Shakespeare wrote his first batch of sonnets

__________.

October 28, 2014

A.after he fell in love with Anne Hathaway.

B.to make a living before becoming a playwright.

C.because of the plague.D.at the end of the his

life.

Shakespeare wrote his first batch of sonnets because of

the plague.An outbreak of the plague in Europe resulted in all London theaters being closed between 1592 and 1594. As there was no demand for plays during this time, Shakespeare began to write poetry, completing his first batch of sonnets in 1593, aged 29.

Sonnets 29 and 116

Divide into two groups—one for each sonnet

Take five minutes to decipher the meaning of the sonnet as a group

SHAKESPEARE’S

LANGUAGESimile and Metaphor

on Page 7

Simile vs. Metaphor

A simile uses "like" or "as" to make a comparison.

A metaphor uses "is" to state a comparison.

Simile Examples

She is as sweet as candy.Bob runs like a deer.The willow's music is like a soprano.She slept like a log.He is as thin as a rail.

Metaphor Examples

My dad is a bear.The bar of soap was a slippery eel.The light was the sun during our test.He hogged the road.She toyed with the idea.

Similes

A friend is like…Friendship is like…A friend is as…as…When I am tired, I am as…When I am sad, I am like…The dog was as fast as…

Metaphors

A friend is…Friendship is…Feeling tired is…He was a…through all their trouble…

SIMILES AND METAPHORS IN

SONNET 130

FIND SIMILES AND METAPHORS IN YOUR

SONNET

IAMBIC PENTAMETER

Iambic Pentameter

Iamb—unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

Feet—rhythmic unit (iamb is a foot)

Pentameter—foot repeated five times

Iambic pentameter—line of poetry with five iambs in it

Iambic Pentameter

On the back of your paper, jot down five “I am” sentences. I am a great student.

Practice saying your five sentences with the emphasis on the “am” i AM a great student.

i AM=iambic (weak/strong)

I am a pirate with a wooden leg.

Write this sentence on your paper. Draw parentheses around the

iambs. Note: some parentheses will divide

words—meter is about sound, not spelling!

Underline the stressed syllables. Stand up! Step with your good leg on the

stressed syllables and drag your wooden leg on the unstressed syllables!

Iambic Pentameter and Rhyme Pattern in Sonnet 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;Coral is far more red than her lips' red;If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delightThan in the breath that from my mistress reeks.I love to hear her speak, yet well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing sound;I grant I never saw a goddess go;My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   As any she belied with false compare.

AB

AB

CD

C

DE

FE

F

GG

Iambic Pentameter and Rhyme Pattern in Sonnet 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

BREAK DOWN THE RHYME SCHEME AND IAMBIC

PENTAMETER IN YOUR SONNET

MOOD

WHAT IS THE MOOD OF SONNET 130?

WHAT IS THE MOOD OF YOUR SONNET?

CHOOSE A SONG THAT MIGHT REFLECT THE MOOD

OF THE SONNET

Create!

Create a poster of the poem and decorate it with items that reflect the ideas and themes in the poem.

Prepare a dramatic reading of the poem for the class.

If Shakespeare Wrote Pop SongsAs the debate wages on about the Bard's relatability—and whether or not relatability matters to begin with—a hilarious Tumblr has surfaced that translates modern-day pop songs into Shakespearean sonnets. Every wonder what Taylor Swift's newest album would sound like in iambic pentameter? Us neither, but the outcome is, unsurprisingly, joyous. After all, he who gave us the wide-eyed Miranda ("O brave new world!") and the naive Juliet was pretty great at capturing the dramatic pitfalls of youthfulness. The rest of the lyrics on Pop Sonnets (ha!) are great, too. You'd expect "Call Me Maybe" written in 1600s English ("Now our acquaintance, only moments sown/ has made my heart fair logic cast away") to be a funny juxtaposition, but it's more than that: it's a catchy, natural reworking that rolls off the tongue.

Homework: Watch the “Introduction to 17th- and 18th-

Century Literature” video and take the quiz by 10:35 a.m. on Thursday, October 30 (via Moodle)

Watch the “Introduction to John Milton” video and take the quiz by 10:35 a.m. on Thursday, October 30 (via Moodle)

Write a sonnet (preferably a spooky one for Halloween) or turn a song into a sonnet

Read books 1-3 of Paradise Lost (pages 1943-2003)