Table of Contents

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet 43.”

William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet 43” are both love poems that explore the themes of love, beauty, and mortality. While both poems share some similarities in terms of structure and content, they also have notable differences in their portrayal of love.

Structure:

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-Both “Sonnet 18” and “Sonnet 43” follow the traditional structure of a sonnet, with 14 lines written in iambic pentameter. However, “Sonnet 18” is a Shakespearean sonnet, while “Sonnet 43” is a Petrarchan sonnet. The Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet, while the Petrarchan sonnet consists of an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). This structural difference affects the way the two poems develop their ideas and themes.

Also Read:-

Content:

In “Sonnet 18,” Shakespeare compares his beloved to a summer’s day, arguing that his beloved is more beautiful and more perfect than any natural beauty. The poem’s central theme is the idea that love and beauty can transcend time and mortality. Shakespeare writes, “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” This line suggests that the beloved’s beauty will be preserved forever in the poem, and that love can defy death.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-In “Sonnet 43,” Elizabeth Barrett Browning also explores the theme of love’s ability to transcend death. She begins the poem by asking, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” This line sets the tone for the poem, which is a list of different ways in which the speaker loves her beloved. Unlike “Sonnet 18,” which focuses on the beloved’s beauty, “Sonnet 43” focuses on the depth and intensity of the speaker’s love. The poem suggests that love can transcend death and that the speaker’s love for her beloved will continue even after they are separated by death.

Portrayal of Love:

While both “Sonnet 18” and “Sonnet 43” explore the theme of love’s ability to transcend time and mortality, they differ in their portrayal of love. In “Sonnet 18,” love is portrayed as an idealized, almost perfect form of beauty. The speaker sees his beloved as more beautiful than nature itself, and the poem suggests that love can preserve this beauty forever. The focus of the poem is on the beloved’s beauty and the speaker’s admiration for it.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-In “Sonnet 43,” on the other hand, love is portrayed as a more complex and intense emotion. The poem suggests that the speaker’s love for her beloved is not just based on his physical beauty, but on a deep emotional connection that transcends death. The speaker lists different ways in which she loves her beloved, suggesting that love is multifaceted and complex. The focus of the poem is on the depth and intensity of the speaker’s love, rather than the beloved’s physical beauty.

Sonnet 18 “Summary”

Sonnet 18 is one of the most famous and beloved poems written by William Shakespeare. It is a sonnet, a type of poem that has 14 lines, and follows a strict rhyme scheme and meter. The poem is part of a collection of 154 sonnets, which were published in 1609, and is considered to be one of the greatest works of English literature.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-The poem begins with the speaker asking if he should compare the person he is addressing to a summer’s day. He immediately dismisses the idea, saying that the person is more lovely and more temperate than a summer’s day. He then goes on to list the faults of a summer’s day, saying that it is too short, too hot, and too often dimmed by clouds. In contrast, the person he is addressing is “eternal” and will never fade or die.

The speaker then goes on to say that the person he is addressing will live forever, not only because of the poem he is writing, but also because of the children that they will have. The speaker says that as long as people can read and see, the person he is addressing will live on in his words and in the faces of their children.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-The final two lines of the poem are among the most famous in all of English literature. The speaker says that as long as people can breathe and see, his poem will live on and the person he is addressing will never die. This idea of immortality through poetry is a recurring theme in Shakespeare’s sonnets.

One of the most striking aspects of Sonnet 18 is the use of metaphor. The speaker compares the person he is addressing to a summer’s day, and then immediately dismisses the comparison. This creates a contrast between the transitory nature of a summer’s day and the eternal nature of the person he is addressing. The use of metaphor is also evident in the way the speaker describes the person’s beauty. He says that it is more “temperate” than a summer’s day, which implies a sense of balance and moderation.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-Another important aspect of the poem is the use of language. Shakespeare’s sonnets are known for their beautiful language, and Sonnet 18 is no exception. The poem is written in iambic pentameter, which is a form of meter that consists of ten syllables per line. The use of iambic pentameter gives the poem a musical quality, and the use of rhyming couplets at the end of each quatrain gives it a sense of structure.

The poem also uses a number of literary devices, such as alliteration, assonance, and repetition. For example, the first line of the poem contains alliteration with the repeated “s” sound in “shall I compare thee to a summer’s day.” The use of repetition is also evident in the final couplet, where the words “never” and “die” are repeated for emphasis.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-In addition to its literary qualities, Sonnet 18 is also significant because of its themes. One of the main themes of the poem is the idea of immortality through art. The speaker believes that by writing this poem, he can ensure that the person he is addressing will live on forever. This theme is present in many of Shakespeare’s sonnets, and reflects the Renaissance belief in the power of art to transcend time and mortality.

