This sonnet explores the significance of love during Shakespeare’s “sixth age”. It is a response to the negative connotations in Jaques’ famous “All the world’s a stage” monologue. The themes of a “shrunk shrank”, “whistles” in the voice and “spectacles on nose” are positively interpreted. The first quatrain uses repeated prolepsis (the use of a… Continue reading Ages & Sins 6: Old Age
Ages & Sins 5: Judging
This sonnet explores the perspective of the “justice” from Shakespeare’s “seven ages of man”. Although this project is dedicated to love, to judge is the opposite of loving. This sonnet therefore pits judge against lover. To judge or not to judge, that is the question. The lover enjoys “foibles” whereas the judge “Delights in errors”.… Continue reading Ages & Sins 5: Judging
Ages & Sins 4: The Soldier’s Love
The weekly sonnets continue after a short hiatus with the fourth of Shakespeare’s “seven ages” of man… the soldier. A soldier’s drive to fight is strongly connected to love of country and love of fellow citizens. That love must be very strong if they are willing to risk life and limb for it. This sonnet… Continue reading Ages & Sins 4: The Soldier’s Love
Ages & Sins 3: Starting Pistol
This is the third of seven sonnets based on Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages of Man”: “the lover”. Shakespeare has his lover “sighing like furnace”; a forlorn figure writing “a woeful ballad”. I’ve created a more positive young lover – someone whose “racing heart” is set off by the “Starting Pistol” of a “track” race. This young “lover’s… Continue reading Ages & Sins 3: Starting Pistol
Ages & Sins 2: The Schoolchild’s Love
The second stage in Shakespeare’s “seven ages” of man is the “schoolboy”. Throughout my Love’s Sonnets series, I’ve attempted to make the ‘lover’ as gender neutral as possible so anyone can imagine they are the subject of each poem. Therefore, in this sonnet, we have the “schoolchild”. Over a schoolchild’s schoolyears, most mature from loving… Continue reading Ages & Sins 2: The Schoolchild’s Love
Ages & Sins 1: Infant Love
I am half way through my mission to write a sonnet every week for a year. My sonnets are arranged into four collections of fourteen. The first two collections are personification and forms of love (inspired by the Ancient Greeks’ many words for love). The third, which commences with this sonnet, combines the logic of… Continue reading Ages & Sins 1: Infant Love
Forms of Love 14: Selfless love
The final sonnet of my ‘Forms of Love’ collection is dedicated to agápē or selfless love. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John15:13. (And I quote the bible as an atheist who recognises enduring wisdom.) To others I could not live the life… Continue reading Forms of Love 14: Selfless love
Forms of Love 13: Elements of Desire
This ‘forms of love’ sonnet is inspired by pragma: enduring love. The opposite of enduring love is short-term selfishness. This sonnet makes the case for pragma by presenting a grasping, flawed argument for short-term selfishness. The theme throughout the three quatrains is the need for stuff: fire, air, water and earth. (These were the pre-Socratic… Continue reading Forms of Love 13: Elements of Desire
Forms of Love 12: Blood Bonds
Storge. Familial love. The first sonnet of this collection was dedicated to one expression of this form of love: patriotism. This week’s is dedicated to the essence of all patriotism: family love. The strongest bond of all. It can be hard to maintain familial love. Partners aside, we don’t choose our family members. This sonnet… Continue reading Forms of Love 12: Blood Bonds
Forms of Love 11: Friendly Love
This week I continue to explore φιλία/philía’ (affectionate regard or friendship). Last week’s depicted platonic love as love that benefits from restraint – from not becoming tainted by carnal intimacy. This time I celebrate friendship that is entirely separate from any form of romantic or erotic desire: true friendship. This week I’ve formed two polyptotons:… Continue reading Forms of Love 11: Friendly Love