An Artwork’s Response to the Artist

Within Claude McKay’s two sonnets, “Poetry” and “To A Poet,” the two sonnets, although thematically linked, share some differences throughout their body. The most obvious difference is that “To A Poet” lacks the rhyming couplet at the end of the sonnet form, which “Poetry” retains the normal Shakespearean sonnet form with the standard 14 lines, with a rhyming couplet at the end. Further, the speakers in the two sonnets are speaking to each other– thus they are two different speakers, one being a poet, and one being a poem. This is made evident in “Poetry” through “my truly human heart,” revealing the speaker, while in “To A Poet,” readers can infer that the sonnet is speaking back to the poet through the usage of the word “spirit,” where McKay writes the poem itself in a supernatural way, similar to how the poem is written in “Poetry,” where it is described in almost a religious, and thus supernatural way through “altar-stone of art.” Ironically, the poem’s sonnet lacks form, while the poet’s sticks to traditional sonnet form, telling readers that art has no bounds and is not restricted to form, while the artist (here, the poet) is confined to the bounds of normal Shakespearean sonnet form, perhaps trying to convey the suffocating nature of how restrictive art forms are, but since the poet is McKay, we can assume that it’s less so that the speaker finds the sonnet form restrictive, and more so that art does not have bounds. The two sonnets both have different speakers and variation in form, but otherwise, the sonnets have similar themes, where both speakers admire the opposite; both sonnets associate the other with some sort of power– “power,” “immortal,” “vital,” “kings,” and “glory.” The sonnets both place the poem and poetry on a pedestal, praising the other. The diction of both sonnets suggest that McKay intended to empower the art and artist, perhaps even putting himself on a pedestal by glorifying the poetry and poet. In lending power to both the art and artist, both sonnets also put a lot of pride in art.

Isaak Puth

Shakespare sonnet

Shakespeare’s sonnet, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” has 3 quadrants and one couplet at the end two lines. The turn happens before the couplet with the speaker saying: “and yet..” There are many things going on in this sonnet. The speaker starts off saying how the mistress doesn’t have bright eyes. Many people would compare another’s eyes to the sun for how bright and loving their eyes are, but here the eyes are not compared to the sun. The speaker starts body shaming her saying how her breasts are a dull brown color and not white as the snow. In the first two quadrants, the speaker focuses on more of her body, which he doesn’t find pleasant. He mentions how her cheeks are red, meaning there is no love coming from her. He compares her hair to wires and doesn’t find her looks appealing. In the third quadrant, he starts admiring her voice, but still says how “music hath a far more pleasing sound,” (line 10). 

To answer the question, Catherine Tate performed it with a lot of passion. She used hand gestures and had a fast pace tone when reciting the sonnet. During the skit, Catherine was rambling on and complaining how the teacher is Scottish and not British because she believes that you have to be British to teach an English class. She then abruptly starts reciting the sonnet. The teacher says at the end that another rose wouldn’t be the same as current rose meaning you can’t compare the two, which is stated in the end of the sonnet: “as any she belied with false compare.”

Gurranvir Kaur

The Smart Aleck

In Shakespeare’s Sonnet, he appears to demoralize a woman because she is not the exact way he thinks a true woman should act. Although he expresses his love for her and her” imperfections,” he only states this at the very end and comes to a summarized statement stating that “yeah she has a bunch of flaws and is very “DULL,” but I still love her. “

