At the outset, to reveal what the
wonderfully penned sonnets have, fair amount of understanding on Shakespeare’s
life is absolutely necessary. As a lucid, prudent poet, we can see his verses
bring out the essence of sorrow and fresh sense of inspiration in the very same
sonnet. Almost every sonnet connects to Shakespeare’s life interpersonally.
Two people that play crucial roles
both in the sonnets and Shakespeare’s life are the Earl of Southampton and the Dark
Lady, Mary Fitton; the former being breath of fresh air and the latter
corresponding to embodiment of deciet and wickedness. However, only the second
set of sonnets talk chiefly about the flirtatious, faking attitude of the
poet’s mistress, the Dark lady. Many
sonnets picture Shakespeare warn his friend on the Dark Lady’s crooked,
coquettish character to attract men for her sexual pleasures. Sadly, the Earl subjects
to the mistress’s activities emotionally dumping Shakespeare. Such a turn
disrupts the personal relationship of two men who were termed to have respected
each other equally. Subsequently, Shakespeare’s life became helpless, deserted
and critics term this as his darker side of life.
A lot of other sonnets in the
second set exceptionally talk about Shakespeare’s love for his mistress and the
urge for union. But, the inconsistency of love in a woman is the main theme of
the second set of sonnets, basically an acceptable truth of the era. Not only
did the mistress utilize her turn to separate Shakespeare from the Earl, also
the rivalry between the poets to get closer to the Earl was heating up.
Shakespeare apparently lost!!! And sonnets numbered 77, 80, 81,87,89,90 theme
it beautifully.
Through Sonnets, the ultimate logic
that Shakespeare wanted to present is the paradox of Time. All that exists on
earth is developed, controlled and at last destroyed by time with no excuses.
The Earl and Shakespeare are no exceptions where each of them experience time’s
cruel hand in the form of the Dark Lady.
Words like “wasteful wars”, “sluttish
time” reflect the wicked face of time.
Nevertheless, setting aside the
damaging effects of time, Shakespeare constantly repeats one good logic.
“Whatever happens and tends to destruction from time, my sonnets about the
praise of the Earl in black ink will never fade away” is something that emits
an enthusiastic feeling all through the complete set of sonnets penned.