Sonnet 18

1. Compare and contrast “Sonnet 18” with “Sonnet 130.” In both poems, the speaker discusses their beloved through comparisons to the natural world, but the effect and technique is very different. Yet the last two lines of “Sonnet 130” suggest that the poem is just as much an ode to one’s beloved as “Sonnet 18,” if not more so. Write an essay in which you explain the differing approaches of the two poems, citing specific lines in each as support. Then discuss the ways in which the speaker’s feelings toward the subject in “Sonnet 130” might express a more profound and mature form of love than that expressed in “Sonnet 18.”

2. There are two major types of the sonnet form: the Shakespearean sonnet and the Petrarchan sonnet, named for the Italian poet Francesca Petrarch. Both are traditionally 14 lines; both, generally, are written in iambic pentameter. Yet the rhyme schemes are very different, as you can see in this article. After reviewing the different rhyme schemes, select a Petrarchan sonnet by a notable poet and compare and contrast it to Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” in a brief essay of two or three main points. If you are having trouble picking a Petrarchan sonnet, you may choose Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet 24,” Emma Lazarus’s “The New Colossus,” or William Wordsworth’s “London, 1802.” For one of your main points, you might want to address the ways in which the rhythmic qualities of each type of sonnet create different effects. Conclude your essay by discussing your personal preference for one form or the other, explaining your choice with support from the text of the sonnets.

3. There are a number of words in “Sonnet 18” that may have double meanings. These include “temperate” (Line 2), “complexion” (Line 6), “fair” (Lines 7 and 10), “untrimm’d” (Line 8), and “ow’st” (Line 10). In a brief essay of at least three paragraphs, explore the possible dual meanings at play with respect to at least three of these words—or others, if you find them. Take into consideration various beliefs and customs of Shakespeare’s time, including the origins of capitalism, which was just taking root, and theories of the humors. For each word choice, discuss how the double meaning of the word impacts the poem’s overall tone, message, and/or effect on the reader.