IGCSE English Lit Poem - Sonnet 116

What is 'sonnet 116' about

This poem tells what love should be in its most ideal form. It is a form of praise for couples who base their love on trust, strength and understanding.

what themes are in 'sonnet 116'

love, trust, marriage, problems

what is the form and structure of 'sonnet 116', and what is the effect of this

-it is a 14 line stanza with 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG)

-iambic pentameter gives the poem rhythm, this portrays again how a relationship should be regular and not succumb to problems

-short poem conveys how it is simple to show true love

what poems could be compared with 'sonnet 116'

-poem at thirty-nine (love, conviction, advice)

-do not go gentle into that good night (conviction, love)

-remember (love, relationships, advice)

analyse - 'let not the marriage of two minds admit impediments'

-this metaphor of two minds shows that love is not simply about emotion, but requires two intellectual beings

-also suggests how love should not be about appearance, for the mind is what is important

-the alliteration of 'm' creates a conjoining of words, similar to the conjoining of people

-'impediments' is used in a marriage ceremony, so alluding to this shows irony for love is more an a legal contract

analyse - 'admit impediments; love is not love'

-introduction of the word impediments brings a break to the line in the form of a caesura

-monosyllabic statement comes out of iamb meter to trochaic rhythm, making the last 'love' stressed. This is called a feminine ending and this could show that when the rhythm alters, love alters

analyse - 'O no, it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken'

-'O no' conveys the conviction to the speaker's tone

-metaphor expresses how love is a lighthouse in a storm. shows how it should be strong and supportive.

-absolute language on 'never' shows extent to which this support should be shown

-ever-fixed mark suggests love it for life

analyse - 'it is the star to every wandering bark'

-love is a guide to every lost ship

-this metaphor shows how love should be bright for a star is. it shows it should be full of trust and support too

analyse - 'Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come'

-tells that love is not about appearance for looks change over time. This shows how love should be committed despite 'rosy lips and cheeks' may fade

-time is turned into a proper noun which puts emphasis on the importance of life long love

-reference to Grim Reaper 'bending sickle' shows how beauty is worn down over time

analyse - 'Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom'

-love is meant to last and not be given up on

-'edge of doom' is euphemism for death showing extent to how long love should last

analyse - 'If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.'

-speaker says that if his thoughts about love are proved wrong, he recants all he has written, but no man has truly loved

-absolute language on the final statement shows how strongly the speaker feels towards love