Traditional Blazon Sonnet In Shakespeare's My Mistress Eyes

In fact, Shakespeare takes a completely new twist on the tradition, one that many individuals find insulting, while the rest find

Anne Bradstreet used false modesty to avoid criticism from a male-dominated society that did not accept women as equals. Anne Bradstreet metaphorically referred to her book of poems as an “ill-form’d offspring” (line 1) as a judgment of its poetic worth. The constant repetition of the book being in critics hands, due to “errors were not lessened (all may judg) (line 6), demonstrated the fear she has to the judgment of her lack of resources and abilities from the press. She instead, judged all her poem’s errors because she had knowledge that her book would be published. In addition, she was not ambiguously sincere, since she bragged about her impressive poetic ability and stated her work as awful and shameful for critics to highlight her virtues.

Questions: 2.) In this section, the Wife of Bath comments on the different answers given to the Knight, and her comments give insight to her opinions and views of women. For example, the text states, “Others assert we women find it sweet when we are thought dependable, discreet and secret, firm of purpose and controlled, never betraying things that we are told. But that’s not worth the handle of a rake; women conceal a thing? For Heaven’s sake!”

It’s no surprise, that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was clearly constructed as a rebellion against femininity roles of the time. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men since men obtained desired masculine qualities such as strength, and loyalty, whereas women were viewed as figures of hospitality (1; 6; 28-31). Obviously, not being tempted by the luxury of subservient women, William Shakespeare rebuked this twisted belief, applying that women deserve more respect than their kitchen tables.

Shakespeare is describing the girl he loves, however, it surprisingly sounds insulting. Shakespeare compares her to many images of beauty like the sun, coral, roses, and even a goddess and expresses how she doesn 't compare to any of their beauty. He finishes however by saying, “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare.” (lines 13-14) I love the ending of this poem. Shakespeare is saying even though she not as good as all the things he compared her too, she is still rare to him.

In Shakespeare’s day, the ideal woman was revered for her youth, beauty, compliance, and purity. Gertrude stands in stark contrast to the ideal, the antithesis of the traditional standard of femininity. When accused by Hamlet of “[living] … in corruption” (3.4.103-5), Gertrude denies nothing, never pretending to be anything but a sexual being. Neither is Gertrude young, nor is she compliant in any way—she routinely defies the wishes of those who, socially, would have been considered her “superiors.”

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is one of the last great baroque poets. She was a nun, but not by vocation. This poem is also about how beauty decays over time however in contrast to Góngora 's poem, which is about an unnamed woman, De La Cruz 's Sonet 145 is about herself. Also there is the further theme of beauty as a lie, or a trick, to deceive us into thinking that we are doing somthing more other than passing through time, waiting to die.

Although her work was highly praised, some critics felt that Christine argued with the intent to only defend those women who were virtuous and who had prestige in their society or were held to a higher reputation than others. This can be seen as in The Book of the City of Ladies, she uses examples of women who were scholars, saints, and good wives to establish her argument about why women were worthy of the city. She does not speak about women who were involved in activities or who were part of the culture that most people in medieval society looked down upon (e.g. prostitutes). Her choice to only write about these women made her a product of her time, as many medieval women readers and writers had a clear appreciation for those women who were of nobler

Many have said that the greatest love stories of all time arose from this period of enlightenment and rebirth. Of course, some argue that the true theme of these famous works are not love at all, but are in fact poems of lust. The distinction between love and lust can be made through the examination of the poems Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, To His Coy Mistress, and To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time. Valediction: Forbidding Mourning is a poem concerning the true nature of love. A woman is upset because her husband has to go on a journey.

They also show that women are more than just their physical appearance. In the beginning of the poem “Pretty” it shows how society makes girls insecure towards their outwardly looks. However, towards the end it signifies the fact that there is so much more than just being “pretty.” The next two poems are very similar in that they focus more on how to believe you are more important, than what society wants you to believe. “A Lady” by Amy Lowell talks about a younger woman looking up to an older woman, that has found her true identity.

When she says “female wits” we know that if she were a man she would not be questioned as much as a poet. She feels, because of her gender, as if she can’t write about, “wars, of captains, and of kings, / Of cities founded, commonwealths begun, / For my mean pen are too superior things…” (Bradstreet 1-3).

Malala Yousafzai once said, “We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” Identifying the value of free speech is made far easier when it is not respected. In patriarchal societies women are often ignored or written off as unimportant. Especially within the social structure of the warrior culture, the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs of women are discredited. By becoming consciously aware of the lack of respect given to them, the women of Greece, Troy, and even Goddesses reclaim their power within a society actively damning them to be silent and weak.