In Shakespeare’s sonnets, the volta is the thematic or rhetorical shift that often transforms the poem’s direction, mood, or meaning. It serves as the turning point, engaging readers by introducing new perspectives or resolving tensions established earlier. Understanding the Volta in Elizabethan Sonnets In traditional sonnet form, the volta—Italian for […]
Read more Exploring the Volta in Shakespeare’s SonnetsShakespeare’s Sonnets Explained: Themes, Structure, and Study Tips
Shakespeare’s sonnets are 14-line poems in iambic pentameter that develop an argument across three quatrains and a closing couplet. Their typical rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, and a volta—a rhetorical “turn”—usually appears around line 9 or the final couplet. Understanding this structure unlocks clear, confident analysis and exam-ready […]
Read more Shakespeare’s Sonnets Explained: Themes, Structure, and Study TipsStudy Help Essay Questions
1. Select two sonnets from each of the two major divisions (Sonnets 1–126 and 127–154). How do they differ in mood and the treatment of love? 2. Which sonnets do you find most shocking, and why? 3. In the sonnets, what views does Shakespeare express regarding the nature of true […]
Read more Study Help Essay QuestionsStudy Help Full Glossary for Shakespeare’s Sonnets
alchemy to turn something into gold ambassage message anon soon aspect astrological term for influence attaint dishonor augurs fortune tellers bankrout bankrupt bastard signs cosmetics beshrew a mild curse bett’ring improvement as time passes bootless useless broils battles canker blooms dog-roses canker destructive worm car cart carcanet jewelled collar chary […]
Read more Study Help Full Glossary for Shakespeare’s SonnetsCritical Essay Is Shakespeare Shakespeare?
Many books present facts, reasonable suppositions, traditions, and speculations concerning the life and career of William Shakespeare. Taken as a whole, these materials give a comprehensive picture of England’s foremost dramatic poet. Tradition and sober supposition are not necessarily false because they lack proof of their existence. However, readers interested […]
Read more Critical Essay Is Shakespeare Shakespeare?William Shakespeare Biography
Born in 1564, William Shakespeare was the eldest son of John and Mary Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s father was a landowner who raised sheep, and a well respected guild member in Stratford-Upon-Avon. The prestige and respect Mr. Shakespeare earned in his lifetime afforded him and his descendants the honor of being granted […]
Read more William Shakespeare BiographySummary and Analysis Sonnets 153 and 154 – Cupid
Summary These two sonnets, which may be considered as appendices to the preceding sonnet story, do not touch upon any of the major themes in the sonnets. In Sonnet 153, after Cupid, god of love, falls asleep, a “maid of Dian’s” steals Cupid’s “love-kindling fire” and extinguishes it in a […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnets 153 and 154 – CupidSummary and Analysis Sonnet 152
Summary The end of the relationship between the poet and the woman becomes apparent. Addressing the woman with a sense of shame and outrage, the poet is fully conscious of his own adultery and that of his mistress, as well as her infidelity to him and his lack of moral […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 152Summary and Analysis Sonnet 151
Summary If the poet ever hoped that his soul would win out over his body, as he does in Sonnet 146, and that his reason would return to govern his senses, he was sadly mistaken. In Sonnet 151, his body’s lust for the woman completely controls his actions and thoughts. […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 151Summary and Analysis Sonnet 150
Summary Using a more rational tone than in the previous sonnet, the poet tries to understand why he cannot completely break from the woman. He shifts his approach, asking what incredible power the woman uses to enslave him; earlier he had asked himself what his own character flaws were that […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 150