Sonnet 130 vs. The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

A detailed Summary of Sonnet 130 vs. The Passionate Shepherd to His Love


In William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 and Christopher Marlowe's The Passionate Shepherd To His Love, the themes of unconditional love, opulent treasures, and vivid imagery are

all conveyed throughout the poems but through different point of views.

The theme of unconditional love is expressed through the two poems. The poet proclaims his affection for her by telling his "love" that he will give her anything in the world if she would

just be with him. "And if these pleasures may thee move, come live with me, and be my love." His words show that he is willing to do anything and everything for her by giving her "a gown

made of the finest wool" or even "coral clasps and amber studs" just for her to "live with him and

be my (his) love." However, the poet knows that he can not give her these offerings because the gifts that he is willing to give her are merely tokens of exaggerations and are listed to show his

beloved that this is how much he wants her. Whereas in Sonnet 130, the poet is earnest and truthful in what he writes about his love. "I love to hear her speak, yet well I know that music

hath a far more pleasing sound, yet, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare." This


places and objects. "And I will make thee a cap of flowers, and a kirtle embroidered all with leaves of myrtle." This description shows the intent of willingness he has to have her by his side.

Nevertheless, in Sonnet 130, the persona uses imagery of her physical appearance to show his love. The poet in Sonnet 130 does not use imagery of riches but uses commonplace substances to reveal his love for her. "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; coral is far more red than her lips' red" and then he discusses how even though she is just an average woman, he loves her with all his heart. Although the two poets uses different elements to express their love, the meaning of their devotion for their loved ones are portrayed eminently.

Opulent treasures are also used within both poems whether it be treasures of physical attributes or treasures of tangible gifts to express their loves for the women in their lives. The

poem did. Even though the two poems have the theme as unconditional love, the portrayals of it are achieved through different methods.

unconditional love that the poet in Marlowe's poem tries to delineate without using embellishments. The speaker in Sonnet 1

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Approximate Word count = 804
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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