Use this forum to post your responses to the working drafts of your group members’ interpretive essays. Each response should be at least 300 words, and should comment on specifics issues and ideas in the draft. You are not expected to edit the drafts for grammar, but instead provide feedback to the writers in terms of how you experienced and understood their interpretations and supporting details.
Open a new thread for each of your responses and address the writers by their first name.
Adam de Luna
Amoretti Sonnet XXXIIII Throughout history, there have been poems, sonnets, and songs that have been written about many things in life. Perhaps the subject that has been covered the most through these forms of art, has been about love. In the sonnet Amoretti XXXIIII, by Sir Edmund Spenser, he weaves the story of a love that has either been lost or a love that is unrequited. So, he longs for the day when the object of his affection for him finds her way to him. The opening lines of Sir Edmund Spenser’s sonnet XXXIIII open with the following simile, “LYKE as a ship, that through the Ocean wyde, by conduct of some star doth make her way,”. Here, the subject of the sonnet, likens himself to a ship that is sailing the ocean. This allows the reader to immediately be able to picture this in their mind and as they continue to read the sonnet’s next couple lines, they become aware of the vastness and loneliness that the subject is feeling. In these lines, the reader can see the subject is talking about him being guided by a star that has become hidden behind a storm and thus has been lost to view and he is unable to continue his course. The star, here, represents the object of his love for him. She was guiding him and either her love has been taken away or she has stopped loving him. Either way, he is now lost in the vast ocean and sailing aimlessly. The next four lines of the sonnet takes the reader further into the depths of the subject’s feelings of despair. “So I whose star, that wont with her bright ray, me to direct, with cloudes is ouer-cast, doe wander now, in darknesse and dismay, through hidden perils round about me plast.” Sir Edmund Spenser really takes the reader into the mind and emotions of the subject at this point. He describes how the subject feels now that he has lost his star (his love of him). He is a ship that is lost, wandering in the darkness and not realizing or even caring about anything around him. Even if there are things that could do him harm, he does not notice them. This part of the sonnet should be familiar with anyone who has lost a love or been rejected by someone. The emotions that can be felt here feel to be raw and never ending. The first eight lines of the sonnet are used to describe the feelings the subject is going through. During the last six lines of the sonnet, the reader can see a glimmer of hope by the subject. The lines begin with, “Yet hope I well, that when this storme is past, My Helice the lodestar of my lyfe will shine again, and looke on me at last, with louely light to cleare my cloudy grief.” a light at the end of the tunnel. He does not believe this willlight at the end of the tunnel. He does not believe this will last forever and believes that his love of her will once again shine on him and lead him to her. Sir Edmund’s use of ‘Helice’ comes from the Greeks and is another name for the constellation Ursa Major. Ursa Major was used to find the ‘lodestar’, which is what helped to guide ships while sailing the seas and oceans. So, Sir Edmund was saying here, at some point his love de ella will return and he will again be guided back on the right course and find his way de ella to her. The last two lines of the sonnet brings the reader back to their present situation, “Till then I wander carefull comfortlesse, in secret sorrow and sad pensiuenesse”. He lets the reader know until the day comes that his love de ella comes back to him, he will continue to wander aimlessly in sorrow and sad thoughtfulness. The sonnet, Amoretti XXXIIII, is a wonderful metaphor for someone who is suffering for a lost love. Sir Edmund Spenser eloquently expresses the depths of loneliness and sadness that a person experiences when they are unable to be with the person they want to be with. The way he uses simile and metaphors to show how lost the subject is, can easily be seen in the reader’s mind. For those who have experienced this heartache themselves, they can understand and envision being that ship, lost at sea.
SONNET. XXXIIII.
LYKE as a ship, that through the Ocean wyde,
by conduct of some star doth make her way of her,
whenas a storme hath dimd her hers trusty guyde hers,
out of her course ella doth wander far astray.
So I whose star, that wont with her bright ray de ella,
me to direct, with cloudes is ouer-cast,
doe wander now, in darknesse and dismay,
through hidden perils round about me plast.
Yet hope I well, that when this storme is past,
My Helice the lodestar of my lyfe
will shine again, and looke on me at last,
with louely light to cleare my cloudy grief.
Till then I wander carefull comfortlesse,
in secret sorrow and sad pensiuenesse.
Jason McCormick
The sonnet titled Delta XLVI, authored by Samuel Daniel has three main themes that are touched on. As is typical with sonnets one of these themes is love, specifically yearning for the love of another and expressing that love in the written word, this is usually done in hopes of courting there would be lover. The second theme I have noticed in the poem is what I construed to be a satirical and or a critical shot at other authors of sonnets during the period. The last theme that I have noticed is the self-deprecation the author seems to delve into. These themes combine the creative sonnet that is not a typical sonnet with flowery prose or overly gaudy ideas. Addressing the theme of love itself being the major focus of many sonnets including this one, Samuel tackles his love for this person in a way in which he separates himself from other sonnets in their authors who write, “In aged accents and untimely words.” highlight how Samuel’s writing is different from those other sonnets he goes on to say how those not yet born would look at his writing and say that his Love’s beauty must have made him dumb. The idea that someone could be so beautiful, or that you can being so in love with them I can make you stupid with love would be rather flattering to the woman who is the subject of such a statement. The second theme I found in the sonnet was the critical or simply differentiating line made between Samuel’s sonnet and other sonnets that focus on knights and fantasy with flowery prose described as, aged accents and untimely words,” Samuel feels his sonnet is different because he describes his verse as authentic and how others would wonder how h e was made dumb. So, Samuel intentionally chose a style and vocabulary for this sonnet that he considers simple. The final theme I found while reading the sonnet was a self- deprecating one, more of an acknowledgment of faults, real or perceived, towards the latter part of the sonnet Samuel has two points that can be seen as an acknowledgment of these faults. “Lo where she lies Whose beauty made him speak that else was dumb,” and “Though th ‘error of my youth they shall discover, Suffice they show I liv’d and was thy lover.” In these lines the faults that could be attributed to himself, that he lets love make a fool out of him (or as Samuel puts it ‘dumb’), and the error of his youth from him, possibly connecting back to his love from him . These faults are those that many could attribute to several men, surely to many of the authors of sonnets such as this one or those mentioned in the beginning lines.The sonnet, Delta XLVI, by Samuel Daniel is a rather plainly worded sonnet compared to other sonnets one may think up when you have sonnets on the mind. During my reading of this sonnet, I found three themes that I was able to figure out, those being themes of love (which are typical of sonnets) and being critical or pointing fun at the themes and language used by other authors. The final theme I noticed was self-deprecation which may be an attempt at sounding humble. These themes result in a sonnet that is rather plainly worded and comes off as a more authentic sounding (at least to my modern sensibilities) admission of love.
