Shakespeare's Use of Sonnets i
Shakespeare's Use of Sonnets in Romeo and Juliet When discussing the great writers of the world, one name that invariably appears is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare will always be known as arguably the greatest playwright to have ever lived, his writings always studied by classrooms of children around the world. Of all Shakespeare's plays and writings, perhaps his best-known work is the tragic love story Romeo and Juliet. Very few pieces of English literature have been reproduced, parodied and modernized like Romeo and Juliet. Despite the fact that many people have never actually read the play or seen it performed, most could give a fairly accurate plot summary, and almost every adult could tell you where the phrase 'A rose by any other name' comes from. Not only is Romeo and Juliet a moving and poignant love story, it is also a perfect example of Shakespeare's incredible skill with words and poetic form. In the play Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses sonnets to provide key insights into the character's state of mind. The most famous sonnet in Romeo and Juliet occurs in act 1 scene 4 when the young lovers meet for the first time. Shakespeare very subtly melds the dialog of Romeo and Juliet into a perfect sonnet.
ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?JULIET Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer. BENVOLIO Tut, man, one fire burns out another's burning, One pain is lessened by another's anguish; Turn giddy and be holp by backward turning; One desperate grief cures with another's languish. Unlike Romeo and Juliet, these two cannot form a complete sonnet; their viewpoints are too different. This conflict is played throughout the sonnet and is resolved with Romeo's final line, signified by his kiss Romeo and Juliet's interaction however is not concluded with the sestet in lines 214-219. Juliet picks up on this theme and plays with it, conflicting Romeo's metaphor with the literal interpretation of his words. Despite being very close friends, they do not share the special bond enjoyed by Romeo and Juliet. The man was a genius, who regularly worked into his plays details that are only uncovered be hours of patient study. For all these reasons and more, Shakespeare will always be known as one of the greatest geniuses of the world. Take thou some new infection to thy eye, And the rank poison of the old will die. CAPULET As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie; Poor sacrifices of our enmity! PRINCE A glooming peace this morning with it brings; The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished: For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. 45-50)Benvolio's argument takes the form of sestet, indicating that this is the summation of his argument. What is not so clear is why, if these two were so similar, do we see no further sonnets from them.
Common topics in this essay:
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BENVOLIO Tut,
JULIET Saints,
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Juliet CAPULET,
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montague capulet,
act 1 scene,
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