莎翁十四行诗赏析

WilliamShakespeare(2):SonnetSonnet:adefinitionTypesofsonnetTextualstudy:Sonnet18Sonnet291/31/20231PreparedbyTonySunSonnet:adefinitionAsonnetisafourteen-linepoeminiambicpentameter.1/31/20232PreparedbyTonySunTypesofSonnetTherearemainlythreetypesofsonnet:TheItalian(Petrarchan)sonnetTheEnglish(Shakespearean,Elizabethan)sonnetTheSpenseriansonnet1/31/20233PreparedbyTonySunType1:thePetrarchansonnetStructure:

anoctave(aneight-linestanza)followedbyansestet(asix-linestanza)Rhymescheme:

abbaabba

cdecdeor: abbaabba

cdcdcdNote:

Thistypeofsonnetisconstructedwithachangeofthoughtorturnbetweentheoctaveandthesestet,sothatthecontentandtheformareallied.1/31/20234PreparedbyTonySunType2:theShakespeareansonnetStructure

threequatrains(afour-linestanza)followedbyacouplet(apairofrhymedlines)Rhymescheme

abab

cdcd

efef

ggNote

Shakespearewrote154sonnets.Thefirst126sonnetsarededicatedtoayoungman;sonnets127—152arededicatedtoa“darklady”,andthefinaltwoareallegorical.1/31/20235PreparedbyTonySunType3:theSpenseriansonnetStructure

threequatrainsandacouplet,andthecoupletintroducesnewrhymesoundstothepoemRhymescheme

therhymeschemeinterconnectsthesoundofthethreequatrains:abab

bcbc

cdcd

ee

1/31/20236PreparedbyTonySunTextualstudy:sonnet18Whatisthestructure?Whatisthemeterlike?Whatisitsrhymescheme?Whatisthethemeofthissonnet?1/31/20237PreparedbyTonySunShallIcomparetheetoasummer'sday?

“Thee”inthislinemeans“you”.Thesonnetbeginswithaquestion:howcanIcompareyoutoasummer’sday?Andtheanswertothequestionfollowsupinthenextline.1/31/20238PreparedbyTonySunThouartmorelovelyandmoretemperate

Youaremorelovely,youaremoregentle.Theyouth'sbeautyismoreperfectthanthebeautyofasummerday.Hereinthisline,“moretemperate”meansmoregentle,morerestrained.Whydidthepoetsayyouaremorelovelyandmoregentlethanthesummer’sday?Thefollowinglinesgivetheanswer:1/31/20239PreparedbyTonySunRoughwindsdoshakethedarlingbudsofMay

Today,themonthof“May”maybeconsideredasamonthinlatespring,butinShakespeare’stime,Maywasasummermonth,becausethecalendarinuselaggedbehindthetruesiderealcalendarbyatleastafortnight.darlingbudsofMay-thebeautiful,muchlovedbudsoftheearlysummer;favoriteflowers.1/31/202310PreparedbyTonySunAndsummer'sleasehathalltooshortadate

Heretheword“lease”isalegalterm.Itmeansthedurationofacontractgrantinguseoroccupationofpropertyduringaspecifiedperiodinexchangeforaspecifiedrent.Wetwohaveacontract.Youcanusemypenfor10days,andyouwillhavetogiveme2yuanfortheuseofit.Andthedurationofthisoneweekiscalledalease.Theoverallmeaningofthislineis“summer’stimeistooshort.”1/31/202311PreparedbyTonySunSometimetoohottheeyeofheavenshines

Sometime=onoccasion,sometimes;Theeyeofheaven=thesunSometimesthesunofheavenissohotthatitwillscorch.1/31/202312PreparedbyTonySunAndoftenishisgoldcomplexiondimmed

hisgoldcomplexion=his(thesun's)goldenface,thegoldensunshine.Quiteoften,thesunshinewillbedimmed.When?--whenitiscloudyorovercast.1/31/202313PreparedbyTonySunAndeveryfairfromfairsometimedeclines

“Everyfair”inthislinemeans“allthebeautifulthings”andthesecond“fair”inthephrase“fromfair”means“thepreviousstateofbeauty”.Thislinetellsusthat“allofthebeautifulthingsoccasionallybecomeinferiorincomparisonwiththeiressentialpreviousstateofbeauty.Theyalldeclinefromperfection.”1/31/202314PreparedbyTonySunBychance,ornature'schangingcourseuntrimmed

“Bychance”means“bychanceaccidents”“Bynature’schangingcourse”means“bythefluctuatingtidesofnature”.Thefluctuatingtimesofnaturearenotsubjecttocontrol,sothepoetsays“nature'schangingcourseuntrimmed”.Theword“untrimmed”inthislineisambiguous–thiscanrefertotheballast(trimming)onashipwhichkeepsitstable;ortoalackofornamentanddecoration.1/31/202315PreparedbyTonySunButthyeternalsummershallnotfade

“Thyeternalsummer”refersforwardstotheeternitypromisedbytheeverlivingpoetinthenextfewlines,throughhisverse.1/31/202316PreparedbyTonySunNorlosepossessionofthatfairthouow'st

ow'st=ownest,possess.Youreternalsummerwillnotloseitsholdonthatbeautywhichyousorichlypossess.Norshallyouloseanyofyourbeauty.1/31/202317PreparedbyTonySun

Norshalldeathbragthouwander'stinhisshade

“brag”means“boast”,and“hisshade”means“theshadeofdeath.”Inclassicalliteraturetheshadeofdeathflittedhelplesslyintheunderworldlikegibberingghosts.Here,Shakespearesays:deathwillnotboastsofhisconquestsoveryourlife.Deathcannotmakeyoudie.1/31/202318PreparedbyTonySunWhenineternallinestotimethougrow'st

ineternallines=intheundyinglinesofmyverse.totimethougrow'st–youkeeppacewithtime,yougrowastimegrows.1/31/202319PreparedbyTonySunSolongasmencanbreathe,oreyescansee

