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HOPE JOURNAL OF RESEARCH Teaching of Shakespearean Sonnets: The

Linguistic Viewpoint

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 HOPE JOURNAL OF RESEARCH
Volume: 3 Issue: 1 ISSN (P): 2313-8122
March 2015 ISSN (E): 2307-7034
Teaching of Shakespearean Sonnets: The Linguistic Viewpoint

Dr. Intakhab Alam Khan

King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah-KSA

Abstract
William Shakespeare needs no introduction to the students of English in general and poetry in
particular. As a sonnet writer, he wrote 154 sonnets which became extremely popular among
the readers of all the ages throughout the world. Most of his sonnets were addressed to the
poet‟s friend especially the sonnet -18 that acclaimed Shakespeare‟s genius around the globe.
This is the mastery of the poet that even after 400 years, attempts are being made to study and
analyse his poetic genius and mastery of his sonnets in general. The present attempt is also a
modest endeavour towards issues related to sonnet-18, difficulties faced by both the teachers
and learners in understanding his ideas in the poem with a view to evolve corresponding
instructional strategies. This paper is a linguistic analysis (stylistics) that is perhaps one of the
prerequisites for teaching Shakespearean sonnet-18. The findings are expected to facilitate the
learners, teachers, pedagogues and researchers to develop an understanding of the poetic
pieces by the author and the ideas presented therein.
Key words: Sonnets, difficulties, stylistics, strategies, pedagogues

1.Introduction
In sonnet-18, Shakespeare argues that love is everlasting and will never fade away like a
flower or a summer‟s day. The beauty of a summer‟s day (which is too pleasant) disappears
with the passage of time. Due to his philosophical outlook, Shakespeare intentionally compared
„nature‟ and its natural course with his „love‟ because he wanted to challenges the beauty of
God‟s creation (Nature) with his friend‟s beauty. The poet has successfully used many
figurative devices such as simile, metaphor and personification. His philosophy of life, love,
death and immortality deserves attention and an insight into the details to understand the
essence of his poetry in general and sonnet-18 in particular.

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1.1. The sonnet-18 and related issues

The sonnet begins with a question in the lines:1-2, (Appendix-A) if the beauty of beloved can be
compared with a summer‟s day. The poet is known to the fact that the comparison is not apt
because the human beauty is more charming than the summer season. The fact is accepted by the
author that each beautiful thing is short lived and therefore it is more appealing and vice versa.
The poet has nicely used „simile‟ as a literary device to bring forth the common features between
the two objects: his beloved and summer season. He presented a novel concept by proving the
comparison inappropriate because the object compared with (beloved) was prettier than the
summer‟s day.

In the couplet-2 (lines:3-4), the poet personifies „nature‟. In other words, he indirectly talks about
the adverse effect of the „time‟ or the „existing environment‟ referring to the adverse effect on
the charm of his beloved which is compared to lovely buds that are grown in the month of May
(the summer season). The poet uses personification in lines 5-6 as follow: Sometime too hot the
eye of heaven shines/And often is his gold complexion dimm’d. Here comes the real example of
personification (the „sun‟ is personified as human beauty) as if the sun like an individual looks
extremely powerful and lovely ( in England in the summer season), but soon it‟s complexion
dims due to the law of the „Nature‟. The feeling directly refers to the philosophical reality that
every beautiful thing is subject to diminish:

At this stage, the poet accepts the natural law that every beautiful object will become ordinary
due to chance factors or the natural nature‟s course that change everything (Lines-7-8). In these 2
lines, the poet-philosopher seems to be bit religious in nature, however, it can‟t be proved
because of his ideological background. While moving on further, he boldly accepts the fact that
everything is mortal, and the beauty will fade away one day either by chance or according to the
natural course of nature. Such an idea is present in the holy qur’an, and even the Hindu
philosophy. However, the mood of the poet changes all of a sudden as he becomes quite
aggressive ( may be out of extreme love with his beloved) when he decides to immortalize the
charm of his beloved by eternal lines (the sonnet) as under:

