Aim: How can further implementation of our poetry skills enhance our exploration and analysis of Shakespearean Sonnets?
Note: This class took place in person
Do Now:
The students were asked to consider the word “Summer” and find symbolic meanings or connotations that they associate with the word. Some responses included:
Heat
Birthdays
Outdoor activities
Air Conditioning
After the Do Now, students learned about a Shakespearean Sonnet and the structure of this type of poem. Some specific things
A Shakespearean sonnet is 14 lines long
Usually about love and romance
Divided into 4 parts called quatrains: three quatrains that are 4 lines each, and a rhyming couplet at the end. (2 lines)
First quatrain introduces the subject
Second quatrain complicates the subject
Third quatrain and the couplet resolves or alters the subject in some way
There is a rhyme scheme that follows this pattern: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
They are written in iambic pentameter (a metric line consisting of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables)
Each syllable in a word is either stressed (could be thought as hard) or unstressed (could be thought of as soft)
Iambic foot: contains two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed. Iambic measure is often called the heartbeat meter because of its similarity to the human heartbeat pattern.
Iambic Pentameter: A line of five iambic feet. The line has a total of ten syllables repeating the unstressed, stressed pattern five times. They have a total of 5 syllable pairs Students watched a short, and quick video that explains the Iambic foot in depth. (https://youtu.be/W-tayWCupD8)
The following mnemonic was given for analyzing poetry
Students read one of Shakespeare’s famous sonnets: Sonnet 18
After reading the poem, students worked in their groups to answer 4 questions:
Using the capital letters A-G, mark the poem for its rhyme scheme in Quatrain One. Then this question is given: According to the speaker, how does this subject comparte to summer? Which does he prefer?
The second question asks: In quatrain Two: What are the problems the speaker has with summer?
a. What does line 7 mean (“and every fair from fair sometimes declines?”)
In Quatrain Three: What is the main difference between the subject of the sonnet and summer?
Rhyming Couplet: Look at lines 13-14. What is the speaker saying in the conclusion of the sonnet? Does this confirm messages expressed in the rest of the sonnet or alter them in some way?
What is the theme of this sonnet?
a. What is the speaker's attitude toward the subject?
Some answers included:
1:
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
The subject is compared to summer and is deemed more beautiful.
2:
Some problems the speaker has is that summer can be too hot, and its beauty fades.
3:
The main difference between the subject and summer is that the subject won't fade away like summer.
4:
The speaker says in the last two lines that the subject will never fade away because they will remain in the sonnet and as long as humans still have a connection with the poem, the subject won’t fade away.
After the students finished sonnet 18, they read sonnet 130 and annotated it. More questions were given:
Identify the rhyme scheme
In Quatrain One: How does the speaker describe his mistress? What specific attributes does he reference?
In Quatrain Two: How does the speaker speak to: her cheeks, and her breath?
In Quatrain Three: How does the speaker address his mistress’ voice and walk?
How does this contrast with what most people would claim about their mistresses?
5. Rhyming Couplet: What is the speaker saying in conclusion of the sonnet? Why does the poet think his love is rare?
How does the poet play with conventional stereotypes of love poetry?
6. How is the speaker's lover an inversion or parody (an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect) of the petrarchan (A Petrarchan lover is melodramatic, self-consciously suffering and has given himself up to the power of his mistress) and medieval lover?
How has Shakespeare used juxtaposition, and for what purpose?
In what way(s) has the writer’s focus on physical beauty enhanced the emphasis and relevance on the theme for society at the time?
How is this theme still relevant and prevalent today?
Some of these answers were given:
1:
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
2:
The speaker describes his mistress in a negative way. He specifically talks about her eyes not being like the sun, and that coral was far more red than her lips were
3:
The speaker shows juxtaposition by comparing his mistress’ cheeks and breath to something better, like roses and perfume.
4:
The speaker says they enjoy hearing her voice, but know music is much better, and that they tread on the ground. Most people would call their mistress having a beautiful voice and lovely walk, but this speaker is different.
5:
The speaker is saying that his life is different from other loves, and that he will love his mistress anyway. Usually mistresses are the opposite of who the speaker has, which is why he considers the love rare.
6:
The speaker's lover is a parody of a stereotypical Petrarch because his lover isn’t the best in all categories, but he thinks the love is rare because of that. Shakespeare has used juxtaposition by using opposites to what describe the looks and traits of the mistress to show contrast. The writer's focus on beauty enhances the emphasis and relevance of the theme because he shows that not all love has to be perfect and beautiful, because at the time, mistresses probably weren’t given the full respect unless they were perfect in looks. This theme is still relevant today because it’s not just about beauty and looks that we should see in a lover, but instead appreciate their love, and consider it rare.
Reflection:
Today I learned what a Shakespearean sonnet was and how to write one myself. We were given the homework to write an original sonnet ourselves. The reason we learned this was to be able to recognize the difference between the types of poems, and learn how to read a sonnet. We also learned this to know how to write a sonnet for the upcoming due poem project that has to include a free verse poem, extended metaphor, and a Shakespearean sonnet.
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