The Sonnet And Early Modern Literature - 3380 Words

The beginning of the 1500’s became an important time for the sonnet and early modern literature. Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard were the first to introduce the form to England by translating the sonnets of the overtly influential Italian poet Petrarch, giving a firm foundation for many others including that of William Shakespeare to expand and contrast. Consisting of fourteen lines, the sonnet follows a specific rhyme scheme and rhythm. Although seemingly compact, the sonnet is used by many to express both the thought and emotion of the poet, from this it is evident that although superficially short in structure, the poet is still able to elaborate to an extent that touches the reader making it sincere to the reader at first, however as we†¦show more content†¦In many ways the sonnet was as much about the cleverness of the poet as it was about his devotion to his beloved.† From this we can see that the formal cleverness does attract the reader as well as its ela boration, with this being said the sincerity of the sonnet remains a constant theme in the sonnets. During Shakespeare’s sonnets he makes the sincerity of the sonnets known through his use of illusion, particularly during sonnet 130 where he expresses a somewhat blunt honesty, this honesty presents the notion of sincerity in Shakespeare’s sonnets, however as we explore them further the insincerity surrounding the sonnets becomes increasingly more evident. Sonnet 130 is used to shock the audiences with a surprisingly honest outlook in regards to his love as a way of expressing his view that her inner beauty is more important to him than any of her bodily features. It could be possible to argue that perhaps Shakespeare’s sonnets are sincere and as an alternative it is Petrarch’s sonnets that remain insincere as a result of the unrealistic expectation and the blindness the narrator feels when referring to the physical attributes of Laura. Shakespeare is simply demonstrating realism as he speaks of a real woman and not of a flawless unrealistic woman made fr om the creation of convention at the time. Therefore, reality remains greatly significant when we think about perfection, nothing is perfect in this world but rather we are faced with the concept