Analysis

Death and failed love can cause immense sorrow: Through verse, love, however, can cease the poet’s sorrow. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30, his use of lyrical sonic devices and emotional imagery composes the theme: the recollection of dear friends ends sorrows. Through the verse “Sessions of sweet silent thought,” (1) the reader can feel the repetition of soft sounds. Doing this makes the line soothing and peaceful, before he reveals his deep feelings. The variation between pentameters and trimeters reveals the reader’s harsh feelings toward his dear friend: “And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste; / Then can I drown an eye in death’s dateless night” (4 and 5). Iambic pentameter is the pentameter used for most sonnets; however, when he switches to dactylic trimeter, it makes that verse serene. His use of lyrical sonic devises helps the readers understand the profound feelings he has for his “precious friends.” Shakespeare uses many examples of emotional imagery that distinctly establish the setting of the sonnet. This piece of work is not particularly happy like his other works. “I drown an eye unused to flow:” (5) he is usually a strong man who often does not cry; however, he is crying about the sad memories of his friend. The verse, “Fore-bemoaned,” (11) proves that he has mourned in the past, but he is now mourning again. “Death’s dateless night” (6) is personification because death does not have the ability to own night. His friends are hidden in the dark night. The readers can see that the speaker has inner feelings for his “dear friend” that he cannot let go. He expresses those feelings through the verses.

-Katelin Lucine