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Compare and contrast Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare and To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell. How do these poems show the poets view on love? William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare and mother Mary Arden in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare was recognised as a successful actor, playwright and poet. He wrote many magnificent plays. These of which included; Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing.
Shakespeare was also highly recognised as a successful Sonneteer. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets in total before his death in 1616. An example of one of Shakespeare's sonnet is titled My Mistress Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun. In My Mistress Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun Shakespeare creates an easy flowing and enjoyable read, displaying his superiority in the art of poetry.
In sonnet 130, Shakespeare goes against all conventional terms used by Petrachan sonneteers. Instead of comparing his Mistress to usual love clich, of his time period, he breaks free from them and portrays his mistress in a realistic way. By opening his sonnet with the line My Mistress Eyes are Nothing like the Sun the reader feels shocked and wanting to read on. The tone of My Mistress Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun, is one of realism and contentment.
Shakespeare realises that love is full of imperfections therefore giving us a realistic view of his Mistress. He realises that she is far from perfect but that does not take away from his love for her. Although Shakespeare talks about all of his mistress shortcomings, he sounds satisfied with their love for each other. Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter in this sonnet, a term that refers to lines of unrhymed poetry each of which has five stressed syllables. This form gives the poem a beautiful rhythm, similar to all of Shakespeare's masterpieces. It has three quatrains and one rhyming couplet.
The rhyme scheme is away, which gives the sonnet a tight structure. In sonnet 130 Shakespeare alters a word. This word is damaged. Shakespeare does this to make the word fit in with his rhyme scheme. If Shakespeare would have kept the word as damasked there would be too many syllables in the line, which would mean there would not be five stresses per line. This would mean the sonnet would not keep to the iambic pentameter rhyme scheme.
In Shakespeare's time Women were idolized like goddesses. In lines 11 and 12, Shakespeare writes; I grant I never saw a goddess go: My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. The reader finds it shocking how Shakespeare doesnt compare his, mistress to a goddess and says the opposite by saying when she walks she doesnt glide like a goddess but treads instead. Also in Elizabethan poetry Ladies' hair was often compared to golden wire. In sonnet 130 Shakespeare compares his mistress hair to black wires. If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head; Shakespeare carries on to almost insult his Mistress but portrays her in a realistic manor.
This therefore makes the sonnet more realistic and believable. By using a selection of poetic devices in sonnet 130, Shakespeare creates an image of his Mistress that is realistic. He uses imagery effectively. This also helps the reader to imagine a realistic person in their minds. Shakespeare uses imagery such as If hairs be wire, black wires grow on her head, and Coral is far more red than her lips red. This makes the reader picture his mistress with unattractively pale lips and black hair, which looks like wire.
Shakespeare also uses metaphors. Shakespeare writes roses damaged he is saying that roses are like a fine covering. Shakespeare repeats the word roses. He uses repetition in order to emphasise the word.
Grant goddess is alliteration, another poetic device Shakespeare uses. Sonnet 130 on occasion has been colloquial, breath from my mistress reeks. The word reeks is the only informal language in the sonnet, the rest is formal. I think sonnet 130 is very successful.
Instead of keeping to conventional writing of his time period, Shakespeare created a new door to writers, who would follow in the future. He breaks from original conventions to make the poem shocking and a joy to read. Shakespeare portrays his mistress in a realistic light and writes what he really thinks about his mistress, which therefore shows his realistic love for her. Andrew Marvell was born at Winestead-in-Holderness, Yorkshire, on March 31 st, 1621.
He was educated at the Hull Grammar School, and in 1633 he matriculated as a Sizar of Trinity College, Cambridge. Starting in 1659, Marvell was elected M. P. for his hometown of Hull, and he continued to represent it until his death. During his last twenty years of life, Marvell was engaged in political activities and writing political pamphlets and satires.
Marvels Miscellaneous Poems were printed posthumously in 1681. Marvell died on 16 th August 1678. He was buried in the church of ST. Giles-in-the-fields. As time goes by, people remember Marvell for his unique poetry instead of his role in politics. Andrew Marvell was a Metaphysical poet.