After re-reading the poem several times and watching the video, the skit enhanced the poem entirely. In the poem Shakespeare wrote, his sonnet describes her as dull, but I’d like to think Catherine’s depiction was of a schoolgirl with a sharp mouth, who might see her as the class clown. She was very fierce and did not back down. Instead, she tried challenging the teacher for the fun of it. Although she might have been perceived as a nuisance, she was nowhere near dull. When I think of the word fierce, I associate it with red. Because being ferocious is an intense emotion that would resonate with a more vibrant tone, although she was joking around and not severe in Catherine’s skit, she showed an understanding of Shakespeare despite her being a smart aleck; she recited it with much passion, which shocked the teacher himself. In Shakespeare’s sonnet, it’s as if there is still some love behind all the imperfections. He is stating regardless of her imperfections he loves her regardless. I think it could be seen as a slight shift in interpretation. At the end of the skit, the teacher turns her into an action figure, which doesn’t equate to love because it portrays an annoyance on his end. At the same time, this skit gave a visual representation of what Shakespeare saw in his eyes: someone deemed annoying, but you can’t help but love her because she also had intelligence. One line resonates significantly with me. Lines 8-10: “Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks./I love to hear her speak, yet well I know/That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I found this to resonate with the skit since Catherine was portraying a student with sharp muth giving the teacher a hard time, and this could be why he does not see her as goddesses because, especially given the time, it was men hated when a woman had a voice or a sharp mouth and relatively associated that trait as an unwanted woman.

Victoria Sasere

Pretenious Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s “My Mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” is one of the most famous, and well-known sonnets in the world. It consists of 14 lines. Its couplet occurs in the final two lines. It has a volta, which is the turning point from problem to solution, in line 13. One of the sonnets five major themes, is of a male speaker talking about his lover, in an idolized way. But in Shakespeare’s sonnet, the speaker does not idolize his lover. Instead, he puts her down, to mock men who compare their lovers to pretty, glamorous things in an excessive way. As though they have no other way to speak of their lovers, if not through their looks. It is misogynistic. There is no other way to put it. Shakespeare too seems to find these loud, boisterous proclamations of ‘love’ ridiculous. So, he mocks them in his sonnet to show such proclamations are not needed to express how passionately one loves their lady. In the beginning of the sonnet, the speaker says his “mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” (line 1). The sun is a bright ball of energy that gives light to Earth. To say his lover’s eyes are unlike the sun, implies they are dull and lackluster. They are nothing special. He then goes on to say he has seen roses of red and white, “but no such roses see I in her cheeks” (line 6). Her cheeks lack color; they are never flushed. Again, there is a dullness to her. He then goes on to say that her breath reeks, unlike perfumes. That while he loves to hear her speak, “music hath a far more pleasing sound” (line 10). In the final two lines, he claims his love is rare “as any she belied with false compare” (line 14). While Shakespeare mocks men who use flattery to speak of their lovers, he is not so much better himself. This point is driven by Catherine Tate’s classroom performance. Her character claims Shakespeare is repetitious and extremely dull. Her teacher fights back and argues she is “not worthy to mention his name”, and that Shakespeare is a genius, and she is not. Catherine’s character is insolent, but it does not warrant the harmful things said to her by her teacher. But I like how she fights back. I think the lover of the speaker in Shakespeare’s sonnet would too. Catherine’s lack of respect for Shakespeare, ultimately transforms the sonnet’s meaning. Shakespeare goes from a man seemingly fighting back against misogyny to being rather pretentious. It is as though he believes himself to be superior to other men because he sees his lover not for her looks, but for who she is inside. Because his love is not superficial. There were better ways to approach this notion than coming for her appearance. It can be argued the teacher in the BBC video represents Shakespeare. He is the authoritative character, the one with the power. He, too, presents himself in a pretentious way. He does not joke around nor laugh at Catherine’s jokes. And when her character critiques Shakespeare, he takes major offense and verbally attacks her. This feels very reminiscent of Shakespeare and sheds light on his pretentiousness. Now, the sonnet is not as romantic as it seems.

Bella Cortez

Nothing Like the Original

Catherine Tate’s classroom performance of “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” completely enhances the original intention of the sonnet, specifically through the purpose behind the sonnet. Tate’s performance of the sonnet takes a new spin on the sonnet, where Shakespeare’s original intention was to describe the temptation behind the speaker’s mistress, evidently through the usage of juxtaposition in the sonnet. For instance, the speaker states that “music hath a far more pleasing sound,” yet he “love[s] to hear her speak.” (Shakespeare ll. 9-10). Tate technically makes a subtle point of this in her delivery because Tennant is unable to stop her from talking, but continues to let her speak despite, eventually, he reveals that he can in fact make her stop talking. Tate, instead of making the main purpose of the sonnet obviously, she makes it more subtle and exact, poking fun at Tennant and even Shakespeare, perhaps taking a more feminist spin on the sonnet, pushing back at male power through her ability to speak back towards Tennant.

