Sonnets and Sonnateers

I find I prefer Shakespeare’s sonnet to the one of Spencer. Shakespeare begins his sonnet with a question, then pauses to reflect upon it, and then goes again – very sing-song-y. But Spencer is different; He makes the statement, then questions it. Though this has nothing to do with the rhyme scheme. Spencer connects his sonnet through the usage of continuing rhymes over different strophes, whereas Shakespeare makes every verse a new couple. Spencer’s technique highlights the last couplet "Such is the power of love in gentle mind, That it can alter all the course of kind" which verily concludes his sonnet of frustrated questions. He has a love that doesn't love him, but that coldness towards his courting just makes him more attracted to her. He doesn't have an answer and just blames it on the nature of love.
But Shakespeare prefers to accent every verse. The whole poem is dedicated to the everlasting beauty of this fair maiden, and her beauty captures and lasts through the whole poem. Shakespeare reminds the reader of this continuity every line as if the woman's beauty was living a life therein.


Sonnet 59
Thrice happy she, that is so well assured (A)
Unto her self and settled so in heart: (B)
That nether will for better be allured, (A)
Ne feared with worse to any chance to start: (B)
But like a steady ship doth strongly part (B)
The raging waves and keeps her course aright: (C)
Ne ought_ for tempest doth from it depart, at all (B)
Ne ought for fairer weathers false delight. (C)
Such self assurance need not fear the spite (C)
Of grudging foes, ne favor seek of friends: (D)
But in the stay of her own steadfast might, (C)
Nether to one her self nor other bends. (D)
Most happy she that most assured doth rest, (E)
But he most happy who such one loves best. (E)

This sonnet, another by Edmund Spencer, is about a love of his whom is very strong in will, and in herself. There is nothing that can stop her, and her self-assurance keeps her afloat in her journeys. He concludes than no other thing could be happier than this woman, but the man whom she loved the most (which one would interpret to be Spencer).


Sonnet 11
As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou grow'st (A)
In one of thine, from that which thou departest; (B)
And that fresh blood which youngly thou bestow'st (A)
Thou mayst call thine when thou from youth covertest. (B)
Herein lives wisdom, beauty, and increase; (C)
Without this, folly, age, and cold decay. (D)
If all were minded so, the times should cease (C)
And threescore year would make the world away. (D)
Let those whom Nature hath not made for store, (E)
Harsh, featureless and rude, barrenly perish. (F)
Look, whom she best endow'd she gave the more; (E)
Which bounteous gift thou shouldst in bounty cherish. (F)
She carv'd thee for her seal, and meant thereby (G)
Thou shouldst print more, not let that copy die. (G)

This sonnet by Shakespeare is about a man, who in age stops believing in his own power and talent. shakespeare tells him not to lose hope because he has a woman's love, and that love, be it from the woman or from anyone, is what should make him see that he does still hold the limbs of youth in his arms and should continue his righteous path.


Sonnet for those who turn their backs away
By Anne
It, everything, is, for us, too passive
a he and a she, we look around
the heat is oppressive
the animals are running a bound
we look over to eachother
decide something is amis
cry out for all our brothers
end up in a kiss.
kiss the open air, streaming through the window blinds
take out our fears
dissolve them with orange rinds
making candied tears.
my love though far away
my memories invite him in to stay

Getting Medival

The Crusades were religious wars that the catholic church in Rome organized in order, truthfully, to convert the heretic population of the mid-east, especially around Turkey, Israel, Serbia, etc.

The Murder of Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket was the archbishop of Canterbury who had a dispute with King Henry II of England of the rights of the church and in 1170 was assassinated by three knights of the king. For his death he became both a martyr and a saint.

The Magna Carta was the great English document that established a peace for all of England and also the Habeus Corpus privilege of due process that we use in today's US legal system.

The Black Death, also known as the Plague, was a disease that ravaged Europe during the middle ages, killing off a great number of Europe's population. There was no aid, and it was said to be spread by rats, which, in the dirty medieval times, were a common household collection.


