Essay about Themes of Love and Loss in Poetry - 1278 Words

Themes of Love and Loss in Poetry In this essay, we are going to analyse five poems to study the way love and loss are treated in the pre-nineteenth century poems, So, well go no more a roving and When we two parted by Lord Byron, Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare, How do I love thee? by Elizabeth Barrett-Browning and Remember by Christina Rossetti. After looking at the level of implication of each of the poets in their writing, we will show the way they treat the themes of love and loss. Written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century, Sonnet 116 is the most ancient poem in this collection. It has fourteen lines and is structured into three quatrains and an ending couplet. The†¦show more content†¦In the last couplet however, Shakespeare ceases his lesson and is willing to deny all his written work if his error on the subject was proved. This fact makes this piece of work an argumentative poem, marking a strong difference between the other four of this collection which have an important romantic tone. How do I love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett-Browning is another poem which only speaks of love and doesnt mention loss. It is an iambic pentameter poem, it has fourteen lines like Shakespeares sonnet. It is an almost lyric poem as it contains much emotion, sparks the readers imagination and has a melody like that of an epigram. It is an Italian sonnet, shown by its rhymic pattern ABBA ABBA CDC DCD and has a masculine rhyme to create a theme of love and a romantic atmosphere. Contrasting with Sonnet 116, this poem is very personal, the poet is talking in the first person I, my and is adressing her lover by thee. She enumerates the ways in which she loves him, creating many metaphors. I love thee to the level of everydays most quiet need means she loves him in the most ordinary situations, by sun candlelight, by day and night. In the verses 7 to 12, she compares her love to the passion men feel when fighting for their convictions, to her past feelings of childhood innocence, to the love with which sheShow MoreRelatedThe Theme of Love and Loss in Poetry Essay2011 Words   |  9 PagesThe Theme of Love and Loss in Poetry How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Albert Einstein. The subject of love has always inspired poets, writers, and those lucky in love as well. Love is everything its cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you dont risk everything, you risk even more. Some of the poets who are soRead MoreGwen Harwood relationships throughout poems903 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Gwen Harwood’s poetry endures to engage readers through its poetic treatment of loss and consolation. 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