Moreover, since sonnets are traditionally male in their speakers, Tate transforms the traditional delivery through her gender, as she delivers a sonnet that is inherently male in its details. Tate uses the sonnet as a satirical jumping board, where she mocks Tennant in his insistence in teaching Shakespeare, as her main point throughout the video is that poetry is pointless, and through her delivery, she points out how ridiculous and stupid the actual lines of the sonnet are, as her delivery, as passionate as it is, almost pokes fun at how a sonnet usually is– passionate, completely over the top, and incredibly objectifying. That is, objectifying for men to gaze upon women’s bodies in a place of power, looking down at them. Her delivery creates an air of ridicule around the sonnet, which transforms the sonnet’s purpose, as the original purpose was to express love for a women, but here, Tate uses it to mock Shakespeare and Tennant effectively.

Isaak Puth

Beyond the Poetic

Catherine Tate’s recitation of Shakespeare’s sonnet 130, “my mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” transforms its meaning by breaking the sonnet’s conventional form through a chaotic gender performance that opposes masculine order. The traditional situation of a sonnet involves a male speaker expressing his idealized love through poetic elements, but Shakespeare’s sonnet opposes this as the speaker refers to his “mistress” as lacking the emphasized beauty found in nature – “coral is far more red… no such roses see I in her cheeks” (Shakespeare 2, 6). The speaker brings realism by portraying how his love is incomparable to the romanticism that poetry tends to display, referring to them as a “false compare” in which the speaker provides his “mistress” with her own individuality (14). This is furthered from the volta in line 13 where the speaker shifts from presenting his love as potentially ugly, but then unveiling that true love to him is the beauty beyond the poetic metaphors or similes; it is her genuine self.

Cacophony also follows throughout the sonnet up to the 12th line, until the volta holds a change in sound and becomes euphonic, “and yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare…” (13). Cacophony mimics the chaos prevalent throughout the ugliness of the twelve lines, preceding how the unpleasant sounds reflects the unpleasantness of how the speaker’s love is incomparable to anything beautiful. However, euphony ends the sonnet because it is through the identity beyond the poetic that is pleasant and beautiful.

Straightforwardly, this is a sonnet chaotically presenting itself through its ugliness by not providing the desired aestheticism expected by popular conventions. The sonnet’s chaotic imperfection orders its existence through its 14 lined, iambic pentameter that defines the identity of the sonnet/mistress. 

Catherine Tate’s gender performance is an expression of her character’s identity by embodying the chaotic mannerisms to rebel against her teacher played by David Tennant. Tate’s character opposes the order in which her teacher tries to enforce, but during her recitation does it show that the character is intelligent, despite the supposed belief that she was “dull.” Instead of a male speaker speaking in the voice of a woman, it is a female speaker. It is her femininity that creates the order of her identity, in which her chaotic manners structures who she is. She recites the sonnet in continuation without any pauses, embodying the chaos that she poses against her teacher. Thus, her “ugliness” – in terms of her personality as being perceived reprehensible by her teacher – is a definitive expression of Tate’s character reflected from the sonnet that defies conventions. 

-Phillip Gallo

Shakespearean Sonnet and Taylor Swift’s Love Story

Dear all of my beautiful and amazing fans!

