Sonnet 30 from Amoretti

Exam essay sample

Prompt: For one of the sonnets below, write an essay analyzing its message and form.

The message of Sonnet 30 is an expression of the thrill of the chase. Spenser’s descriptions are extended similes comparing the speaker’s passions to fire and a woman’s disinterest to ice. He curiously notices that the cold should end fire’s existence, but her cold behavior only intensifies his fire of affection for her. Sonnet 30 utilizes a paradox to relate the poet’s confusing emotion. This woman grasps his focus because obtaining her

will not be simple. For example, he uses phrases such as “heart frozen cold” (line 6) and “boiling sweat” (7). There is a turn as he shifts to wonder at his circumstance’s paradox. The opening sets up the situation with his unrequited love, and the ending informs the reader that Spenser has no intention of ending his pursuit.

Second student sample.

Sonnet 30 from Amoretti takes a unique perspective on love. The Spenserian sonnet uses symbolism to relay a message to the reader – that unrequited love only makes the heart grow fonder. The descriptive writing and unique rhyme pattern helps this analysis to be understood. Spenser’s primary symbol is fire versus ice. He does not understand why his burning love for a certain woman is not destroyed by “her heart frozen cold” (line 6). This woman’s coldness to him only makes him love her more. The entire sonnet uses this extended

metaphor to bring to life this type of love. The Spenserian rhyme pattern enhances the

message. It is a more difficult rhyme pattern because it uses a particular rhyme more than twice in an abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee pattern. This pattern is harder to write than a Shakespearean sonnet. The rhymes flow off the tongue and make the sonnet beautiful to read.

Sonnet 30 ends with a couplet describing the poet’s final thoughts. Spenser says that love is so powerful that it changes the course of nature. This ending forces the readers to take the meaning away with them.