Topic > Literary Analysis of Edmund Spenser's Amoretti Sonnet

Spenser's “Amoretti” is a sonnet cycle dedicated to his wife, Elizabeth Boyle. In this group of sonnets a seemingly strange one is discovered: Sonnet 68. This, instead of being a love poem written exclusively for his beloved, is a deviation from the typical sonnet. Shift your focus toward heavenly love rather than mortal love. This makes for an unusual focal point as it separates itself from the sequence of poems but manages to coherently incorporate the general aspects of the Petrarchan sonnet. Primarily through the use of structure and progression, this author relies not only on rules but also contrasts to reflect the common theme of love using religious aspects in his piece. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin with, the sonnet organizes its ideas in the form of three quatrains plus couplets. This structure serves to give it more of a twist, marking a difference compared to the Petrarchan sonnet which traditionally contains only one vault. The first twist is found in the fifth line: “This joyous day, dear Lord, begin with joy, / And grant to us, for whom you died.” It is considered a turning point because the first four lines of the poem describe Jesus' achievements and the celebration of his triumph over sin and death, but then turns this holiday into an exhortation for the reader to rejoice in it. The second twist comes in line nine: “And that thy love we worthily weigh, / May we likewise love thee again for the same.” In this third quatrain, the speaker introduces the idea of ​​giving love to one another, just as Christ did for us when he gave his life for all humanity. Finally, lines thirteen and fourteen (the couplet), serve as the conclusion of the poem, here the speaker conclusively addresses his lover encouraging her to love him. When he says, “Then let us love, dear love, as we must, / Love is the lesson the Lord has taught us,” he shows that he finds an application of what he had described about love in the previous lines; they should love each other because it is God's commandment and He loved us first. As a result, using this structure also affects the progression of the main idea. In a conventional sonnet, it is common for the content to imply a question and then an answer, or a problem and then a solution. In this particular sonnet, there is no real problem that the speaker struggles with. In fact, his emotions and tone only reflect happiness, joy, celebration, excitement, and joy in the love of Christ. However, he approaches this problem differently. In the second quatrain the movement of the idea advances like a question, or rather like a supplication. In lines seven and eight, it says, “Being by thy dear blood cleansed from sin, / May he live forever in happiness.” This is the moment when the speaker asks God to allow him to live happily ever after. Furthermore, this petition also shows the generous and altruistic character of the speaker, who does not ask only for his own good but for that of everyone else. He wishes to share his happiness with the rest of the world and it shows as the poem nears the end. As a result, both the form and movement of the sonnet work together to impact the theme. Like the traditional sonnet, it adheres to the theme of love, but on the contrary refers more to the love of God than to the love between men. This is how we see that the added structure of two times affects its progression as these turning points act as a division of the speaker's attention towards God and then his lover, but always in the fields of love. Keep in mind: this is.