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But thy eternal summer shall not fade/ Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st.
The poet in his expression claims that everything is subject to mortality, the eternal beauty of his
beloved will remain forever, though. „Eternal summer‟ can be considered as an example of a

metaphor as summer symbolizes the charm of beloved. The author continues in the same mood
and claims immortality in the lines 11-12 as under:
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade/ When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
Shakespeare is sure of making his beloved‟s beauty immortal by eternal lines ( poetic
composition). He defends the idea that a literary product is everlasting therefore an attempt on
making the charm and beauty of the poet‟s beloved immortal will surely claim a grand success.
Towards the end of the sonnet (lines:13-14), the poet concludes his eternal idea that his beloved
is going to live forever (till the world exists) as the poem will be read by the generation after
generation. Thus, both the poet‟s love and his creation (poetry) will exist eternally as expressed
in the following concluding lines:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see/So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

1.2. Critical appreciation

Shakespeare‟s sonnets have almost all the poetic points to be discussed and criticized. Right
from one issue to the others, each and every elements of his poetry deserves special focus such
as: the structure, form, device, rhythm, parameter, rhyme scheme and the thematic appreciation

1.2.1.Structure

This sonnet-18 is an example of typical Shakespearean style, comprising three quatrains

in iambic pentameter ending in a heroic couplet, following a rhyming scheme of abab cdcd efef
gg. It follows the tradition of dividing the sonnet into two parts. In the octave, Time is shown as
the enemy of the transitory nature of beauty and there are references to different passages of
time, “day”, “May”, “date”, “summer”. The „time factor‟ is nicely dealt with in many poems in
general and sonnet-18 in particular. The youth‟s beauty will be everlasting as long as the sonnet
exists and the references are to the “eternal” and “So long as”.

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1.2.2. The object of the sonnet

The poem (sonnet-18) begins with a philosophical/poetic question to compare “thee” (poet‟s
friend/ fair youth). „Thou‟ of the second line ( his beloved) is thought as more charming than the
beautiful „summer day‟ of English.
The whole sonnet maintains a hierarchy. It starts from description of the charm of the beloved. It
goes on referring to the facts of life with the help of figurative devices such as simile, metaphor
and personification as mentioned. Towards the end, the poet strongly claims that the beauty of
his beloved will be preserved in the poetic composition (eternal lines) that epitomizes
immortality.
1.2.3. Uniqueness of comparison
Many poems in the history of poetry have been dedicated to the poets‟ beloved, but the present
poem is extremely unique because it begins with a question. Yet it is a wonderful example of
comparison in a sense that the object compared is more charming than the target object ( the
beloved is prettier than the summer‟s day). In other words, the poet knows the fact that his
beloved is not like the summer‟s day rather the summers day resembles his beloved in some
ways.
A famous Urdu poet (Meer Taqi Meer) also drew comparison between his beloved with those
rose‟s petals.
Nazuki uske lab ki kya kahiye/pankhudi gulab kisi hai.

And later, he compared the effect of the beloved‟s half hooded eyes with that of wine:
Meer un neem-baaz aaNkhon mein/saari masti sharaab ki si hai

If we compare a non-literary (film‟s) lyric of the Indian film (1947-a love story):
Ek ladki ko dekha to a laga
Jaisey khilta gulab, jaisey shayer ka khwab
Jaisee ujli kiran, jaisey ban mein hiran,
Jaisey chandni raat, jaisey narmee ki baat
Jaisey mandir mein ho ek jalta diya.
Here the comparison of the beloved is made with budding rose, poet‟s dream, bright sun rays, a
deer in a forest etc.
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In order to express the qualities f the poet‟s features, the poet used many sentenced drawing the
similarities (by „simile‟), but Shakespeare expressed deep rooted meaning in a few words. In
other English poem, Robert Burns compared his beloved with red rose. Here the comparison is
drawn especially for the color and softness:
O My love is like a red, red rose,
That‟s newly sprung in June:
Later, the poet went on comparing the melodious quality of her beloved which may not be as
impressive as the figures of speech used by Shakespeare.
O my luve‟s like the melodie,
That‟s sweetly play‟d in tune.
(Robert Burns)

2. Themes in Shakespearean sonnets

Many important themes have been dealt by Shakespeare in his artistic works. The „time‟ is one
of them:

2.1. Effect of time

In general, Shakespeare dealt the idea of time and its adverse effect on the man, his life and
poetic creation. Therefore, in the sonnet-18, the poet laments the possible effect of time and
destruction of the fair youth's beauty. He composes:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May/ And summer's lease hath all too short a date

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines/ And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines/ By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed.

