Shakespeare has been a must read in schools for what seems like forever. The problem with his writings (discussed among some) is first off, whether or not he actually wrote all of what is claimed to be his and second, whether or not the students reading Shakespeare truly understand his language or meaning within what he wrote. Shakespeare’s sonnets are so commonly used for high school and college curriculum alike but do not always properly explain or explore his underlying meanings.
Shakespeare has a tendency to use puns, words with double meaning or clever word play, within his works often and usually the puns are of a sexual nature. For example, the word “lies” in Sonnet 138 implies lies of an dishonest nature, but also of “lies (has sex) with other men” and later he uses “lie” again about how they “lie” to each other but it could also mean that they are sleeping with one another. In Sonnet 55, Shakespeare personifies Time as “sluttish”, which in Elizabethan times would mean a grubby, unkempt woman (http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/55detail.html).
Many of Shakespeare’s Sonnets contain puns, which are sexual more often than not, but some of his poems use words such as “fare” which could mean either the look of the said person the poem is being written about or a fare such as a price that one needs to pay back to another. However, Shakespeare was not only known for his puns within his Sonnets but he also gave several puns within his plays:
The opening lines of Richard III states “Now is the winter or our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun of York…” and Richard III was the son of the Duke of York.
Act I Scene IV of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo asks for a torch and states that he’ll carry it although it’s heavy – which is in reference to his heavy heart. In the same scene, Romeo refers to his soul being of lead.
Act I Scene II of Hamlet, Claudius addresses Hamlet as his cousin and his son – Hamlet is upset that he’s married his mother and says “A little more than kid, a little less than kind” implying that they were already related but now they were closer to before and just under the meanings of being “kindred”.
In Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice is speaking of the count Claudio, saying he is as “civil as an orange, and something of that jealous complexion”; a note indicates that there is a bitter orange one can obtain from Spain – so not only is his complexion of the same as his behavior but Shakespeare seemed to have meant that his demeanor was bitter.
Puns are often used in poetry and stories to keep the reader engaged, but also to keep them guessing. Sometimes words can have double meanings; Shakespeare tends to make the puns within his Sonnets of a somewhat sexual nature, but this gives the reader another way to look at and analyze the poem, trying to understand the true meaning and get a glimpse into the life of the poet himself.
I thought it was extremely interesting in sonnet 138 how he used "lies" in three very different contexts. Line 13 is the most intriguing, for me, saying "Therefore I lie with her and she with me" (13). He is lying about his age, she is lying about her infidelity, all while they are lying in bed together. This is possibly one of my favorite aspects of the reading as a whole this week. Good insight, and post!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you went beyond the assigned reading to talk about Shakespeare's plays. It really did show that this was a style true to all of his work, not just in his poetry. I also found sonnet 138 to be extremely interesting. I think that the puns and double meanings have helped keep Shakespeare a staple to curriculum. It allows for students to really think about what has been written.
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