Unit Two - Renaissance Sonnets

Shakespeare = ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Spenser = ABAB BCBC CDCD EE


2. Which rhyme scheme do I prefer?

   At first I preferred Spenser’s sonnets due to their simplicity, but when I took a closer look at his rhyming scheme, I realized he was partially restricting his word choices. Spenser’s Bs and Cs carry on throughout two quatrains, which would, depending on the words being rhymed, limit him considerably. This, I deduce, would make it much harder to write a sonnet.
   Therefore, I favor Shakespeare’s rhyme scheme, where each quatrain contains two new pairs of rhyming words. I think this would be a lot easier than carrying on rhyming words, although writing a sonnet in iambic pentameter is difficult no matter what scheme you choose…

3. Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 and Spenser's Sonnet 30.

Sonnet 18
William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? (A)

Should I compare you to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate. (B)

You’re lovelier and steadier (than a summer’s day).

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, (A)

If you were a summer’s day, I’d be saying you would blow away in the harsh winds.

And summer's lease hath all to short a date. (B)

Summer is far too short to represent you.

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Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, (C)

Sometimes the sun is too hot.

And often is his gold complextion dimmed, (D)

Often there are storms which hide the sun.

And every fair from fair sometimes declines, (C)

Everything beautiful will eventually stop being beautiful…

By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed. (D)

either by chance or by nature.

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But thy eternal summer shall not fade, (E)

Your “summer qualities” will always be present.

Nor lose possesion of that fair thou owest, (F)

You will always be fair; it will not “decline”.

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade (E)

You’ll never show signs of “death” and “decay”.

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st. (F)

In poetry, your beauty is represented for eternity.

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So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, (G)

So long lives this, and gives life to thee. (G)

As long as this poem exists, and there are men to read it, it will continue to represent and display your beauty.

Sonnet 30
Edmund Spenser

My love is like to ice, and I to fire; (A)

I am burning with love and my “love” (person) as cold as ice.

How comes it then that this her cold so great (B)

Why is she so cold?

Is not dissolved through my so hot desire, (A)

My burning love will not melt her cold demeanor.

But harder grows the more I her entreat? (B)

Why is it that the more I pursue her, the “harder her ice gets”?

___________________________________

Or how comes it that my exceeding heat (B)

Is not delayed by her heart frozen cold, (C)

Why does my burning love not cease from how cold she is?

But that I burn much more in boiling sweat, (B)

And feel my flames augmented manifold? (C)

Why, in spite of her cold heart, does my love just keep growing?

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What more miraculous thing may be told (C)

That fire which all thing melts, should harden ice, (D)

It’s miraculous for fire to harden ice.

It’s miraculous for my love for her to make her love me less.

And ice which is congealed with senseless cold, (C)

Should kindle fire by wonderful device? (D)

It’s also miraculous for ice to kindle a fire so quickly and well.
It’s miraculous for your “senseless dislike of me” to further fuel my love.

___________________________________

Such is the power of love in gentle mind, (E)

That it can alter all the course of kind. (E)

Love defies all odds. Love doesn’t make any sense. Love does not follow the rules of nature (a.k.a. everything else).

4. Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 and Spenser's Sonnet 75.

Sonnet 29

William Shakespeare




When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, (A)


When I am misfortunate and viewed as so


I all alone beweep my outcast state (B)


I weep alone from my misfortune


And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries (A)


While Heaven ignores my useless cries


And look upon myself and curse my fate, (B)
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Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, (C)


Wishing I could be more hopeful.


Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd, (D)


He’s popular and has many friends, which I want.


Desiring this man's art and that man's scope, (C)


Desiring other men’s talents and productions.


With what I most enjoy contented least; (D)


What I most enjoy is not even pleasurable to me.
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Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, (E)


Yet, as I nearly despise myself,


Haply I think on thee, and then my state, (B)


I happily think about you, and my current standing,


Like to the lark at break of day arising (E)


Like a rising bird in the morning


From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate; (B)


Is joyous

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 For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings (G)


Remembering your love brings me wealth


That then I scorn to change my state with kings. (G)


And I wouldn’t trade that for the wealth of a king.