Delia XLVI
Daniel, Samuel (1562 – 1619)
Original Text:
Samuel Daniel, Delia. Contayning certayne sonnets: with the complaint of Rosamond (J. C. for S. Waterson, 1592). STC 6243.5. Facs. edn .: Scolar Press, 1969. PR 2464 D4 1592A ROBA.
1Let others sing of knights and paladines
2In aged accents and untimely words;
3 Paint shadows in imaginary lines
4Which well the reach of their high wits records:
5But I must sing of thee, and those fair eyes
6Authentic shall my verse in time to come,
7When yet th ‘unborn shall say, “Lo where she lies
8Whose beauty made him speak that else was dumb. “
9These are the arks, the trophies I erect,
10That fortify thy name against old age;
11And these thy sacred virtues must protect
12Against the dark, and time’s consuming rage.
13Though th ‘error of my youth they shall discover,
14Suffice they show I liv’d and was thy lover.
Olivia Masters
A Hope for Love “Sonnet LXI ‘” from the sonnet sequence ldea’s Mirror, written by Michael Drayton, is the quintessential breakup poem with a twist. This sequence of seventy- three sonnets tells the story of his pursuit of a lady who might have been the daughter of his patron de l. Sonnet LXI falls near the end of the sequence of sonnets when Drayton’s relationship with his love de l is not going well. Throughout the three quatrains and couplet of this sonnet, Michael Drayton conveys his desire for him to end his relationship with his love for him but leaves a glimmer of hope for their future should his love for her change her mind. The first quatrain begins with Drayton declaring his desire for him to part ways with his love for him. In the second line, it appears that Drayton is done with the relationship and does not want to give of himself anymore. He seems to be frustrated with his love de ella and tired of her attitude de ella. Drayton goes on to say that he is “glad with all [his] heart” to make a clean break of the relationship. However, the reader can tell that he is not telling the complete truth. He seems to be hurting and trying to convince himself that he is happy about it. When Drayton uses repetition with the word “glad” in the first quatrain, he draws special attention to his attempt to appear content with the situation. In the second quatrain, Drayton continues his theme of ending his relationship with his love for him. When he mentions shaking hands forever, that is a sign that he wants to continue being friendly toward his love of her. He mentions that their vows to one another will be canceled which shows a hint of hurt from Drayton. He goes on to say that when they meet again, he does not want it to be seen on either of [their] brows” that they were once former lovers. He wants them to just be friends from now on and pretend that there was never anything between them. In the last quatrain, Drayton begins by using the word “Now” which signals a turn in the story. Drayton uses personification to signify that their love is dying. He says that Love’s latest breath is at its “last gasp” which means that love is near death but not fully gone. When he mentions Passion’s pulse failing,” he is alluding to the pulse of their love slowing down but that it is not completely dead. He also tells the reader that “Faith is kneeling beside his bed of death” which means that his belief in their ability of their love to survive is only hanging on by a thread. Lastly, he personifies Innocence as “closing up his eyes” and implies that his idea of perfect love that lasts forever might also be near death. Drayton’s use of personification implies that their love is almost dead, but he seems to be holding onto hope. In the final couplet of the sonnet, Drayt reasoning further and says that all of what he just told his love of her in the first two quatrains could be reversed if she wished. He appears to still love her even though he tries to convince himself that he does not. If his love of him would take this give him some hope, then their relationship could be renewed. In conclusion, Drayton uses repetition, personification and a turn in the final six lines to display his relationship from him with his love from him. In the beginning of the poem, he shows his apparent confidence in her decision to end her relationship and how happy he will become. However, we later see that he would stay with his love for her if she wished. The turn near the end of the sonnet helps Drayton to communicate his desires of him for his relationship of her. Although he says in the beginning of the poem that “there’s no help” for the relationship, by the end he indicates that if his love of him gave him some encouragement their relationship could be restored.
I d e a.
by Michael Drayton LXI.
SINCE there’s no help, come, let us kiss and part,
Nay, I have done, you get no more of me,
And I am glad, yea, glad with all my heart,
That thus so cleanly I myself can free.
Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows,
And when we meet at any time again
Be it not seen in either of our brows
That we one jot of former love retain.
Now at the last gasp of Love’s latest breath,
When, his pulse of him failing, Passion speechless lies,
When Faith is kneeling by his bed of death,
And Innocence is closing up his eyes from her.
Now, if thou wouldst, when all have given him over,
From death to life thou might’st him yet recover.
