Love poetry- Isabelle Rinker

I decided to analyze Shakespeare's Sonnet 40 (I'm not sure if we were supposed to use a poem from Jago, but this is one I found on poetryfoundation.org and I'm hoping it will work!)

"Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all:

What hast thou then more than thou hadst before?

No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call—

All mine was thine before thou hadst this more.

Then if for my love thou my love receivest,

I cannot blame thee for my love thou usest;

But yet be blamed if thou this self deceivest

By wilful taste of what thyself refusest.

I do forgive thy robb’ry, gentle thief,

Although thou steal thee all my poverty;

And yet love knows it is a greater grief

To bear love’s wrong than hate’s known injury.

    Lascivious grace, in whom all ill well shows,

    Kill me with spites, yet we must not be foes."

 

 The poet writes about his beloved, focusing on the different perspectives of love. He discusses the theme of love, not only how it is relevant in his life, regarding his beloved. It could be seen as humble, as it states "although thou steal thee all my poverty", referring to his own poverty in a humble manner.

His attitude toward love in this sample is a bit negative and bitter. He is heartbroken, after giving everything he had to his beloved. His diction is graceful, yet negative, which could quite possibly reflect not only his beloved, but his attitude toward love in general.

He uses iambic pentameter throughout and a traditional sonnet structure (ABABCDCDEFEFGG).

I would say my attitude toward love somewhat reflects Shakespeare's attitude in this poem: appreciative toward love and not necessarily bitter, but cautious toward who he loves, due to being "played" in the past. In the poem that I wrote for class, the tone throughout my piece demonstrates this, however, focusing on a different situation, and the reflective, not bitter, but cautious attitude.

Editors, T. (n.d.). Sonnet  40: Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all. Retrieved February 15, 2016, from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/180772