Sonnet 75

Edmund Spenser


One day I wrote her name upon the strand, (A)
--
But came the waves and washed it away: (B)
--
Again I wrote it with a second hand, (A)


I tried again,


But came the tide, and made my pains his prey. (B)


But the water washed away my hard work.
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Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay (B)


She calls me vain


A mortal thing so to immortalize, (C)


For trying to immortalize her.


For I myself shall like to this decay, (B)


Because one day she will be gone just like the name being washed away.


And eek my name be wiped out likewise. (C)


And her name will also be forgotten.
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Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise (C)


Lower things will


To die in dust, but you shall live by fame: (D)


die, but you’ll live on in fame.


My verse your virtues rare shall eternize, (C)


My poems will eternalize your rare virtues


And in the heavens write your glorious name. (D)
--
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Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue, (E)


When Death takes over the world,


Our love shall live, and later life renew. (E)


Our love will remain eternal.

Unit Two GPS 4

ELABLRL4 The student employs a variety of writing genres to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of significant ideas in selected literary works. The student composes essays, narratives, poems, or technical documents.

Basically, this is saying that I need to be able to make use of different writing genres in order to understand a variety of literature. I can do so by composing essays, narratives, poems, or technical documents. In this unit, I'll be writing poems.

Beowulf Response

BEOWULF:

Beowulf is the original hero, one of the most epic of all time. Do you disagree? Let me list the ways Beowulf is the ultimate hero: He was known throughout the land for his great achievements and feats of unbeatable strength, he could venture into lands and defeat monsters where every day people would fail miserably, he could convince you of his strength by his very presence, and he wielded only the most epic and worthy swords in battle. Yep. He was a modern day Troy. In the story, words like "the Great" and "famous" were completely overused to imply superb power and infamy.

"Wulfgar, famous warrior..."
"Hrothgar, guard of the Danes..."
"Never have I seen braver warriors..."
"The brave one [Beowulf], answered him..."
"He crossed the meadow, then came inside, the prince of warriors, the man of daring deeds, honored with glory, a hero in battle, to greet Hrothgar."

Those are a little overwhelming to read, but I suppose, going hand-in-hand with the many translations of the story, a poem needs plenty of evidence to support characters.

I can easily say that I enjoyed reading Beowulf, but I can just as easily say that it was, at certain points, more of a history lesson than a hero story. I suppose, though, that these history bouts were a vital aspect of the story, considering that in order to be a true hero (in Beowulf, anyway) you had to have a long family history of great heroes.

The main reason I enjoyed Beowulf was because of how it is so easy to relate to other stories I've seen and heard. The entire time I read, I was constantly thinking of modern day stories that are similar to Beowulf.

What makes Beowulf easy to connect to other culture and time periods is the religion, monster use, and warrior type depicted in the story. Every culture has some type of religion, some type of warrior figure, and some type of "Grendel".

+--Culture References--+

1) Warrior Tradition

In Beowulf, one of the most prominently used Anglo-Saxon traditions is the warrior tradition. I could provide a plethora of evidence for this, including all the evidence from my response above. Warriors were important to the Anglo-Saxons. Perhaps this was because their territory was constantly being invaded by ruthless adversaries and they hoped for a strong, fearless warrior to come miraculously rescue them. Or perhaps they concluded that the only way they could properly and effectively defend themselves would be to become powerful, renowed fighters. I would lean more towards my first idea, however, because it's clear to see that the Anglo-Saxons were fairly defenseless.

"But a warrior of Hygelac's
heard of Grendel's (the invaders) doings;
he was the strongest of men
alive in that day,
mighty and noble.
That man called for a ship,
said he would cross the ocean
and help the king (Anglo-Saxons) who needed help."