Another theme of the poem is the idea of beauty. The speaker believes that the person he is addressing is more beautiful than a summer’s day, which is a bold statement given the beauty of nature. This theme reflects the Renaissance belief in the importance of beauty and aesthetics.

Finally, the poem is also significant because of its use of gender.

Sonnet 43 “Summary”

Sonnet 43 is a love poem written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It is part of a series of 44 sonnets that make up her collection, Sonnets from the Portuguese. The poem is a declaration of love from the speaker to her beloved, and it explores the depths of her feelings for him.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-The poem begins with the speaker declaring that she loves her beloved “to the depth and breadth and height” that her soul can reach. She then goes on to explain that her love is all-encompassing, and that it extends to every moment of her life, including “by sun and candle-light.” This opening line sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is filled with images of passion and devotion.

The second quatrain of the poem continues to explore the speaker’s love, describing it as “the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life!” Here, the speaker is saying that her love is the very essence of her being, and that it encompasses all of the emotions and experiences of her life. The use of exclamation marks throughout this quatrain emphasizes the intensity of her feelings.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-In the third quatrain, the speaker acknowledges that her love for her beloved is greater than anything else in her life, including her faith and her dreams. She says that she loves him “with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints.” This line is a reference to the speaker’s religious faith, which she feels she has lost in her love for her beloved. The speaker also says that her love for him is greater than her dreams, which she describes as “the dreams that by [her] side do lie.” This line suggests that her love is more real and tangible than her dreams.

The final couplet of the poem brings all of these ideas together. The speaker says that she loves her beloved with the passion of her youth, and that she will continue to love him even after death. She says, “I love thee with the breath, / Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, / I shall but love thee better after death.” This couplet emphasizes the eternal nature of the speaker’s love for her beloved, and suggests that it will continue even after she has passed away.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-One of the most striking aspects of Sonnet 43 is the intensity of the speaker’s emotions. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses powerful language to convey the depth of her love for her beloved. She describes her love as “the depth and breadth and height” of her soul, and says that it encompasses all of her life. The use of exclamation marks and rhetorical questions also adds to the emotional intensity of the poem.

Another important aspect of the poem is its use of imagery. The speaker uses a variety of images to convey the depth and breadth of her love, including references to the sun and candle-light, her breath, smiles, and tears, and her lost saints and dreams. These images help to create a vivid picture of the speaker’s emotions, and to convey the intensity of her love for her beloved.

Compare and contrast the portrayal of love in William Shakespeare’s:-The poem is also significant because of its use of gender. Although the speaker is not explicitly identified as female, many scholars believe that the speaker is Elizabeth Barrett Browning herself, and that the poem is a declaration of love to her husband, Robert Browning. If this interpretation is correct, then the poem is significant because it is one of the few examples of a woman expressing such intense emotions in literature during the 19th century.

Finally, Sonnet 43 is also significant because of its place within the collection, Sonnets from the Portuguese. The collection as a whole is a series of love poems written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to her husband, and Sonnet 43 is often considered to be the climax of the collection.

FAQ.

Q: Who wrote Sonnet 18?

A: Sonnet 18 was written by William Shakespeare, an English playwright and poet who is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language.

Q: When was Sonnet 18 written?

A: Sonnet 18 is believed to have been written in the early 1600s, around the same time that Shakespeare was writing his plays.

Q: What is Sonnet 18 about?

A: Sonnet 18 is a love poem that compares the speaker’s beloved to a summer’s day. The poem argues that the beloved is more beautiful and more perfect than a summer’s day, which is subject to the ravages of time and nature.

Q: What is the theme of “Sonnet 43”?

A: The theme of “Sonnet 43” is love and the speaker’s deep and intense feelings for her beloved. The poem explores the various ways in which the speaker loves her beloved, suggesting that love is multifaceted and complex. The poem also suggests that love can transcend death and that the speaker’s love for her beloved will continue even after they are separated by death.

Q: What is the tone of “Sonnet 43”?

A: The tone of “Sonnet 43” is one of deep and intense emotion. The speaker expresses her love for her beloved in a very passionate and heartfelt way, suggesting that her feelings are sincere and genuine. The poem also has a tone of reverence and adoration, as the speaker lists the various ways in which she loves her beloved.