My name is Taylor Swift, and I’m writing this brief explanation behind my song Love Story. I’ve been asked about the Shakespearian themes present in Love Story, and I wanted to clear up any misconceptions revolving around the piece ‘s artistic themes. When writing this song I really wanted it to feel like you were reading a Shakespearean sonnet. It sounds really nerdy, trust me I know. But I’ve always loved the “little song” aesthetic of the fourteen line Shakespearean sonnet, and wanted to capture it for Love Story in a unique and artistic way. While I heavily referenced themes from another of Shakespeare’s works, the ever so popular play Romeo and Juliet to establish context, I really wanted to experiment further with the form of his sonnet in particular. This urged me to really figure out what made the Shakespearean sonnet unique among other forms of poetry, so that I could apply my findings to the song I was writing. 

Upon distilling the Shakespearean sonnet down to it’s basic elements, I found that many examples all had a few key similarities. Each are fourteen lines, adhere to a strict rhyme scheme, employ use of an iambic pentameter, and utilize a volta in the last two lines. The volta is a turning-point in the poem where the topic or idea presented in the poem is challenged or enhanced after sufficient buildup in the rest of the piece. Shakespearean sonnets are also more-than-typically love stories. This was exactly what I was aiming to write, so I really wanted to be sure to provide ample reference to the different details which make up the form of Shakespeare’s sonnet. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 is a perfect example to demonstrate these themes, as it beautifully the four leg iambic-beat, as well as signature abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme consistent with the rest of his sonnets. Additionally The volta in 130 challenges the theme of the rest of the poem in stating, just as a properly integrated volta should. I have placed a copy of the poem (fig. 3) below for reference.  

I found myself inspired by the idea of a well composed volta, and knew that I had to attempt to replicate one for my song. After all, it wouldn’t be anything like a Shakespearean sonnet without something as significant as a volta. There is one final trait I recognized as being popular amongst this version of the sonnet, and it wouldn’t be nearly as moving without the use of this mystical, all-powerful volta. I found that; many of Shakespeare’s sonnets begin by challenging love in one way or another. This provides the reader with plenty of content that can in turn challenge the theme even further. In 130, the speaker begins by challenging the idea of flawless femininity by brutally listing out all of the woman’s imperfections. The volta then reveals that the speaker is indifferent to all these flaws, and that her love is no less “rare” (ln. 13) because of her flaws. It essentially clears up any doubts suggesting that the imperfectness of the speaker’s lover is inhibiting her amazing and flawless love. The speaker states; “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare / As any she belied with false compare” (ln. 13 / 14). Again, this statement challenges everything that the speaker has said about his beloved up to this point, as they are now praising their love for her after impressing on her flaws all through the rest of the poem. 

Similarly, my song Love Story challenges the speaker’s trust in her love. I decided to write the beginning of my song Love Story with plenty of ambiguity and even stress revolving around the speaker’s situation with her lover. As stated in the song, the speaker found her “love is difficult” (ln. 30) to the point where her “faith in you (†speakers beloved ) was fading” (ln. 36) and she was left “wondering’ if you (†) were ever comin’ around” (ln. 35). The volta, signified by the change in key on line 42, then shows that the speaker’s lover had wanted her all along, and wished for her to marry him. Just like in the traditional Shakespearean sonnet, the volta clears up the murky ambiguity posed throughout the rest of the piece with it’s swift and challenging nature. The speaker was worried that her beloved was preparing to cast her away, however in the last moment he proved her wrong by asking her to marry. The accompanied key change is used to further highlight the volta, as well as introduce a change in pace or feeling, similar to the way a volta might do the same when read aloud or with emphasis and emotion. See (fig. 1) for full transcript. 

When it comes to diction and form outside of the use of the volta thematically and formatically, I was fairly limited on how similar I could realistically make my song to Old-English poetry. I toyed with the abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme, but nothing sounded right with the tune I had in mind. I really did not want to stray from the tune I was already working with, and truth-be-told, I wasn’t entirely confident in developing an actual sonnet rhyme scheme for a country-pop song. Not to mention I would have to think up another tolerable key change for the new beat– it would have been a mess. Instead, I wrote the song with a more reasonable rhyme scheme we all know and love today. While I’m so happy with the success of the song, I really wish I could have put it into the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet.

