Sonnet in General the Term Term Paper

The Spenserian sonnet combines elements of both Italian and the Shakespearean forms. It has three quatrains and a couplet but differ in that it has linking rhymes between the quatrains.

In the 17th Century the sonnet was adapted and used by John Donne in his religious poetry and by Milton who adapted to political themes. It was later revived by Wordsworth in the 19th Century, after being relatively neglected in the 18th Century. (Baldick C.) have chosen Shakespeare Sonnet CXVI - Let me not to the marriage of true minds, to discuss.

The central aspect that appeals to me in this poem is its condensed and logical structure. The central point that is made is carried through the poem in a clear and concise way. This central theme is to emphasize that love, if it is true love, is enduring and permanent. True love cannot be subject to change or decline. From the very first stanza this central theme is announced.

Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Lines 2 and 3)

Therefore love is measured by its enduring faithfulness which cannot be deviated from or disrupted.This theme is carried through the following stanzas with various examples. What I particularly like is the sonnet structure and the concise concluding couplet.

If this be error and upon me proved, never writ, nor no man ever loved.

These lines beautifully encapsulate the main theme of the love poem. They conclude the poem by stating that the truth of the permanent nature of true love is logically and emotionally obvious to those who have loved themselves

Bibliography

Baldick C. About the Sonnet.. August 6, 2005. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/sonnet.htm

Let en not to the marriage..." August 6, 2005. http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/363.html

THE SONNET. University of Pennsylvania. August 6, 2005 http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/sonnet.html

Sharp W. The Sonnet: Its Characteristics and History. August 6, 2005 http://www.sonnets.org/sharp-b.htm

Sonnet Structure. August 6, 2005. http://harvey.harker.org/u/harker/nayanm/assignments/sonnets.html.....