Exploring Love's Complexity Through Sonnets

Love is quite plainly personified, represented as something quite tangible -yet this air of almost detachment is clear within the wording and referrals to "it". There is a tongue in cheek exclamation mid-line, and the reinforcement of the personification, which is then almost belittled through the ceasing of an uppercase following the exclamation mark. It could be perceived that this material, tongue in cheek exclamation is deliberately and provocatively unromantic, the language used to attract attention in the constantly bold manner.

This assertive, almost combative sense, deeply contrasts sonnet 73, yet making use of negatives build up the impression of terrific confusion, likewise to the intentionally unsure technique of the very first. Even through the dialectic, 116 is a clearly informative and positive piece. It communicates the importance of love in our lives, simplified by the potent use of unfavorable images. It speaks of love as not being "Time's fool", yet relatively asserting all else above love, through this usage of capitals in regard to feelings.

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A compass is mentioned, the play on words referring to the grim reaper as a sign of death and ever-present, ever passing time.

Youth is eliminated and removed. The sonnet is so concentrated on this state of mind and the style portrayed through language that the peak appears to be lost, and the climax falters at the end. It is concluded by "I never ever writ, nor no man ever loved." Successfully suggesting the if nobody has ever enjoyed, then William Shakespeare -the most well-known poet not just of his time, however maybe among the most distinguished of perpetuity- is not a writer.

It is an obvious assertion that enjoy exists, but relatively low-cost after witnessing the terrific use of language and tone within the sonnet.

One is almost left to question whether the subject matter was merely a device to explore language -again, heavily contrasting the technique of 73; using the subject matter as a basis for tone, language and technique. Words weave around the themes of nature and setting sun, whilst 116 portrays a sonnet with beauty among the language, yet no imagery which proposes to slide it into place. Whilst the words may roll from the tongue into the eagerly anticipating audience, it may serve as a disappointed if one expects subject matter to be portrayed in the same technique again.

Michael Drayton's sonnet, "Since There's No Help" appears to take a very traditional angle of love. He informs his love that they should "kiss and part" claiming to be finished with her, yet then proposes to speak of possible times in the future through "Love's latest breath. " This primarily simplistic piece is in fact highly complex. The angle of time is very different to that which has been previously examined. He refrains from noting such things as the ravages of age and time, yet looks to it through potentiality. The recurrent theme of love personified is clear.

Love and the attributes such as passion, faith and innocence are portrayed through personification. Capital letters stamp their new-found identity and they are spoken of as nouns, in action. Death is spoken of, yet no capital letter marks the word. The themes of death and loss are in context with the emotions spoken of. It is almost the literal death of love which is carefully layered through impossible imagery; "Faith is kneeling by his bed of death". The subject is clearly similar to the previous sonnets, yet the technique is greatly varying through this unfamiliar representation of emotions.

One may note the repetitive references to the feelings as masculine; "Innocence is closing up his eyes. " It would appear the all the good things are taking their final breaths, despite emotions being immortal and timeless. Contrasting 116, time will take care of all things mortal; "rosy lips and cheeks" yet such things as love are everlasting. However, Drayton proposes to contradict this, deciding to involve his lover, "Now if thou wouldst though have given him over" and effectively implicating her as responsible for the future recovery of the relationship.

He repetitively speaks of the passion she should recover, yet personified as a man, clearly Drayton's own interpretation of love. He is dismissive that his relationship has to sides and this clear ignorance sheds light on a another angle of the sonnet. The technique is fluid with the rhyming of the poem, and is fairly consistent. Words weave in, rhyming in alternate lines, almost parallel with the notion of the style of the poem, stepping back to rhyme, reminding the reader of the lines a little further back.

There is a certain element of a cycle present, Drayton dismisses all that is not masculine and it was in fact he who primarily stated, "let us kiss and part. " He may indeed blame other attributes, however, it is he whom kneels down and kills his love. The portrayal of love, time, death and loss within the sonnets is clearly varied to extremes through technical variety and interpretation of subject matter. One must note the styles which often play on the subject as much as the subject may inspire the technique.

Writings of love will always be diverse, and an extremely large subject matter, yet when faced with time, death and loss it still cannot be narrowed. Through careful observation of two of Shakespeare's works, one may note that the technique of one poet may vary within a single subject matter, and that it is this style which emphasises mood, tone and highlights subject matter which could be potentially flawed if written by anyone else. And as some poems even suggest, context may not even be important, if the technique is strong enough to support the latter, however various.