Metaphysical poets made demands on their readers and almost wrote their poetry as an example to professional poets. The metaphysical poets flavoured octosyllabic couplets or quatrains in their poetry and the poems usually build up an argument, which forms a conclusion at the end. The correct term to use for this is syllogism. An example of Marvell's metaphysical poetry is a poem entitled To His Coy Mistress.
The subject of To His Coy Mistress is also one of love. To His Coy Mistress is persuasive, self-centred and egotistical. Throughout the poem Marvell builds an argument for sexual love and freedom, getting the impression that Marvell is self-centred and has a big ego. Throughout the poem you get the sense of urgency. Each line in To His Coy Mistress is octosyllabic and has a regular rhyme scheme of aa, rhyming couplets. To His Coy Mistress there are no stanzas but it is written in three parts.
In the first part of the poem Marvell is romantic and says all the things he would do if they had all the time in the world. He says, Had we but world enough time, this coyness, Lady, were no crime which means that her shyness would not be a problem if they had all the time in the world. He says that he would allocate certain amounts of time to each part of her body. Two hundred to adore each Breast, but thirty thousand to the rest. In the second part of the poem the pace changes and Marvell goes on to say how they have not got all the time in the world. But at my back I always hear.
Times winged chariot hurrying near; this is a metaphor of time. He is saying that time is chasing after them. He then goes on to say Thy beauty shall no more be found; then Worms shall try That long preserve Virginity. here he trys to scare her into sleeping with him by says how her looks will disappear and when she dies her virginity will turn to dust and the only thing that will be entering her are the worms when she is buried. In the third part Marvell talks about how they should go to bed at that precise moment and not wait.
He talks about how they should role together and have passionate sex. He concludes his poem by saying Thus, though we cannot make our Sun Stand still, yet we can make him run, he is saying that they should go to bed with each other before it is to late. Marvell also uses a lot of imagery to make his poem effective and successful. He uses similes such as like across birds of prey. This is also an oxymoron. In this line Marvell is comparing himself and the person to birds and how they should have sex.
Another simile Marvell uses is Sits on thy skin like morning dew. Marvell also metaphors, one of which includes Let us roll all our strength and all our sweetness into one ball. Marvell is saying in this line how him and the person should join together and roll all their feelings into one ball. Another poetic device Marvell uses is personification. Times winged chariot. He gives time a human form by saying time is a chariot that is fast approaching.
Marvell also uses alliteration. An age at least, private place, Thirty thousand and sun stand still. sun stand still is also a sibilant. Marvell uses alliteration to emphases words and lines in his poem. Another poetic device Marvell uses is repetition.
One word he repeats several times is now. This gives the reader the impression that Marvell is urgent and in a rush. Marvell uses repetition in order to emphases a word. Marvell's poem is colloquial throughout. Marvell seems like a self-centred a vein man in this poem. My vegetable love shall grow Vaster than Empires and more slow.
He is referring to his love for her. Not emotionally but physically. I also think this poem is successful. Marvell has a valid argument as we as humans do not have all the time in the world.
You can tell right from the start that Marvell is charming his mistress and you almost know what is coming before it does. Marvell is straight up with her and doesnt hold back. I think this is a good thing but it all depends what sort of thing a person likes. Marvell has purely written this poem to get his mistress to go to bed with him.
I think he has achieved this successfully. I think both Marvell's poem and Shakespeare's sonnet are successful in what they wanted to achieve. Both writers break from the conventions they want to. Marvell breaks from the convention of having sexual relations when married and Shakespeare breaks form usual conventions describing women to heavenly things. Both poems have the theme of love. Although the theme is the same, Marvell's is purely based on sexual love and Shakespeare's on emotional love.
Personally I prefer sonnet 130. I prefer this poem as Shakespeare has wrote about his mistress realistically and portrays her in a realistic light. Sonnet 130 is more believable as you can imagine what his mistress looks like. He has written about his true feelings for his mistress and I think he sounds happy with her as he concludes his sonnet in these lines; And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.
Most poems, songs and sonnets are full of love clich's, but this one is different. I think it is nice to see something different once in a while and this Sonnet certainly is.
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