Old Journal Entry On William Shakespeare's Sonnet 71: #4

-->

Entry 4 – November 2, 2011

Sonnet 71 enticed me with its somber yet resilient attitude towards death. As a sonnet, it fulfills all the necessary components and more. With a few exceptions (such as line 12), the meter and rhythmic structure of this poem fits that of a sonnet. The end rhyme schemes were consistent, although a few ended in slant rhyme rather than perfect rhyme. Many literary elements were imbedded successfully within this poem; alliteration, consonance, personification, metaphor, and anastrophe to name a few. Overall, the poem was able to intrigue with its strength of language.

As a piece of writing supposedly by William Shakespeare, it greatly disappointed me. Shakespeare appeals to me because of his ability to explore a multitude of themes within a simple piece of writing. When I look into any of Shakespeare's work, I can peal back layer after layer of meaning. He had opened my eyes to how literary elements could be so intertwined in order to provide a deeper profundity. I found this sonnet of his to be in stark contrast to many of his other works – barren. What he explores in this sonnet is a theme which has been told and retold by innumerable men. It would be as if Voltaire wrote about the correct methods to summer harvesting.

In his defence, some may argue that the constricting features of sonnet form limits the ability of the poet to fully express a range of ideas. This is not true.

Taking a look at the over-studied sonnet 116, we can see that it explores a plethora of ideas. It is passionate, witty, and overflowing with great metaphors. Maybe this is the reason for the popularity of Sonnet 116, and the relative obscurity of Sonnet 71. Both these sonnets were written by the same man.

Perhaps I am just being too picky, or have not yet realized how great this sonnet really is. To expect some sort of enlightening reverie from a mere fourteen lines of verse, is unrealistic to say the least. What really destroyed the magnificence of this poem for me, was the personal nature of it. I feel that the best poetry is written when ideas are humanized, and not the other way around.

The reputation of a man precedes him, I guess.

Written for English Literature 12