When I thought of poetry about love, several words that came to mind immediately were romantic, admiring and divine. Indeed, in this week’s activities, Browning used these emotions in her poem “How Do I Love Thee” to show us how love can be enormous. Although the extent of love can’t be measured by certain things, she still managed to express her overwhelming feelings to her lover. At least I feel amazed by her description of words as if her love is the strongest and purest in the world. Nonetheless, after I read “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” Shakespeare showed me a new world of love poetry that doesn’t have to be so enthusiastic. In comparison, Shakespeare applied a different style which is realism into love poems, which I think most of the poets back in those days wouldn’t use. He illustrates a vivid, though ordinary, mistress through a lot of metaphors and similes in somehow degraded words. In this way, love can be more understandable and practical by the readers. These two poems make me realize that love can be various depending on which kind of love we prefer.
Powered by:
top
One thought on “Jiaxing Rong Discussion 11”
Hello Jiaxing Rong! I like your take on the Shakespearean sonnet “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun.” I agree that love poetry doesn’t have to be so over-the-top enthusiastic. The humble demeanor that Shakespear used to describe his mistress was fun to read and seemed like a fun jab at the more flowery and exaggerated versions of the love poem. Realism is much more relatable to the ordinary person, which can move the heart more than a fantastical version.