Chaucer's story circulates around 26 characters all gathered together in Southwerk to go on a pilgrimage to old Thomas Becket's tomb in Canterbury. There is:

a Knight who had won many battles and fought for many kings, and was known for his bravery;
his son, a Squire of only 20 years, a poet, drinker, romancer, and dreamer;
a Yeoman, who wore many tools upon him, and carries weapons;
a Prioresse whose modesty, lady-ness, beauty impress all;
followed by another nun and three priests;
a progressive, future-minded, open-minded Monk;
his Friar, another jovial man, frank and familiar, dignified in speech and liked by all men for dressed "as is a poor scholar, he was like a master or a pope";
a Merchant, worthy and solemn with his goods abound;
a Clerk, all humble, courteous, and studious with his collection of books;
a Sergeant of Law who was wise, just, and creative with his mind and hand;
a Franklin, witty, with bounty, and Epicurean;
a fraternal group of artisans: a Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, and Tapestry-Maker;
a cook, loaded down with rich foods;
a shipman, a good fellow who built boats and knew his trade;
a very knowledgeable, skillful, and learned physical Doctor;
a Wife of Bath, a bit deaf but very travelled;
a Poor man of town -- though despite his poverty full of god, truth, and knowledge;
his brother, a charitable plowman;
a sickly Reve; a stout Miller; a dirty, red-faced Summoner who scares the children; a Pardoner, selfish with his money, trussed up in his appearance but innocent in spirit; a gentle and fair Municiple money collector; and the narrator himself.

In the Nun's Priest's tale, one finds the tone festive and jolly, although not without moral or honor of one's self and one's superiors (be it a Knight, a Prioresse, or God). The Priest recounts the story of a widow's cock and his seven wives, focusing on his favorite, Pertelote, and his disturbing dreams. The conflict arises over whether dreams can be trusted or not; with proofs from many a source, and the result of the story itself, everyone sees that the rooster is smarter after all, and even smart enough to get himself out of his trouble. Like in Beowulf, Chaucer includes many a tale into his tale. His chickens are very learned, explaining all the examples of certain theories from books that they have read. I was impressed, though Chaucer's "wit is short, ye may wel understonde," he still is very travelled, and utilizes morals in his stories that are to be copied later in history by other story tellers like Jean le Fontaine, and The Brothers Grimm (though must, in truth, be ageless). He is modest, like his chivalrous knight, worthy like all his characters and extremely witty, though he may deny it.

In both the Prologue and the Priest's tale, one sees evidence of this humorous spirit that is the Canterbury Tales. Though Chaucer is very funny, perhaps, in his introductions, in the transitions between stories, in the drunken storytellers that his characters be, there is always a moral, a seriousness attached to their actual stories. The morals are about trusting intuitions, honesty, the will of God, women (unfortunately, of their inherent submissiveness, as well) --noble Medieval beliefs.

Chaucer says of the knight in the prologue, "a worthy man -- he loved chivalrie, truth and honour, freedom and curteisie/ ful worthy was he in his lordes were, and thereto had he ridden, no man ferre" -- a fine description of the ideal man of the middle ages. One of the most important aspects of life for honorable men was chivalry, and a basic idolization of women had to be withheld. The brave (or not-so-brave, according to his fine lady) rooster, Chauntecleeer, says to his favorite lady, like any good man would say to his lady, "God has shown me great favor; For when I see the beauty of your face....it destroys all my dread." Like his wife's beautiful face destroys the fears of Chauntecleer, Chaucer's Tales would dissipate any troubles I would have if I read them during the middle ages. It is easy to understand their high-standing status in literary history.

