How to Write an Analysis - Sonnets
Penman's Guide
- What kind of rhetorical devices does it have? Simile, personification, alliteration, repetition, irony, paradox etc.
- Iambic Pentameter: most sonnets were written in this form, consisting of ten syllables in each line alternating from unstressed to stressed, expanding 14 lines as a norm.
- Reoccurring themes include: romantic love, many times unrequited or idealised. Also the emotions arising from this, such as, jealousy, restlessness, obsessiveness; the beauty of nature; the immortalization of poetry; the passing of time; betrayal; death.
- There is a strong use of metaphors in sonnets to explain the emotions of the writer, and to express their thoughts and desires.
- To obtain the beauty in their poetry, the writers used sophisticated vocabulary which often requires interpretation to understand.
- This form of writing was very personal and showed an individual’s feelings and human side, it allowed them to express areas of their personal lives.
- Especially in Shakespearean sonnets there is an element of humour, most notably when describing his mistress.
