How Shakespeare And Rossetti Engage With The Sonnet

This essay will address how Shakespeare and Rossetti engage with the sonnet form, through Rossetti’s â€Å"A Sonnet† and Shakespeare’s â€Å"Sonnet 52†. Both poets arguably subvert the traditional Petrarchan sonnet genre, though in different ways. Rossetti’s ‘A Sonnet’ explores the sonnet as an art form rather than as a means of currency, as sonnets were seen to be at the time, and how if treated as a commodity, the value of a sonnet is diminished. Similarly, Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 52’ explores the connection between frequency and worth. However, ‘Sonnet 52’ adheres more closely to traditional sonnet form, as the prevalent theme is romance, and the idealisation of the â€Å"fair youth†. In contrast to Shakespeare’s adherence to the traditional romantic focus of sonnets, Rossetti subverts the genre by using â€Å"The Sonnet† as a metatextual device to explore his ideas around the form of a sonnet itself. Rossetti’s â€Å"The Sonnet† is written in traditional iambic pentameter and employs the structure of a Petrarchan sonnet. However, â€Å"The Sonnet† differs from conventions of the genre, as it is arguably a commentary on the commodification of poetry in the late 19th century. As a predecessor to the Aesthetic movement, Rossetti valued sonnets as ‘art for art’s sake’; the belief that art must separate itself from serving a didactic or moral purpose in order to be considered culturally valuable, rather than as a means of generating profit- as sonnets were considered at the time. Challenging theShow MoreRelatedLiterature Marking Scheme9477 Words   |  38 Pages...... 2 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Why choose Cambridge? Why choose Cambridge IGCSE? Why choose Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English)? Cambridge International Certificate of Education (ICE) Schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland How can I find out more? 2. Assessment at a glance .................................................................................................. 5 Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) Syllabus code 0486 Cambridge International Level 1/Level 2