to the ending doom†(10-12). InShow MoreRelatedSpenser and Shakespeare: Contrasting Approaches to Sonnets1100 Words   |  5 Pagesto Sonnets For over many centuries, countless poets have chosen to interpret their thoughts, sentiments and concepts through sonnets as opposed to other varying forms of poetry. Invented in Europe and perfected by Petrarch around the XIV century, the sonnet is considered to be the longest lived form of poetry and has since influenced the works and minds of succeeding artists such as Edmund Spenser and William Shakespeare. Thus, by observing Spenser’s Sonnet LXXV and Shakespeare’s Sonnet 55, itRead MoreAnalysis of Two of the Best Williams Shakespeares Work1273 Words   |  6 Pagesthe human heart experiences in life. This is especially shown in his vast collection of sonnets which exemplified the â€Å"carpe diem† ideology of the period, and the love that one can have for another. Two of the most famous of Shakespeare’s works, Sonnet 55 [Not Marble, nor the gilded monuments] and sonnet 116 [Let me not to the marriage of true minds], are no exception to this theme in poetry. Both of these sonnets exemplify the love that the narrator has for a mistress in his life, and how he definesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Twelfth Sonnet909 Words   |  4 Pagestrue meanings. Using the same theme, language and form are displayed at their best while still capturing his goal of creating a legacy of both of these important people in his life. 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Summary This sonnet attempts to explain the nature of time as it passes, and as it acts on human life. In the first quatrain, the speaker says that the minutes replace one another like waves on the â€Å"pebbled shore,† each taking the place of that which came before it inRead MoreThe Sonnet Sequences Of Shakespeare And Wroth1725 Words   |  7 PagesThe sonnet sequences of Shakespeare and Wroth present two variant perspectives of falling in love, each illustrated as affection through their poetics. Though they lean on each other, Shakespeare’s features a more masculine representation of desire and Wroth’s, a more feminine. To generalize their differences: how Shakespeare grounds his sonnets—with more physicality—Wroth matches with an intangible aspect; where he harshens, she remains reserved; where he personalizes, she makes general. What’s