I was recently reflecting on this when I had the idea of re-writing the story of Love Story into the “little song” that it was always supposed to symbolize. For this reason, I decided to use as much material from my original transcript as possible. After a bit of trial and error, I ended up successfully re-organizing, and in some cases re-wording my original lyrics, my very own Shakespearean sonnet using traditional format exemplified in Sonnet 130. It has been presented directly below (fig. 2). My version is fourteen lines and adheres to the traditional sonnet rhyming scheme, as illustrated by the bold letters at the end of lines. It includes an appropriately placed volta, starting on line 13. Additionally, the volta in my sonnet starts with the same sentence that key change hit in Love Story, which in turn signifies it’s volta. The only thing I was unable to replicate in my sonnet was the iambic pentameter, lest I would have again, had to completely re-phrase and re-write the song. 

I hope this adaptation might be able to help you guys see the connections between my song Love Story and the traditional Shakespearean sonnet. I was very inspired by the idea of making a “little song” into a bigger one, and did my very best with the artistic medium I was restricted too. Country-pop can’t sound just like old-English poetry, but I’m satisfied with the themes I was able to incorporate into my final piece. Love Story references Shakespeare’s version of the sonnet in it’s very narrative, while also toying with formatical attributions such as a volta suggested by the change in key. While I couldn’t make the traditional rhyme scheme work in the song itself, the poem adaptation picks up for some of the slack. Shame I still can’t get that iambic beat down. One day I’ll revisit this poem adaptation with another version adhering to the iambic pentameter. Perhaps I’ll call it “Taylor’s Version”…

~Taylor Swift  xoxo

(Hayden Namgostar *)

Fig. 1: Love Story Original Lyrics (By Taylor Swift):

1 We were both young when I first saw you

2 I close my eyes and the flashback starts

3 I’m standin’ there

4 On a balcony in summer air

5 See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns

6 See you make your way through the crowd

7 And say, “Hello”

8 Little did I know

9 That you were Romeo, you were throwin’ pebbles

10 And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet”

11 And I was cryin’ on the staircase

12 Beggin’ you, “Please don’t go ” and I said

13 Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

14 I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run

15 You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess

16 It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”

17 So I sneak out to the garden to see you

18 We keep quiet, ’cause we’re dead if they knew

19 So close your eyes

20 Escape this town for a little while, oh oh

21 ‘Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter

22 And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet”

23 But you were everything to me

24 I was beggin’ you, “Please don’t go, ” and I said

25 Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

26 I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run

27 You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess

28 It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”

29 Romeo, save me, they’re tryna tell me how to feel

30 This love is difficult, but it’s real

31 Don’t be afraid, we’ll make it out of this mess

32 It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”

33 Oh, oh

34 I got tired of waiting

35 Wonderin’ if you were ever comin’ around

36 My faith in you was fading

37 When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

38 Romeo, save me, I’ve been feeling so alone

39 I keep waiting for you, but you never come

40 Is this in my head? I don’t know what to think

41 He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

42 And said, “Marry me, Juliet

43 You’ll never have to be alone

44 I love you and that’s all I really know

45 I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress

46 It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes””

47 Oh, oh, oh

48 Oh, oh, oh, oh

49 ‘Cause we were both young when I first saw you

Fig. 2: Sonnet Adaptation (By Hayden Namgostar):

1 We were both young when I first saw you. A                         1 (ln. 1 original lyric)

2 Oh Romeo, take me! somewhere we can be alone. B            3

3 We must keep quiet, we’ll be dead if they knew. A             18

4 I’ll be waiting, all that’s left to do is run, B                         26

5 You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess. C             27

6 Oh Romeo, save me! they’re tryna’ tell  me how to feel. D  29

7 Will we make it out of this mess? C                                     31

8 This love is difficult, is it real? D                                     30

9 My heart is tired of waiting, E                                     34

10 Wonderin’ if you were ever comin’ around. F                        35

11 The last of my faith was fading, E                                     36

12 When I met you on the outskirts of town. F                         37

13 Marry me, Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone! G            42 + 43

14 I love you, and that’s all I really know. G             44

Fig. 3: Sonnet 130 for comparison (By William Shakespeare):