2.2. Platonic Love: a hidden theme

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets as a whole. 126 sonnets were addressed to the faith youth, 26
were dedicated to the dark lady and remaining were of the conventional type. The lack of explicit
sexual expression in the sonnets for the fair youth has led many critics to characterize this
relation as an evident example of Platonic love. On the other hand, the dark lady sonnets express
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the idea of carnal lust. The present sonnet is one of the fair youth sonnets and apt example of
platonic love.

2.3. Religious Reference

Shakespeare inferred many important sources from holy scriptures. As one of the evidences, the
sonnet 18 suggests the following from Isaiah, “To whom then will ye liken God? or what
likeness will ye compare unto him?” (Isa. 40:18) In Sonnet 18 Shakespeare continues the theme
of man‟s spiritual renewal explored in Sonnets 15, 16, and 17. In continuation with the previous
2 sonnets, sonnet 17 provides a transition to the sonnet- 18. Prior to this sonnet, in Sonnet-17,
Shakespeare laments that even if he could express the praises of the Divine, only a few would
understand.

2.4. Shakespearean English in the context

Shakespearean English is specific and is affected by the usage of his time, however, it is not too
difficult to understand. The following are a few words that have been used in the sonnet.18
which students might not be aware of.

Words used Meanings

Thee Her/him
Thou You/he/she
Hath Has
grow'st Grows

2.5.Figures of Speech

Shakespeare is quite famous for using figurative languages especially „simile‟, „metaphor‟ and
„personification‟ etc. The following are good examples in the sonnet-18.

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Words Compared/referred to Figures of speech
Summers day Beloved‟ s beauty Simile
Eternal summer Permanent beauty Metaphor
His complexion Beloved‟s charm Personification
Eye of heaven Sun Personification

From the very first line, Shakespeare‟s comparison of his friend‟s charm with summer and this
continues through to the final couplet in which the youth‟s “eternal summer” is the focal point in
the composition.
The sun is represented as “the eye of heaven”. The “gold complexion dimmed” can be
interpreted both as the sun‟s strength and beauty tarnished by clouds, just as the youth‟s beauty
will be tarnished by time, but also “complexion” can be read as “temperament” (i.e. a
combination of the four humours). This latter interpretation echoes “temperate” of line 2
effectively. (Ray, 1994)
Nature‟s „untrimmed course‟ has a poetic meaning. Jungman (2003) has suggested that the
“untrimmed” may actually mean “unadjusted” and therefore Shakespeare is saying that the thing
that remains unchanged is Nature‟s changing, “mutability is eternal”.

2.6. The concept of beauty and love

The issue of beauty and love in Shakespeare seems to have been influenced by the Greek
philosophy, however quite different from Keat‟s philosophy of „beauty is truth and truth beauty‟
or a „thing of beauty is joy for ever‟. Shakespeare can‟t even be compared with Keat‟s idea of
„being and becoming‟ expressed in the Ode to the Grecian urn‟. But, in both the great poets of
their time, „love‟ and „immortality‟ has been the central theme, and the work of art has been used
to preserve the beauty and to immortalize it.

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2.7. Concept of Immortality

Sonnet-18 is symbolic of „immortality‟. The sonnet is a classic expression as it is perhaps the

best and effective way of making the poet‟s beloved's beauty immortal, everlasting and eternal.
Though the poet is well aware of the fact that nothing is permanent in this universe, he
successfully immortalized his „love‟. And, this is evident in the fact that even after 400 years, the
sonnet of Shakespeare remains important and readers enjoy reading the poetic composition.

3. Shakespeare‟s Philosophy and his sonnets

3.1. The Sonnets

Sonnets are one of the types of poetic composition which contains fourteen lines. The
Shakespearean sonnets have a particular metre and rhyme scheme: (abab, cdcd, efef, gg). Every
sonnet in the set has 14 lines except for sonnet 99 with 15 lines and sonnet 126 with 12 lines. All
the 154 Sonnets deals with Nature as the focal point in Shakespeare‟s philosophy.

3.2. The significance of Shakespeare's philosophy

Shakespeare had his own philosophy, however some critics tried to connect his philosophy with
Galileo and Darwin. It was noted by some scholars that Galileo overthrew the biblical/Ptolemaic
picture of the heavens by demonstrating the natural logic of the planetary system, and Darwin
grounded the biblical/Christian misrepresentation of life on earth in the natural processes of the
planet. The achievement of the Sonnets suggests Shakespeare is the first thinker to articulate
systematically the natural logic of the human mind.

