Steve Sansom
4th period
2-10-08
Brit. Lit
Sonnet XXIII
William Shakespeare’s Sonnet XXIII is a very self assuring poem. It talks about having your own action’s and feelings. This poem shows how to have an understanding of care.
This sonnet is presented in the traditional Shakespearean sonnet form (abab/cdcd). Shakespeare uses repetition in this poem often. There is a combination of assonance and some alliteration. The rhyme scheme is very straight forward. Shakespeare makes the meaning of this sonnet very understandable.
The first quatrain in this poem talks about having an inner fear. The “unperfect actor” has a conflict within himself as he faces his fear. He uses the feelings he has to overcome his fears. He also realizes that he has weak points.
The reason this set of lines talks about the actor’s feelings is because we, the audience, should understand that a person’s inner conflicts can be very intense. This quatrain introduced me to the inner unstability we can experience from something as little as going on stage.
The second quatrain also seems to hint that the person’s thoughts and ideas can lead to either overall good or bad. I can see that this quatrain shows that something so good can cause something else to be very bad. Line 7 shows that the great love that you feel can become overwhelming and decay.
The third quatrain talks about how people should try their hardest to understand other people. We shouldn’t laugh or make fun of anyone’s ideas or problem’s. Line’s 10 and 11 tell that even when people don’t have the best understanding, we should understand that the at least try. People try to have an understanding of everything in the best way they can.
The final couplet told me that sometimes we need to use our minds to try and understand others. We should gain a good understanding of what people have a hard time conveying to other people. This couplet stressed that being an individual and...