Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130

The video explores Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, highlighting its straightforward meaning and playful subversion of the poetic blazon convention. It contrasts this with Edmund Spencer's Amoretti Sonnet 15, which exemplifies traditional blazon. Shakespeare's sonnet is analyzed for its frank language and unique approach to describing his mistress, emphasizing her human qualities over exaggerated comparisons. The video concludes with a contextual understanding of the sonnet's themes and language.

What is the main theme of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130?

• Over-praising a beloved

• Critiquing poetic conventions

• Praising a goddess

• Describing nature

What is the poetic convention of over-praising a beloved called?

• Ode

• Sonnet

• Elegy

• Blazon

Which poet's work is used as an example of blazon before discussing Sonnet 130?

• Edmund Spencer

• John Donne

• Christopher Marlowe

• Ben Jonson

In Spencer's Sonnet 15, what is compared to sapphires?

• Lips

• Eyes

• Teeth

• Hair

How does Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 differ from traditional blazon?

• It uses more hyperbole

• It avoids exaggeration

• It praises a goddess

• It focuses on nature

What is the color comparison used in the first quatrain of Sonnet 130?

• Black and yellow

• Gold and silver

• Red and white

• Blue and green

What is the main point of comparison between Spencer's and Shakespeare's sonnets?

• Use of hyperbole

• Use of rhyme scheme

• Use of nature imagery

• Use of blazon

What is highlighted in the second quatrain of Sonnet 130?

• The speaker's love for music

• The speaker's love for nature

• The speaker's love for his mistress

• The speaker's love for art

What is the Volta in a sonnet?

• A shift or turn in thought

• A type of stanza

• A type of rhyme

• A type of meter

What sound is frequently repeated in Sonnet 130?

• O

• I

• E

• A