Subjects:
The imagery used to depict love in Sonnet 116 shows how noble and altruistic the ideal of love is. Shakespeare presents it as unconditional in the line “it is an ever-fixed mark”, and assures the reader that it does not “alter when it alteration finds”. Shakespeare utilizes the natural imagery of the “tempest” to show that love is stronger than nature: it “looks on tempests and is never shaken”.
Lust on the other hand is not so worthy. Shakespeare depicts the act of love as “th’ expense of spirit in a waste of shame”. This is again an example of natural imagery: the barren wasteland is like an arid desert. But even when uncommunicated, this lust is dangerous. Unconsummated lust is given much emotive language and is labelled “murderous, bloody… Savage, extreme, rude” and “cruel” in Sonn
. . .
Where love and lust are presented as ideals and in abstract terms, love is now presented in terms of a relationship between two people in Sonnet 138. The idea of lust’s more worthy mate love standing the test of time can not be further from the truth for lust. We are shown the folly in the behaviour of two people who are in love with the line, “I do believe her, though I know she lies. This reference can again be linked back to Sonnet 116, where the speaker says “Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks”. ” We can see that vanity is not affected should love be in place. The reader is presented with the image of two people telling white lies to further their relationship, but Shakespeare is not unaware of the folly of this. ” The speaker “vainly” believes that she is telling the truth, though he knows “she knows (his) days are past the best. Although he admits it is “A bliss in proof”, proved, it is “a very woe”. We are shown that despite beauty and physical attractiveness giving way to age, love exists between two people – “though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle’s compass come; Love alters not”. ” This theme of love surviving through time and standing strong against physical age is shown again here. Shakespeare does not pretend to be as jovial when regarding (or presenting) this more destructive emotion.
In Sonnet 138’s conclusion , Shakespeare shows the way in which couples are both deluded for the benefit of loving one another. “On both sides thus is simple truth suppressed”. ” The fact that the speaker is admitting to being naïve makes the reader question the grounding of his reasoning.
Essay's Topics
All research is for reference purposes only.