Literature

Reading through William Shakespeares sonnets, one can easily notice how he compared women to nature, and how he looked at love as an eternal thing.

In sonnets 18, 20, and 130 for example, Shakespeare likened the beauty of a woman to nature and her character to the elements of it. The beginning line of Sonnet 20 goes like this A womans face, with natures own hand painted. This is just one of the several other lines in the above-mentioned sonnets which describe women. Ultimately, Shakespeare used his natural ability of playing with words to portray the image of a woman in his mind. On the one hand, how he looked at a womans character and personality is reflected in the following lines Shall I compare thee to a summers day Thou art more lovely and more temperate Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summers lease hath all too short a date. (Sonnet 18) and A womans gentle heart, but not acquainted with shifting change, as is false womens fashion (Sonnet 20). In Sonnet 18, the implied meaning is that a woman, lovely as she is, can also be temperamental at times. But these mood swings, just like summer, are temporary and seasonal. Teachers taught us that womens tantrums and temperaments are caused by changes in their bodies and these are normal. Having known that, we can understand why they behave the way they do on certain periods of time. Amazingly, Shakespeare had already known this before and he was able to poetically put them into words. The particular line from Sonnet 20 simply suggests that women change their minds very often  one minute they like you, the next moment, they hate you. This behavior is somehow related to the changes that occur in their bodies, thus also a normal thing. Sonnets 29 and 116 speak more of love and how Shakespeare understood it. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove O no It is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempest and is never shaken. These lines from Sonnet 116 speak clearly of how Shakespeare viewed love for him it is everlasting, unshakeable, firm, and could withstand anything. Reading the rest of the sonnet would support this claim. He even mentioned that love is not times fool meaning it doesnt depend on time for it to grow and flourish. Love is eternal. Its also something that inspires you and keeps you going. No matter how bad your situation may be, or no matter how gloomy you may feel, love is there to cheer you on and give you reason to smile once more and change your perspective. This is the content of Sonnet 29 Happy I think on thee, and then my state (Like to the lark at break of day arising from sullen earth) sings hymns at heavens gate).

Probably one of the most remembered and remarkable work of William Shakespeare is Romeo and Juliet, a story of a never-ending love, a love that goes beyond death. Perhaps the reason why it made such an impact was because Shakespeare really knew what love is and how expressed it in his writings made him an authority to the topic. Next to Romeo and Juliet are the sonnets, some of which were mentioned above, whose description on love and women and beauty are very clearly stated. Through his works, it is evidently seen that Shakespeare has a high regard and respect for women and in the same manner, he highly-valued love and sees it as something sacred and perpetual.