3.3. Shakespeare's Sonnets: teaching perspectives

Shakespeare has been considered as genius so both the teachers and the learners face
understanding his philosophy, dramas and poems. The common objectives of teaching
Shakespeare‟s sonnets at school/college level can be summarized as under:

- the sonnet as a poetic form,

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- Shakespearean sonnet,
- the rhyme scheme
- the metre and iambic pentameter
- Paraphrasing the Shakespearean sonnet,
- Summarising the sonnet,
- Writing an abstract or the theme,
- Locating Figures of speech used in the sonnet,
- Reflection on philosophy of life and love.

4. Teaching of the Sonnet at the higher secondary or college level

Many issues can be involved with the pedagogic considerations. The following are some of the
major areas of teaching/learning:

4.1. General aims of teaching Shakespearean sonnets

There can be many objectives of teaching English poems in general and Shakespearean sonnets
in particular. The first and the foremost objective is to introduce the concept of a specific form
(sonnet in this context) in poetry, metre, rhythm etc. In addition, the learners should also learn
about the importance to the poem‟s overall impact on the psychology and behavior of the
reading public. By composing a poem , the poet aims to acquaint the target readers/learners
with the overall importance of the poetic piece and its socio-pedagogic relevance. The ultimate
targets of teaching a sonnet will be: the poetic form, sonnet, metre, rhyme, theme, philosophy
etc.

4.2. Background and Structure of the Shakespearean Sonnet

4.2.1. The Sonnet‟s Structure and Important Characteristics

The opinion regarding the sonnet‟s structure and the context may vary. Many scholars who have
written about the sonnet claim that the qualities of a good sonnet are found “not in its conformity
to some external pattern, but in its unity of design, condensation of thought, exactitude of
language and image, and – even at its most meditative and abstract – it‟s essentially dramatic

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nature.” (White, pp. 2-3). „Commentaries on the beauty of the sonnet form are almost as
plentiful as sonnets themselves‟, is what Johnson wrote in 1904 in Forms of English Poetry.

The Shakespearean sonnet has a peculiar structure. It consists of three quatrains and an ending
rhyming couplet. The rhyme scheme is abab/cdcd/ efef/ gg. Strand and Boland explain that the
Shakespearean sonnet, “with its three quatrains and final couplet, allows a fairly free
association of images to develop lyrically toward a conclusion.” (Strand, p. 57) The most
common perception on the Shakespearean sonnet regarding the progression follows: The first
quatrain introduces the subject. The second quatrain may lead to difference in opinions. The
third quatrains may be an extension of the second one. In the final section, there is solution to
the problems.

4.3. Learning Poetic Terms

Terms used in the poems or a poetic piece should be understood by the learners. Many terms
may be relatively important, however the following are some of the type:

4.3.1. Sonnet

a verse form of Italian origin consisting of 14 lines in iambic pentameter with rhymes arranged
according to a fixed scheme, usually divided either into octave and sestet or, in the English form,
into three quatrains and a couplet (3x4=12+2=14 lines).
4.3.2. Shakespearean sonnet

The sonnet form used by Shakespeare, composed of three quatrains and a terminal couplet in
iambic parameter with the rhyme pattern abab/ cdcd/ efef/ gg.

4.3.3. Quatrain

It is a stanza or poem of four lines, especially one that has alternate rhymes (typical of
Shakespearean sonnet).

4.3.4. Couplet

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A unit of verse consisting of two successive lines, usually rhyming and having the same meter. It
usually has a complete unit.

4.3.5. Metre

The dictionaries usually define „metre‟ as under:

a. The measured arrangement of words in poetry, as by accentual rhythm, syllabic quantity, or

the number of syllables in a line.
b. A particular arrangement of words in poetry, such as iambic pentameter, determined by the
kind and number of metrical units in a line.
c. The rhythmic pattern of a stanza, determined by the kind and number of lines.
4.3.6. Rhyme scheme

It is known as „correspondence‟ or matching/rhyming of terminal (final) sounds of words or of

lines of verse.
4.3.7. Rhyme scheme

Rhyme scheme is characterized as „the ordered pattern‟ of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a
poem or a poetic composition.

