Aim: How can further implementation of our poetry skills enhance our exploration and analysis of Shakespearean Sonnets ?
Do Now: Consider the word “Summer”. What symbolic meanings or connotations are usually associated with this word? Why?
For the Do Now, we had to think about what the word “Summer” is usually associated with and explain. We shared our responses with the class. Randy started off by saying that summer is fun. Kaitlyn and others said that it has a positive connotation because there is no school and you have more leisure time. James Li said that summer is associated with the beach and the hot weather. Summer is also associated with ice cream and vacation. The class had a wide variety of answers to this question.
Structure of a Shakespearean Sonnet:
Shakespearean Sonnets are structure-specific:
Shakespearean Sonnets must have 14 lines.
They are separated into 4 parts. Three quatrains (four lines each) and a rhyming couplet at the end of the poem (two lines):
First quatrain introduces the subject
Second quatrain complicates the subject
Third quatrain and The couplet resolves or alters the subject in some way
Follows the rhyme scheme- ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Sonnets are written in iambic pentameter (a metric line consisting of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables)
Each syllable in a word is either stressed (hard) or unstressed (soft) based on the pronunciation of the letters. Stressed syllables are marked with a / over the letters; unstressed are marked with a u.
An Iambic foot contains two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed. Iambic measure is often called the heartbeat meter because of its similarity of the rhythm of the human heart.
Iambic pentameter (five-measure) is a line of five iambic feet. The line has a total of ten syllables repeating the pattern of “unstressed, stressed” five times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-tayWCupD8&ab_channel=ShakespeareCoach
The video helps you understand the iambic pentameter easier. She gives examples and says sentences in iambic pentameter to demonstrate what it is.
The mnemonic device above helps you analyze poetry by telling you the different
Group Work: We had to read the poems, find the rhyme scheme, and answer the questions that followed.
Using the capital letters A-G, mark the poem (in the same way as the example to the right) for its rhyme scheme. In Quatrain One: According to the speaker, how does this subject compare to summer? Which does he prefer?
The speaker tells the subject that the subject is better than the summer and prefers the subject over the summer.
In Quatrain Two: What are the problems the speaker has with summer?
What does line 7 mean (“and every fair from fair sometimes declines”)?
The speaker complains that summer is too hot for him and he complains that nature isn’t that beautiful anymore. Daniel Zou also says that Line 7 shows us that nature’s beauty isn’t everlasting.
In Quatrain Three: What is the main difference between the subject of the sonnet and summer?
The subject is eternal, but the summer will come and go.
Rhyming Couplet: Look at lines 13-14. What is the speaker saying in the conclusion of the sonnet? Does this confirm the messages expressed in the rest of the sonnet or alter them in some way?
As long as he lives, he will always love the subject. It confirms the messages expressed in the rest of the sonnet.
What is the theme of this sonnet? What is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject?
The speaker will always love the subject and believes that love is everlasting.
In Quatrain One: How does the speaker describe his mistress? What specific attributes does he reference?
The speaker describes his mistress horribly. He says that her eyes are not like the sun, her breasts are dun, and her lips aren’t red.
In Quatrain Two: How does the speaker speak to: her cheeks, and her breath?
Her cheeks don’t have the right color and her breath reeks.
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?
He says that her voice sounds terrible and her walk is like a tread. This contrasts with what other people would say because others would say that the good qualities.
Rhyming Couplet: Look at lines 13-14. What is the speaker saying in the conclusion of the sonnet? Why does the poet think his love is rare? How does the poet play with conventional stereotypes of love poetry?
The speaker is saying that he still loves her even though she has all of these negative qualities. He thinks his love is rare because it is only reserved for one person. It plays with conventional stereotypes because many people would say that their mistresses are beautiful.
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?
Shakespeare uses juxtaposition to compare two things to each other. It is a parody because this poem talks about the negative of his mistress while others talk about the good things. He focused on physical beauty because of the society at the time. The theme is still relevant to this day because there are still many people who look for physical beauty.
Reflection:
This lesson helped me learn how to create a Shakespearean sonnet that I will need to make for my project and homework. I learned about the iambic pentameter, which became very easy to understand because of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-tayWCupD8&ab_channel=ShakespeareCoach.
I also learned that Shakespearean sonnets must contain 14 lines in total and that they must follow a specific rhyme scheme. There are stressed and unstressed syllables in Shakespearean sonnets that are a part of the iambic pentameter. Stressed syllables are “hard” and unstressed syllables are “soft”. A shakespearean sonnet is also made up of 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet. A mnemonic device that can help you analyze poetry is SIFFTSIS. It stands for Speaking, Imagery, Form, Figurative Language, Tone/Theme, Setting or Devices of Sound, Irony, and Symbolism. All in all, this was a great lesson that covered Shakespearean sonnets.
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