On Beowulf

The earliest known written story in the Anglo-Saxon culture is Beowulf, and Beowulf indeed represents many values that were important to the early peoples in England. Like pine trees remind me of South Carolina and fully green water oaks represent Georgia, so Beowulf should represent the Anglo-Saxon life for me. In this patiently lifetime-spanning heroic story of how bravery overcame all odds to defeat the tyranny, and save the race of mead-loving, king-loving, story-loving Danes.
The three major themes in Beowulf are battle, dignity and fame, which play important roles in what historians remember to be England around 500 ad. Of course the whole theme of reciting stories which permeates everything in Beowulf so prominently must also have been a big factor in ancient life. (Funny, how in Arabian Nights, which popped up around the same time period as Beowulf, but in a whole different culture in the Orient, also had this huge culture of story telling. Before television, and radio, and books, verbal entertainment was all people had, and most of the stories from yore that we heard today, including Beowulf, existed for years or even centuries before they were ever written down and got passed down through the years by voice.)
Battle appears in Beowulf so constantly, and so nonchalantly, it’s surprising to the modern-day reader to see. In England, when the whole island was ruled separately by different kings, and thus different cultures, battle was an everyday thing – and not like it is today, with blood being shed and no one paying attention. In Anglo-Saxon life, it was the man’s duty to be a warrior, and other than being a warrior they did not have many other trades. Beowulf becomes king of a foreign nation when
"Hygelac fell/ in the storm of war,/ and his son, Heardred,/ fell too under his shield,/ killed by the sword/ fighting the Swedes,"
Though nothing of war is accounted in the tale of Beowulf, only his other perilous adventures. Yet battle is what makes men men, Hrothgar explains the hardships and struggles of the warrior, as if it were the only way to be a man. I once heard that, in life, man should write a book, have a child, plant a tree, and kill a man, all of which are just metaphors (writing a play, having a kid, gardening, and participating in war would also add up to be a successful life). And so it was in Anglo-Saxon life.
And there wasn’t much getting away from it because it was what the King had all his subjects do for him, and loyalty to your King was the most important honor to uphold in Anglo-Saxon beliefs. To say the least, Beowulf fulfilled his honorary duties, and even went beyond the normal heroism by going to another King’s nation and saving all of his people (not to mention the king himself) from the evils coming in off the moors. One of my favorite examples of the Anglo-Saxon dignified heroism, was when, near the finale of Beowulf’s life, his young helper-soldier, Wiglaf, as his comrades are running deep into the woods away from the frightful dragon’s fire which Beowulf is caught in, decides to take the necessary stand and help his leader. Wiglaf knows that if he does not enter the dragon’s cave and aid Beowulf, our hero will die, without having seen the like bravery of his processors. Wiglaf takes the stand, but does not end by saving the life of Beowulf.
But Beowulf was aware that he was fighting his last fight:
"The good prince awaited/ the last of his days,/ the end of this world's life,/ and the dragon with him,"
Beowulf’s death was, though not dignified in a moral or philosophical sense, he did not die after he had found some truth, but he did die with a good heart, a life lived, evils conquered. Some may bring up that he was correcting the ill effects of a thief who had not been punished for his initial crime, but as Beowulf says:
"I have traded/ my old life for the people's needs"
What was more important than the moral wrong-ness of stealing, they were stealing from a dangerous creature, which, Beowulf –as king-, thought was better off dead. And the lasting benefits, prosperity, and riches his deeds brought his people made his death, and easily, the dragon’s death deserving of their fate.
And Beowulf’s other great love, of fame, was equally satiated. Beowulf, with the largest funeral pyre yet known, with jewels and gold piled underneath him, a grand wall encircling his bones – Beowulf was to die the most famous, the bravest, the most honored of all Danes.

Beowulf is not our modern hero. His qualities do not including attracting women, nor saving the world. He is the boy-next-door hero, the hero that comes to the rescue when there is no ride home, when the clothes are out drying and it starts to rain, when the dinner is burning. In our day and age, death is mysterious and death is rare. With Beowulf, it happened all the time. They were not horrified by deaths, they just wanted them to stop; the mead-hall was becoming a little too ruckus. And Beowulf was the man who came to help. No woman on the other side, and he wasn’t doing it for all the gold he received – he had a genuine and unique talent of standing up to things that others ran away from, and he used his power for good.
Beowulf was also the superhero of the sequels. He grew old too, became a wonderful leader, and then went out to do battle again after he was aged and gray. No hero of today has ever done that. Beowulf was more of a human being. He had more guts, equal muscle, less pride. And his humility, the beautiful quality that was so empowered during his time period, made him a much better hero.

Reading Entry

I am in the middle of reading Kierkegaard's Either/Or. I am studying currently a section called Shadowgraphs which is about, to be very general, grief. The narrarator is describing three different literary examples of reflective grief: two characters from two stories of Goethe, and Dona Elvira from Moliere's Don Juan. Throughout most of the sections of this book, the narrarator (who is not supposed to be Kierkegaard's own voice) references to Don Juan, the tragic character of the play, but also the beauty that is made in all sorts of representations of the Don Juan story, especially by Mozart (Don Giovanni). I don't know if this work was just a major influence in his life, or if it has other profound aspects that apply more generally to me (or anybody else).

To completely turn away from Kierkegaard's morose philosophy all about grief, pain, sorrow, and tragedy, I read Giles Goat-Boy (by John Barth) whose only connection to Either/Or is that neither authors claim to have honestly written the text. So far, on page 124, our lively main character has grown fron goat to man, although, he was always physically a man, raised as a goat, and now in a quest for knowledge. It is interesting how, in his world, there is only studentdom, and goatdom, and the great world of New Tammany College. The whole world is reduced in scale to be a university. A computer is the menace; the savior, maybe, this goat-boy.