An example from sonnet-18:

Rhyme Example
scheme
/abab/ Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, a
And often is his gold complexion dimmed; b
And every fair from fair sometime declines, a
By chance, or nature's changing course, b
untrimmed;

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Another example:

Rhyme Example
scheme
/abab/ Bid me to weep, and I will weep a
While I have eyes to see; b
And having none, and yet I will keep a
A heart to weep for thee. b

4.4. Teaching Strategies

The teacher should know as to how to teach a poem effectively in a class. The need of strategies
arise in a specific situation when the learners don‟t usually understand the target lesson. The
following points are important to be addressed in an English class. Many researcher/ teachers/
pedagogues are of the opinion that traditional teaching of a poem will lead to a boring
experience.

Teaching poems to L1 learners may be an interesting experience, but an ESL/EFL class may
pose difficulties, therefore it is important for a teacher to be as interesting as possible. He can
recite poems, create a natural scene, narrate the context to attract and retain the interest of the
target learners. The teacher may use online or bilingual strategies to make teaching/learning
interactive and result oriented. A good analysis and critical appreciation makes the
understanding worthwhile. Mayes (2001, p.10) states, Protracted analysis can wear you out, but
good critical consideration is creative and rewarding.” Mere technical teaching leads to no
destination. The activity should be novel and innovative. The teaching of a poem should be well
focused. It is felt, „to read poetry as it is meant to be read, you must push your way through the
shallow-field perceptual mode that modern life makes habitual.‟ (Birkerts, 1989, p.91)

4.4.1. Integration of comparative literature: a bilingual strategy

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In order to teach a bilingual student, a comparative literary approach may be employed. For
example, poems/lyrics in indigenous languages may be recited and used to make the learners
understand the target English poems such as one mentioned above with a special reference to the
form of the sonnet.

4.4.2. Form of the sonnet

The following Urdu sonnet ( by Akhtar Sherani )can be an apt example of the form and
structure of an Urdu sonnet:

Ik aisa but banaauuN k(e) dekha karooN use

Aasooda hai KHayaal ka paikar bana huwa
KH(w)aab-e-'adam men mast hai jauhar bana huwa
Ik marmareeN hijaab se paida karooN use

PhoolooN men jaise jazba-e-nakhat nihufta ho

Ya jal'we be~qaraar hoN am'waaj-e-raNg men
YooN us ki rooh KHufta hai aaGHosh-e-saNg men
Zulmat men jaise noor ki soorat nihufta ho

Din-raat, subh-o-shaam maiN pooja karooN use

Mera gudaaz-e-rooh jabeeN se machal paRe
Us ki nazar se jazb-e-mohabbat ubal pare
Saaz-e-nafas ko toR ke goya karooN use

Fan, KH(w)aab-e-marg ban rahe but~saaz ke liye

Dun'ya pukaarti rahe aawaaz ke liye

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4.4.3.The Theme

The bilingual teacher may have an advantage of comparing the two poems‟ theme ( Shall I
compare thee) and Meer‟s Urdu ghazal (Nazuki uskey lab ki kya kahiey). In both the poems,
beloved has been compared with the summer‟s day and a rose respectively.

5. Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1.Conclusions

On the basis of the textual and linguistic analysis of the sonnet-18, it is concluded that teaching
of sonnet-18 requires greater understanding of Shakespeare‟s philosophy, style and language.
The teacher of the sonnets needs to be well informed about the subject as well as the pedagogy
of poems.

5.2. Recommendations

There is a need to evolve a teaching strategy for poems in general and sonnets in particular.
Teaching of Shakespearean sonnet is quite important at higher secondary and college levels in
India and even in those countries where English is taught as a foreign language.

References

Birkerts, S.(1989).The Electric Life: Essays on Modern Poetry. William Morrow and Company,
Inc.: New York.

Johnson, C.F.(2005) Forms of English Poetry. Folcroft Library Editions, 1979. Retrieved
July 26, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.sonnets.org/

Jungman, R.E.(2003). Trimming Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. ANQ, Winter. pp.18-19.

Mayes, F.(2001). The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poetry.
Harcourt: New York.

Ray, R.H.(1994). Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. Explicator, Fall. p.10.

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Strand, M. and Eavan B. (2000) ed. The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic
Forms. W.W. Norton and Co.: New York.

White, G. and Joan R.(1972). A Moment’s Monument: The Development of the Sonnet.
Charles Scribner‟s Sons: New York.

Appendix A (Sonnet.18)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate;
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

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