1. SONNETS 29, 30, 116, 130 Shakespeare’s Sonnets

2. Background Series of 154 sonnets published in 1609. Male speaker Recurring subject – love Poems express profound observations about important human experiences. Formal organization Logical organization of ideas.

3. Shakespearean Sonnet Fourteen line poem Iambic pentameter – five iambs (unstressed / stressed) Rhyme scheme – abab cdcd efef gg Three quatrains – one rhyming couplet First quatrain introduces the argument Third quatrain – turn (shift in focus or thought) Couplet sums up the poet’s message

4. Sonnet 29 When you feel depressed, jealous, or frustrated – are having a bad day – how to regain your confidence? What do you do to get out of your “funk”?

5. Sonnet 29 What problems does the speaker describe in the first quatrain? What prompts a change in the speaker’s mood? Where in this poem does the turn (shift in mood) occur?

6. Sonnet 30 How have you overcome loss or regret? Was it difficult? Why? Why not?

7. Sonnet 30 What does the speaker summon? What sorrows trouble the speaker in the second quatrain? How does the speaker’s attitude change in the final couplet?

8. Review What is the speaker’s attitude toward his loved one in each of these sonnets? What is the theme of the two sonnets? (Use the turn and couplet of each poem to help you determine the theme.) Shakespeare follows the basic sonnet structure, but he plays with the rules. Find an example of Shakespeare’s deviation from structure, and explain its effect.