"I learned of Grendel in my native land.
Seafarers say this place,
the best of halls,
stands idle and useless
after sundown. Hrothgar,
the wise men among my people
advised that I seek you
because they know my strength--
they saw me come from battles
stained in the blood of my enemies,
when I destroyed a family of giants,
when I endured pain all night,
killing water monsters,
grinding them to bits,
to avenge for the Geats
those who asked for misery.
And now I shall, alone,
fight Grendel."

(It's no wonder the Anglo-Saxons wished for a warrior like Beowulf!)

2) Woden (Odin)
a) Magic

Odin, the Anglo-Saxon's god of death, poetry, and magic, also ties into the above section. Odin's three main powers were the roots of Anglo-Saxon culture. Although not directly mentioned in the story (probably due to the translations by new cultures) his powers are still very prominently seen. I will start by elaborating on magic. The Anglo-Saxons probably used magic as a device for 'explaining the unexplainable.' They also may have used it as a story-telling device: to make a story seem unbeatably fantastic. I mean, who doesn't like a story with magic and heroes? If this is true, then it ties into the Anglo-Saxon's tradition of poetry and story-telling. Maybe they felt so threatened by the constant invasions they decided to stick their heads in the clouds and tell stories about mighty heroes and magic powers. Or maybe they just liked being entertained. Those are my theories, anyway.

"[the Geat warriors were] striking from all sides,

seeking to take Grendel's soul,

[but] no battle sword could harm him--

he had enchantment against

the edges of weapons."

"That was a hoard

of great power,

that gold

ancient men

had encircled with a spell

so that no man

could touch it,

unless God himself

[allowed it]..."

b) Poetry

There's enough poetry in this story to support Anglo-Saxon culture references. Like I said above, I believe story-telling was important to the Anglo-Saxons. Every time the mood of the story changed, a poet would be introduced to sing about what was currently happening. I suppose to the Anglo-Saxons this was just an elaborate way of expressing their current standings. Is there famine? Sing of it. Is there a prosperous new crop being grown? Sing of it. Is there constant enemy invasion in which we hope for relief of by a mighty warrior? Sing of it!

"Hrothgar's poet touched

the harp and recited

many songs for entertainment

in the hall."

"The words of the poet,
the sounds of the harp,
the joy of people echoed."

"Poets sang sad songs

throughout the world,

how Grendel tormented Hrothgar;

how no warrior,

no matter how brave,

could kill Grendel."

c) Death

There's plenty of death in this story. Rather than tell you all about who died, I'll show you how. The Anglo-Saxon's god, Odin, was also the god of death. So of course any death in this story is going to be elaborate and unrealistic. I'm guessing that the reason Beowulf death scenes are so blown over the top is the same reason they told of magic: to make the story seem more interesting. They're not just saying: "And then Grendel died, it was epic." They're talking about "hot gore" and "blood" and " bone." When a character in the story dies, they are either "taken to Hell" or "seeking glory".

"...the mead hall was stained
in gore, the hall wet with
the blood of battle."

"...and bit into his bone locks,
drinking the streams of blood,
then swallowing huge morsels
of flesh. Quickly he ate that man,
even to his hands and feet."

"There bloody water boiled,
a horrible swirl of waves
mingled with hot gore.
That doomed one had died,
deprived of joy,
in his fen refuge, his heathen
soul taken into Hell."

"...the greatest of death fires
roared on the barrow.
Heads melted,
wounds, hostile bites
to the body, opened
and burst; blood
sprang out. Fire,
the greediest of spirits,
swallowed everything,
of both peoples, there together.
Their power had passed away."

"Those were the aged king's
last words, thoughts from
the heart, before he tasted
the funeral-fire,
that hot, hostile flame.
His heart departed, his soul,
to seek glory."

+--Beowulf = Superman?--+

Beowulf is easily the equivalent of a modern day Superman. I think I've already given some evidence to support this idea, but I can elaborate on it a bit more. There are a few key characteristics that tie Beowulf together with everyday heroes:

1) Superhuman strength. (Beowulf can wield the mightiest of weapons; Likewise, Superman has the strength of a 1000 men.)

2) He's a cockroach. Very, very hard to kill. (Nearly every superhero I can think of is nearly impossible to kill, but they usually have one distinct weakness.)

