Shakespeare Love Sonnets Essay Example

Is love all-powerful? What is entailed in the phrase "love conquers all?" In Shakespeare's sonnet, the speaker explains his own doubt and feelings of unimportance. Through alliteration and imagery, the speaker further conveys the idea that love and self-esteem have a positive correlation. Further, a person can make cognizant choices that lead them closer to happiness, greatly influencing their overall emotional state.

The speaker's alliteration is representative of their thought process: anxious, powerful, and somewhat obsessive. Through phrases like "all alone" (2) and "like him, like him" (7), the audience can feel the repetition of the speaker's mind. He is fixated on the shortcomings of his life as he remains stuck in isolation. This is representative of his self-esteem, as he clearly feels worthless and alone. It also shows the depth of the pain the speaker feels, along with the power of anxious, spiraling thoughts; try as he might, it seems almost nothing can break him from this cycle. However, when this alliteration is also seen later on in the poem, through phrases like "think on thee" (10), "hymns at heaven's" (12), it highlights the even greater importance of love. After the volta at the end of line 8, the poem shifts as the speaker explains his choice to shift his thoughts onto the person of his affection. This choice to hone his mind on love is the only thing that broke him through his doubt. Moreover, the alliteration shows how the power and pull he feels to both love and self-hatred are similar in the way that they are both all-consuming, although they manifest in opposite ways.

The imagery the speaker uses is a reflection of his emotional state. In the beginning, he describes his "outcast state" (2), painting a desolate picture in the audience's eyes. On the other hand, he uses imagery of "break of day arising" (11) and "heaven's gate" (12) towards the end of the poem. The intentional shift in word-choice shows his shift in self-esteem and, by extension, love. When the speaker is fixated on his lack of love and constantly feeds into his negative self-image, his words are harsh and dark. This represents his heart and mind, which feel almost like black holes; the darkness is infinite and he cannot find a way out. In contrast, after the volta, the poem feels lighter and nearly angelic at parts. In doing so, the speaker shows the audience what a vast effect love has had on him. Not only does it make him understand that it is a better option than a life as a king, but it blocks out all the darkness from before. He quite literally completely changes his perspective, illuminating how choosing to focus on positives, in this case love, can vastly affect a person's emotions.

Love is an important emotion. It is just as, if not more, powerful than darkness. Even so, a person must actively choose it for this power to unlock. If someone is hyper-focussed on their misery, they will never find a way out of it. However, if a person decides to shift their view toward love, it can change their entire perspective. It does not matter whether someone even has a person they share love with in their life. The sheer hope for love, for understanding is enough.