1 My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

2 Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;

3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

7 And in some perfumes is there more delight

8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

11 I grant I never saw a goddess go;

12 My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.

13   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

14   As any she belied with false compare.

* !!Attention!! Thank you for reading in this post. Keep in mind: This post was not written by musical artist Taylor Swift. It was instead composed by me; a student by the Hayden Namgostar. I assumed the persona of Taylor Swift for the sake of introducing unique and point of view and tone for my creative poetry project. Taylor Swift has been known to write abstractly too her fans, occasionally on the topic of explaining motivation behind her work. This is a fan made letter, strictly for the sake of educational purposes, involving gaining a greater understanding of the Shakespearean sonnet. I hope you enjoyed, please be sure to leave a like and comment any of your thoughts on this post! Take care friends! Best, ~Hayden Namgostar ☆13☆

Shakespearean Sonnets Taught By Dr Who, Interpreted By An Annoying English Student

Shakespearean sonnets are taught to many different students around the world, I from first hand experience know that they have been teaching us about Shakespeare’s work since middle school. Many students are not the biggest fans of Shakespeare’s work, but we all know it and I can confidently say that even if you are not a fan of literature you would be able to recognize what a Shakespearean sonnet looks like in the Elizabethan teaching of English Literature.

The poem “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” sonnet 130 written by Shakespeare, we are introduced to a mistress which Shakespeare describe in an unorthodox fashion, he explains that “if snow bobwhite, why then her breast are dun,” “And in some perfumes is more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” Instead of painting his mistress in a light that depicts her beauty and that make the reader think about her in an angelic way, he does the complete opposite and writes al about her flaws. And although Shakespeare decides to do the unconventional and write about his mistress’ flaws, we interpret it as a way to say that her mistress is REAL, that she is human and not perfect like a doll or in this case the sun.

In the poem Shakespeare chooses unconventional, he chooses not to write a poem that us received as your “normal” poem talking about the beauty of a woman. We also find unconventionality in the Catherine Tates’s classroom performance. In the video, Catherine Tete plays a student who is not well behaved, and does not depict the characteristics of a model student. Catherine has her character mock the teacher and say he reminds her of “Dr Who” or saying “I don’t think you’re qualified to teach is english” because the teacher is Scottish. However when the teacher has finally had enough of Catherine he threatens to fail he, she then surprises everyone by reciting “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” a sonnet by William Shakespeare, as mentioned previously. She surprises even the teacher as nobody would expect this from a baldly behaved student with such a reputation, however is happened and she did it correctly, she know what a Shakespearean sonnet is by heart.

This is unconventional and I think in a way helps emphasize the unconventionality that Shakespeare goes for in his poem. Just like how it doesn’t seem normal for Shakespeare to write about loving a mistress who, according to the sonnet, is imperfect is so many harsh ways, writing about her in a way that makes her seem so awful, it doesn’t seem normal for such an awful and uncumbersome student would have the ability to recite a poem by Shakespeare. I also think that there is a better emphasis created on the sonnet by the fact that such an unorthodox student would recite such an unorthodox sonnet by heart, in my eyes this enhances the horribleness of the mistress and brings a stronger pull on the words that are written by Shakespeare.

Another thing that what was worth mentioning when comparing the video and Shakespeare’s sonnet would be the turning point, the volta, that is present in both the poem and the video. Because the poem is a Shakespearean sonnet then it is structure with 12 lines that allow for a narrative build ups and two final couplets that are a turning point in the poem. And just like in the poem, the video is structured in a very similar format with the most of the initial part of the video building a narrative of the dislike that the Catherine’s character has for reading and for Shakespeare, however in the last few lines of the videos she recite the poem and surprises everyone, bring a turning point to the video, a last clap-back and her professor is you will. The video is essentially structured as a sonnet.

Guadalupe Lemus