3) He has the weakness of ego: Huberous. (Pretty much every hero in existance goes through a phase where, after winning many battles and building up strength, they believe they can accomplish anything. They usually then jump into an impossibly hard mission. This mission usually either kills them or they barely win. Examples: The Matrix, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, The Spirit, Watchmen, etc.)

+--Beowulf's Defeat--+

Beowulf's defeat was actually slightly humorous to me. It wasn't the fact that he was defeated that was funny, but the events around it. For instance, near the beginning of the battle with the dragon, Beowulf orders his men to stay behind, insisting that he can slay the beast himself (despite that he's, like, 80). He even says that he would try to defeat the dragon without a sword and shield if it weren't for the fact that the dragon breathed fire.

"I would not use a sword

against this monster

if I might otherwise fight,

as I did with Grendel.

But how else fight fire?

A breath of poison?"

"You men wait on the hill,

protect the war-gear

and see which will,

after the death rush,

come away unwounded.

This is not your duty,

nor in the power of man.

No one but myself

can fight this monster.

Your lord shall either

win the treasure

or lose his life."

During the middle of the battle, Beowulf's sword fails him. I thought it was pretty interesting and hilarious how the narrator played this off:

"Naegling, the great sword of Beowulf,

ancient and shining,

broke, failed in battle.

Fate had not granted that

the iron sword would help.

(I've heard that Beowulf's

swing was too strong

for any sword,

overstrained any blade,

anytime he carried

a blood-hardened sword

into battle.)"

And then, at the end of the story, the men whom Beowulf told to wait were called cowards:

"Soon the cowards,

the ten warriors,

returned from the woods,

those who did not dare

fight with spears

when their lord

needed help."

+--Bibical References--+

 

I'd like to elaborate on the conversions from Anglo-Saxon religion to Christian in Beowulf. I found it interesting that it could be changed so easily from, perhaps, 'Woden' to 'God'. The Anglo-Saxons believed in Woden's powers during war. Therefore, in the story, there are numerous instances when God is used during or near a battle scene:

"...but I shall seize my enemy

in my hand grip and fight, 

enemy against enemy,

and let God decide

who shall be taken by death."

"Now a warrior, 

through God's might,

has performed a deed we,

in our wisdom, 

could not contrive."

"...but Beowulf kept in mind 

his strength, the precious gift 

God had granted, 

and God gave him 

help and support."

"...and Holy God, who

brought about war victory..."

"God the Ruler of Glory 

has given him

a great deal of honors."

I'm willing to bet that the Anglo-Saxons worshipped Woden when they triumphed in battle, if they battled and won.
Any wicked creatures in the story were called "devils" or "sinful" or "the race of Cain". I'm not sure if this was translated from some Anglo-Saxon words or just added in to support Christian belief of sin and the devil. Either way, I find it interesting.

Grendel especially, who is a wicked creature whether in Anglo-Saxon or Christian eyes, was translated into being "sinful" and an abonination against God:

"Race of Cain" 

"Race of monsters exiled by God" 

Evil = "monsters, elves, zombies, giants, and the family of Cain" 

"Blinded by sin, he felt no remorse" 

"He moved into the hall--stayed there 

every night (though God would never allow 

such an evil thing to actually touch the throne" 

"...Grendel stalking under the weight of God's anger" 

"Grendel, Hell's friend, God's enemy..."

Other Christian beliefs were most likely added to the story, rather than formed from an original idea:

"The poet told how the world came to be, 

how God made the earth

and the water surrounding,

how He set the sun and the moon

as lights for people

and adorned the earth

with limbs and leaves for everyone."

"It is wonderful to say

how mighty God through

His wisdom and large heart

distributes land and rank

to the race of men."

"...the wise king feared

he'd enraged God,

broken a commandment."

"(It is well known that God always rules the race of men.)"

"They even went to heathen temples,

worshipped idols, and called

to the Devil for help.

The Danes forgot God.

(Woe be to those who go to the fire's embrace,

even in great distress--There is no consolation there.)"