Sonnet 106 (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Shakespeare
- First Published: 1609
- Type of Work: Sonnet
- Genres: Poetry, Sonnet
- Subjects: History, Authors or writers, Beauty, Prophecy or prophets, Knights or knighthood, Erotica, Chivalry
The Poem
In William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 106, the speaker calls upon the glories of the past to illustrate the present. He perceives that the beauty of his lover has been prophesied by the pens of authors who are now long dead. The initial quatrain establishes the tone as one of courtly elegance. The references to “chronicles,” “ladies,” and “knights” all recall the glorified stereotypical image of a time long past, when a knight was obligated by the chivalric code to behave bravely in the battlefield and solicitously in the community.
This highly elevated...
[The entire page is 1273 words long]
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