Foraslongashumansliveandbreatheupontheearth,foraslongasthereareseeingeyesontheearth.1/31/202320PreparedbyTonySunSolonglivesthis,andthisgiveslifetothee

“This”inthislinereferstothepoembythepoet.Aslongasthispoemofminewillbethere,itwillgiveyoulife;itwillmakeyourbeautyeverlasting.Summerisshort,butmypoemisimmortal,myimmortalpoemwillmakeyouimmortal.1/31/202321PreparedbyTonySunSonnet18paraphrasedHowcanIcompareyoutoasummer’sday?Youaremorelovelyandmoregentle:WildwindtakeoffthetenderbuddinginthemonthofMay,andsummer’stimeistooshort:sometimesthesunistoohotinsummer,andsometimesit’scloudy.Everybeautifulthingwilldeclinefromtimetotime,everybeautyisaccidentallyornaturallystrippedoffgayapparel.Butyoureternalbeautywillnotfadeaway,oryoustillpossessthebeautyyouown.EvenDeathcannotmakeyoudie,sinceyouarelivinginmyeternalpoem.Solongastherearepeoplewhocanreadofmypoemaboutyou,andsolongasthispoemofminewillbethere,itwillmakeyourbeautyeverlasting.1/31/202322PreparedbyTonySunSonnet18:itsthemeInthissonnet,thepoetislookingforawayofdescribinghislove’sbeauty.Thethemeofthepoemistopraisethepowerofpoem,i.e.,literaturethatwillkeeptransientbeautyeverlasting.HereShakespeareisimmortalizingtheyoungmaninthispoem.1/31/202323PreparedbyTonySunTextualstudy:sonnet29Whatisthestructure?Whatisthemeterlike?Whatisitsrhymescheme?Whatisthethemeofthissonnet?1/31/202324PreparedbyTonySunWhenindisgracewithfortuneandmen'seyes

Tobeindisgracewithfortuneispresumablytobenotfavouredbyher(takingfortunetobethegoddess)Tobeindisgrace(in)men'seyes-thispossiblyreferstosomeformofpublicdisapprobation,eitherrealorimaginary.1/31/202325PreparedbyTonySun

Iallalonebeweepmyoutcaststate

beweep=weepfor,bewail;Likebewailandbeseem,thewordhasanarchaicandbiblicalflavour.myoutcaststate=myconditionofbeingasocialoutcast.Theconditionisprobablyexaggeratedforthesakeofeffect,andtoemphasizethatthespeakerseeseverythinginagloomylight.Fortunehasturnedagainsthimandhefeelsthathedoesnotbelonganymoretosociety.1/31/202326PreparedbyTonySunAndtroubledeafheavenwithmybootlesscries

deafheaven-Heaven(God)turnsadeafeartohiscomplaintsandlaments.TheparallelisdrawnwithJobintheOldTestament,whowascastoutonadungheapandbewepthismournfulstate.bootless=tonoavail,achievingnothing.1/31/202327PreparedbyTonySunAndlookuponmyself,andcursemyfate

Andlookuponmyself-astheoutcastcontemplateshisownfallenstate.cursemyfate-anotherechofromtheBookofJobintheBible:(Job.III.1-4.)

AfterthisJobopenedhismouthandcursedhisday.AndJobspakeandsaid:LetthedayperishwhereinIwasborn,andthenightinwhichitwassaid,'Thereisamanchildconceived'.Letthatdaybedarkness,letnotGodregarditfromabove,neitherletthelightshineuponit.1/31/202328PreparedbyTonySunWishingmeliketoonemorerichinhope

Wishingmyselftobelikeonewhoismorerichlyendowedwithallmannerofblessings,includingwealth.1/31/202329PreparedbyTonySunFeaturedlikehim,likehimwithfriendspossessed

Featuredlikehim,likehim=withfeatureslikethisperson,likethissecondpersonhavingfriends,likethisthird,desiringhisskills(line7)etc.1/31/202330PreparedbyTonySunDesiringthisman'sart,andthatman'sscope

thisman'sart=theskillthatoneparticularpersonhas;thatman'sscope=thecapability,range,mentalabilitythatanotherparticularpersonhas.1/31/202331PreparedbyTonySunWithwhatImostenjoycontentedleast

Itisunspecifiedwhathemostenjoys,butevidently,inhisdespondency,thingswhichoughttogivehimenjoymentdonotdoso.Theimplicationisthathenolongerenjoystheloveofhisbeloved,althoughthatideaiscountermandedbythefinalcouplet.1/31/202332PreparedbyTonySunYetinthesethoughtsmyselfalmostdespising

inthesethoughts=whileIamengagedinthesethoughtsmyselfalmostdespising-andalmostconsideringmyselftobedespicableforbeingsocastdown.1/31/202333PreparedbyTonySunHaplyIthinkonthee,andthenmystate

Haply=bychance,byahappystrokeofluck;mystate=mymentalstate,withasuggestionalsothathisfortune,orthestateofaffairsinwhichhefindshimself,improves.1/31/202334PreparedbyTonySunLiketothelarkatbreakofdayarising

ThereisanechoofthisinCym.II.iii.20-1

Hark!harkthelarkatheaven'sgatesings,

AndPhoebus'ginsarise...

1/31/202335PreparedbyTonySunFromsullenearth,singshymnsatheaven'sgate

sullen=gloomy,dark,miserable;Fromsullenearth-thephrasemaybetakenbothwiththisandwiththeprecedingline.Thelarkrisesfromsullenearth,anditalsosingshymns