Sonnet 44 is one of
154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. It is a member of the
Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man. ''Sonnet 44'' is continued in ''
Sonnet 45''.
Structure
Sonnet 44 is an English or Shakespearean
sonnet
A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...
, which contains three
quatrain
A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines.
Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India, Ancient Greec ...
s followed by a final rhyming
couplet
A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the ...
. It follows the typical
rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other.
An example of the ABAB rh ...
of the form, ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, and is written in
iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called "feet". "Iambi ...
, a type of poetic
metre
The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...
based on five pairs of metrically weak/strong syllabic positions. The fifth line exemplifies a regular iambic pentameter:
× / × / × / × / × /
No matter then although my foot did stand (44.5)
:/ = ''ictus'', a metrically strong syllabic position. × = ''nonictus''.
The sonnet is quite regular metrically (for example, a three-syllable "injurious" maintains regularity in line two), but implements a few variations, for example in the first and last lines:
× × / / × / × / × /
If the dull substance of my flesh were thought, (44.1)
× / × / / × × / × /
But heavy tears, badges of either's woe. (44.14)
...which contain, respectively, a rightward movement of the first ictus (resulting in a four-position figure,
× × / /, sometimes referred to as a ''minor ionic''), and a mid-line reversal ("badges").
Criticism
Critics have mentioned Sonnet 44 is directly coupled to ''
Sonnet 45'' and lacks a definite conclusion.
Recordings
*Poeterra, for the 2014 album, ''When in Disgrace''
*
Paul Kelly, for the 2016 album, ''
Seven Sonnets & a Song
''Seven Sonnets & a Song'' is the twenty-first studio album by Australian musician, Paul Kelly, which was issued on 22 April 2016 on his own label, Gawdaggie Records, and distributed by Universal Music Australia. Kelly composed music for seven ...
''
References
Further reading
External links
Analysis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonnet 044
British poems
Sonnets by William Shakespeare