For Wednesday's class, read the following range of 10 Sonnets (though feel free to read others within this range as well):
Nos. 46,
53, 55, 57, 58, 62, 66, 68, 69, 71
We'll have
an in-class writing response when you come to class. However, here are some ideas to consider as you read:
* Look for repetitions in Shakespeare--words that he repeats often in one poem, or a word that he plays on with several different meanings in one Sonnet. But whenever he repeats something, it's for a reason, to call attention to the idea behind the word.
* Does he continue to make excuses for the beloved's behavior, or is he more in 'attack' mode at this point? Who is winning the "civil war between love and hate"?
* Note when he switches back into "you" from "thou" in the poems, and try to figure out why he does this. What is the effect of using "you" in a poem, such as No.55, or 57?
* Have the poems become more sophisticated as they go along? More complex? Darker? Stranger? What quality has changed over the course of 70 sonnets?
* How 'healthy' do you think the poet's love is for the beloved? Are there signs that this is pathological behavior? Could he be arrested for this behavior today? Are we supposed to condone the poet's sentiments? Or be afraid of them? (Remember, Shakespeare writes many plays about lovers who kill their beloved for questionable reasons, such as Othello).
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