Language Arts: Author Study: Shakespeare's Sonnets and Devices
Analyzing structure, imagery, figurative language, and themes in Shakespearean sonnets
Language Arts: Author Study: Shakespeare's Sonnets and Devices
Analyzing structure, imagery, figurative language, and themes in Shakespearean sonnets
Language Arts - Grade 9-12
- 1
A Shakespearean sonnet has 14 lines written mostly in iambic pentameter. It usually follows the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Explain how the final couplet often functions in a Shakespearean sonnet.
Think about how the last two rhyming lines can change or complete the meaning of the poem.
The final couplet often provides a conclusion, twist, summary, or surprising insight. It can resolve the problem developed in the three quatrains or sharpen the poem's main idea. - 2
In Sonnet 18, the speaker asks, 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' Identify the literary device used in this line and explain its purpose.
The line uses a rhetorical question and introduces an extended comparison. Its purpose is to begin the speaker's argument that the beloved is more lovely and more lasting than a summer day. - 3
Read these lines from Sonnet 18: 'Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, / And summer's lease hath all too short a date.' Identify one example of personification or metaphor and explain how it affects the meaning.
Look for language that gives a season a human or legal quality.
The phrase 'summer's lease' is a metaphor that compares summer to something temporarily rented. It emphasizes that summer is beautiful but brief, which supports the speaker's claim that the beloved's beauty will be preserved longer through poetry. - 4
The rhyme scheme of a sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Label the rhyme scheme of these four invented lines: 'The moon climbs high above the sleeping town, / While silver streets reflect the quiet light, / The restless river wears a shadowed crown, / And stars appear like sparks across the night.'
The rhyme scheme is ABAB because 'town' rhymes with 'crown' and 'light' rhymes with 'night.' - 5
Iambic pentameter is a pattern of five iambs per line, with each iamb usually having an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Explain why this meter can make a sonnet sound balanced and formal.
Think about how repeated rhythm affects the sound of a poem when read aloud.
Iambic pentameter can make a sonnet sound balanced and formal because it creates a steady rhythm with ten syllables in each line. The regular pattern gives the poem musical structure while still sounding close to natural speech. - 6
In Sonnet 130, Shakespeare writes, 'My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun.' Explain how this line challenges the usual love poetry of Shakespeare's time.
Compare this line to a poem that says a beloved is perfect or angelic.
This line challenges traditional love poetry by refusing to use exaggerated praise. Instead of claiming that the beloved has impossible beauty, the speaker describes her realistically, which makes the poem feel witty, honest, and unconventional. - 7
Read this line from Sonnet 130: 'Coral is far more red than her lips' red.' Identify the device and explain how it contributes to the poem's tone.
The line uses comparison and anti-blazon, which means it reverses the traditional praise of a beloved's features. It contributes to a playful, ironic tone because the speaker seems to criticize his beloved while ultimately presenting a more honest kind of love. - 8
A volta is a turn in thought, argument, or tone. In many Shakespearean sonnets, it appears near the final couplet. Explain what a volta might do in a poem about time, beauty, and poetry.
Look for a shift from problem to solution, doubt to confidence, or praise to reflection.
A volta in a poem about time, beauty, and poetry might shift from concern about aging or decay to confidence that poetry can preserve beauty. It changes the direction of the poem's argument and helps reveal the speaker's final insight. - 9
Choose one major theme found in Shakespeare's sonnets, such as love, time, beauty, immortality, jealousy, or truth. Explain how Shakespeare develops that theme through poetic devices.
Name the theme first, then connect it to at least two devices.
One major theme in Shakespeare's sonnets is the power of poetry to resist time. Shakespeare develops this theme through metaphors of decay, images of changing seasons, and final couplets that claim verse can preserve the beloved's beauty or memory. - 10
Write two original lines in the style of a Shakespearean sonnet. Include one poetic device, such as metaphor, personification, alliteration, or imagery. Then briefly identify the device you used.
A strong response includes two original lines that imitate a formal poetic style and use at least one clear poetic device. The explanation should correctly name the device and describe how it works in the lines.