Utopia and Sonnets - Essay Example

Utopia and Sonnets 1. Which particular aspects of the Utopians’ customs concerning marriage does Hythloday discuss with More and Gilles? How accessible do you find his argument? Raphel Hythloday, “talker of nonsense” has tremendously portrayed the ideal society of Utopia in his narration with More and Giles. As he had spent five years in Utopia Hythloday was so familiar with the customs and traditions of that ideal world and his narration exemplifies this fact. It is crystal clear with his narration of the women folk and the rituals of marriage which the Utopians followed with devotionally escorted strict moral and religious rules. Hythloday has observed that the women of Utopia were not allowed to marry before eighteen years old. Regarding the men folk, the Utopians recommended that they should be four years older than the women at the time of their marriage. Utopians were so strict about keeping morality in married as well as familial relationship that they never allowed any kind of illegal relationship prior to marriage, and if there occurred any offending, they persecuted the trespassers. One is thunderstruck when realizing the reality that such kind of offenders were forbidden ever after in their life to marry, and they were forgiven only at the prince’s mercy. If the offence was among the married people, or if it was a forcible seduction, the punishment was so severe. There was possibility for the couples to return to their former life after being felt repentance over their actions. They followed monogamy that one has to keep his wife in pleasure as well as in displeasure and he could part with her only with death, except adultery break the bond. If both husband and the wife are accused, it was the license of the council to decide the proper. One feels their custom of choosing husbands and wives as absurd that women had to show her nakedness to the wooer. Regarding the Utopians, they had given due importance to this custom and they mocked at other nations and their customs. To the Utopians, it was their ritual which they observed for identifying the physical and moral strength and weakness of their future life partner, “and the endowments of the body causes the virtues of mind more to be esteemed and regarded”(Of Wedlock, p.91-92). One of the notable features of the Utopian society was that they allowed divorce with the full consent of the couples and they could marry others. To conclude, one can infer that though some of the rules existed in Utopia with regard to marriage was absurd, some others are acceptable even in the modern society. 2. In what specific ways does the extract conform to the standards of Elizabethan prose? Elizabethan prose has always attracted the attention of many that it was rich in its form and content. When going through Thomas More’s Utopia, any sensible person of literature will be aware of the fabulous presentation of More when portraying his ideal world, Utopia. Even a cursive reading of Utopia will bring to reader the typical prose style of Elizabethan era. Regarding the features of the prose written during that time, Gifford, Katya remarks, “during the Elizabethan period, Latin gradually gave way to English as the language of learning, and English prose finally achieved its maturity” (Gifford, Katya, 2002.). Analyzing the historical evidences one can see that Thomas More wrote Utopia in Latin. One of the severe criticisms about the early plays of this era was its language which was unintentionally comic. But one can see the notable factor with Utopia is that it was rich for its language, like that of Shakespeare. The effective use of ‘quick wit’ lets the Elizabethan prose stand aloof from the prose of other ages. Some of the examples of quick wit can be cited out in Utopia when Hythloday refers to the Utopians. Another notable feature of the Elizabethan prose style was euphuism, a style of writing which emphasizes rhythm over content and makes extensive use of alliteration, assonance, metaphor, and classical allusion (Elizabethan Prose Fiction.). The presentation of Utopians bewitching readers through More’s extensive use of alliteration and he wins in his attempts to keep the rhythmic balance though Hythloday’s narration. Some of the scholars have remarked that the Elizabethan prose could create a sense of familiarity among the readers and the same is applicable to Utopia also. 3. Examine the tone of the extract. How does it affect how you are placed as a reader? Going through “Of Wedlock,” readers feel the humorous presentation of Utopians when narrating their customs of marriage. It is an easier portion of Utopia which readers can imbibe without much difficulty and the reference of Utopians’ choosing wives evokes humorous tone. It becomes personal and subjective in tone as it is an extract from the personal experience of Hythloday with the Utopians. As Utopia itself stands as an ideal society, the characters in it are specialized abstraction and the tone used for their presentation is in a light-hearted mood. After reading, one feels that though the matter discussed in Of Wedlock is about some serious matters with regard to the Utopians and their customs of marriage, one can enjoy it as a story of fiction. Analysis of the sonnets 1. Compare and contrast the use of the sonnet form in the three poems Sonnet as a lyrical poem has exerted its predominant influence in literature. One can see the fact that it is the same form that paved the way for many discussions on sonnet. Regarding Thomas Wyatt’s ‘Farewell, Love,’ Philip Sidney’s Sonnet 7 from Astrophil and Stella: ‘When Nature made her chiefest work, Stella’s eyes’ and Shakespeare’s Sonnet 87: ‘Farewell: thou art too dear for my possessing,’ they fluctuate in their form as well as the slight variations in content. If one studies of Wyatt’s ‘Farewell, Love,’ it is evident of his typical presentation which, to an extent, he inherited from the Petrarchan/Italian sonnet. His Farewell, Love,’ has kept the traditional Petrarchan form with the first eight lines; the octave and last six lines; sestet. The poem differs with the Petrarchan sonnet in its presentation of rhyming couplet though it agrees with the rhyme scheme ‘abbaabba.’ Philip Sidney’s Sonnet 7 from Astrophil and Stella: ‘When Nature made her chiefest work, Stella’s eyes’ is especially observable poetic structure that can be analyzed on a literal as well as a figurative level (Analysis of Astrophil and Stella.). Though cursive reading of the poem makes the reader feel as easy for his comprehension, one can find Sydney’s poem moving to other spheres, allowing readers to explore other realms. The usage of figurative language and other poetical devices bring remarkable contribution to its form. The rhyme scheme of Sydney’s sonnet differs from other sonneteers of his time that he followed the rhyme scheme ‘ab ab ab ab cd cd ee,’ ending with a rhyming couplet. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 87: ‘Farewell: thou art too dear for my possessing,’ bears the typical Shakespearian style which carries the rhyme scheme, ‘ab ab cd cd ef ef gg.’ During the composition of his sonnets Shakespeare had exercised his own style with slight variations from the Petrarchan sonnets. Comparing the three sonnets, one can see that they resemble only in stanza patterns; octave and sestet. These sonnets vary from Petrarchan sonnet form in rhyming couplets. Wyatt, Sydney and Shakespeare had used their own rhyme scheme with variations from the Italian sonnet. 2. Compare and contrast the tone in each of the sonnets. Passing through Shakespeare’s sonnet 87, one can see poet worrying over the farewell of his young man. Like every sonnets of Shakespeare, the octave, that is, the first eight lines of the poem calls readers attention to a problem and creates a sad tone. The theme of the poem ‘farewell’ intensifies the tone. But when going through sestet, one feels it moves from the melancholic to that of happiness, changing the whole tone of the poem. Thus one can see, “the tone [of sonnet 87] is even-keeled rather than melodramatic” (Shakespeare's Sonnets.). When analyzing the tone of Philip Sidney’s Sonnet 7 from Astrophel and Stella: “Astrophel possesses a tone of familiar contempt for Reason, declaring that Reason is well served in his defeat. Astrophel only lessens his contemptuous tone when Reason succumbs to Stella and falls to his knees (Astrophil and Stella Study Guide.). Poet has maintained the same tone throughout the poem and won in his attempts to attract readers. The rhyming couplet is especially notable for Sidney’s message when he describes the truth behind the conflict between reason and love. Thomas Wyatt’s ‘Farewell, Love,’ is a poem in which the speaker deprecates love and he feels that it brought him nothing but suffering. Going through the poem readers feel that the tone of the poem is idle that the speaker wishes to remain idle, denounced with love. The tone of the poem reveals insecurity of the speaker’s mind that he cannot confirm himself that whether he has fully recovered from the faith of love. Comparing the three poems, one understands that these poems follow traditional style of sonnets; the first part of the poem presents a problem, and the second part suggests a solution. These three poems end with rhyming couplets that sum up the idea or providing a message. When Shakespeare’s sonnet conveys the tone of happiness through the speaker, Sidney’s speaker expresses the tone of contempt and Wyatt, the tone of insecurity and idleness through his speaker. 3. Which particular aspects of the Petrarchan lover are represented in the three sonnets? It was from the Italian poet Petrarch’s concept of love and lover the concept of Petrarchan lover originated. He followed a particular structure for his sonnets, different from Shakespeare. Even if Shakespeare diverged in rhyme and structure from Petrarchan sonnets, he adopted Petrarchan lover in some of his sonnets, including in his sonnet 87. Through his idealized lady, Laura Wyatt exposed his own concept of love, especially falling into love at first sight and so on. Exploring Petrarchan lover in Wyatt, one can identify that Wyatt always tried to contradict to Petrarchan style, and contributed his own poetic style to literature. To some extent, he kept a satirical voice to Petrarchan concept of love. When evaluating Petrarchan aspect in Sydney’s sonnet, Gary F. Waller & Michael D. Moore, in their book, Sir Philip Sidney and the interpretation of Renaissance culture, remarks: “Sydney’s theme, the lady’s eyes and the techniques for developing it belong squarely in the Petrarchan tradition, despite the fact that Stella’s eyes are unconventionally black” (Moore D Michael & Waller, F. Gary). Thus one can infer that Shakespeare and Sydney followed the Petrarchan love in some of their sonnets, but Wyatt kept aloof from it with a contradictory view point. Works cited: "Analysis of Astrophil and Stella". College term papers.com. 12 Aug 2009 . "Astrophil and Stella Study Guide". Grade Saver. 12 Aug 2009 . "Elizabethan Prose Fiction". enotes. 12 Aug 2009 . Gifford, Katya. "Elizabethan Prose". Humanities Web. 12 Aug 2009 . Saint More, Thomas. Utopia, Of Wedlock. Forgotten Books, p.90-92, Provided by customer. Moore D Michael & Waller, F. Gary Sir Philip Sidney and the interpretation of Renaissance culture. Routledge, 1984. "Shakespeare's Sonnets". Cliff notes. 12 Aug 2009 . Read More