Sonnet Reflection #129

This sonnet, being one of the first “Dark Lady” sonnets, is very interesting to me. It shows how his tone changes when he is head over heels for the boy, and when he is with the lady just because there is no other person left for him. He goes on and on about how love is so wrong and lust can be extremely dangerous. It is one of the worst qualities a human can possess. Shakespeare says it is “murderous, rude, cruel, and full of blame”, but I believe that it is his own way of making excuses for himself and it explains why he is with this “Dark Lady”. He doesn’t love her, he lusts over her. He writes about how bad sex is, and how something so heavenly can lead someone to hell. It can be such a great thing when you’re “in the moment”, but once reality hits, you feel nothing but sorrow.

Sonnet Reflection #99

Sonnet 99 is a very well-written poem with the fact that I had never taken summer in such a negative way as this. In most poems about summer, they are usually known as being the most beautiful time of the year, and everyone loves summer. Shakespeare however, metaphorically calls summer a thief. He claims that all of the flowers and their beauty take away from the beauty that the boy possesses. He uses different flowers to symbolize the boy’s body parts. So in a way, it is like they had stolen his identity. I find this to be an extremely clever way of showing someone they are beautiful. He relays the message that in fact, he is more beautiful than all of summer. Since summer is constantly used as a comparison to one’s beauty, it is very different to see it as a negative. I like the idea though that it makes the reader of this look at summer in a whole new light.

Sonnet Reflection #94

In this sonnet, I find the message to be intriguing. The overall theme is basically saying they have the power to do many things, but they can refrain. Being sophisticated and strong is what will make you a good person. If you are wild, with no rules and restraint, that is what will make you a bad person. Shakespeare compares it to a “rotting lily”. I believe that in modern times, this should be applied. In line 1, it states that people have the power to hurt, but refuse to. I think that line is extremely fitting for today’s society. People believe that since they are rich or are high up in society, that it’s okay to be mean and cruel to one another. A good example would be Saddam Hussein. He had a lot of power in his country, but he abused that power and did many hurtful things with it, and because of that he was one of the most hated men in the whole nation.

Sonnet Reflection #87

In Sonnet 87, I find it to be one of the most depressing. Shakespeare is telling the boy that he should be with someone else because of the fact that the boy is a lot “better” and he should raise his standards. I take this as either a pity party, or Shakespeare is showing the amount of confidence he really has. When you are trying to get compliments and things, people usually tell others how useless they are and how unattractive they look, but Shakespeare seems to be taking it into a whole new level. He is saying how the boy is a treasure, and how he is worthless. In a way I think the writer realizes how amazing the boy is and maybe being with him isn’t the best choice. After all, he is the one telling him to have children. So, I think he understood that this wasn’t right.

Sonnet Reflection #55

According to Shakespeare, Sonnet 55 lives through anything. He compares it to many man-made objects. Monuments, stone statues, and buildings will all be destroyed before this poem does. So in a way, I believe the writer is being extremely arrogant. Something not even as extravagant as war can ruin what he has composed. This is one of the sonnets in my opinion that really show me his obsession. Shakespeare’s gloomy and “cold” word choice in this sonnet shows desperation. He wants to get the message across of how much he wants to be with this boy. So he will have to live the rest of his life knowing that someone wants to be with him so bad. He claims that his beauty will last forever as long as people are alive to read this. He is now trying anything to prove to this boy that he is beautiful. So either this boy doesn’t believe he is beautiful, or he doesn’t want to hear it from the writer.

Sonnet Reflection #18

This sonnet is comparing summer to the boy and even though summer is filled with happiness and youth, the boy is a lot better. Summer can have harsh winds, and it can be extremely hot. But the boy, he is very mild and a lot lovelier. This sonnet is the first one so far that didn’t talk about procreating. It is strictly about age. In lines 8 and 9, the writer explains how all good comes to an end; either by an accident, or just because of time. But then he goes and explains how his beauty will be “eternal”. I find this to be extremely odd because he was the one saying in the past 17 sonnets how his beauty will diminish if he doesn’t have children. So I find it a bit relieving that he is saying beauty lasts forever, because that’s how I look at beauty. Youth doesn’t define your looks. If you are confident and like the way you look, then your beauty will shine for the rest of your life.