- Apr 2016
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www.opensourceshakespeare.org www.opensourceshakespeare.org
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And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
If Shakespeare meant this as him only seeing this girl during his dreams, what does this imply about his daily life? Is this a crush, or something like being a stalker? If he is only seeing her as he walks by, and then dreams about her during the night, it seems like the things he feels for her are taboo. Maybe this poem is talking about how he feels for someone not his age and can only see her in his dreams.
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When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so
I see this as Shakespeare saying that even to the bad side of you, you are still so pure and innocent. To a blackened, sick soul, she is a ray of sunshine that will not be covered by a rain cloud.
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But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
The unstressed words are: but, I, in, they, on. The stressed words are: when, sleep, dreams, look, thee. This creates the visual of him just becoming asleep and seeing her. It focuses on the words that make the sentence strong.
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When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see
The stressed words: most,wink,do,eyes,best. The unstressed words are: when, I, then, mine, see. This creates the effect of smoothness, and adds the feeling that he is talking about sleep.
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How would thy shadow's form form happy show
This is the Volta and it turns the poem into something not about himself. In the first part, the poem is saying that he has no respect for the things he sees during the day. He does not care about what goes on around him. Therefore, he loves sleep, and so he loves the nights. The second portion (after the turn/Volta) is about how beautiful the person he talking about. He says that "When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!"; which basically means that even in the dark, she lights up his world. At the end of the poem he says that days are now his nights and nights are his days where he can dream about her.
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When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see, For all the day they view things unrespected; But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee, And darkly bright are bright in dark directed. Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright, 5 How would thy shadow's form form happy show To the clear day with thy much clearer light, When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so! How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made By looking on thee in the living day, 10 When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay! All days are nights to see till I see thee, And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg. The a's are see and thee; the b's are unrespected and directed. The c's are bright and light; the d's are show and so. The e's are made and shade; the f's are day and stay. The g's are thee and me.
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doth
Doth means the word/meaning "do" in language today.
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www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
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people would come to blows over Shakespeare, with blood and killing, but that’s what happened.
If America was about peace and not being judgmental, how does this endear Shakespeare to us ?
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George Washington broke away from the legislative haggling to watch a production of The Tempest.
Just because a president watched a play when bad times were about, this means nothing. Even when war is happening,people still watch TV. Doing domestic tasks has no impact if any effect on who was "american poet".
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By the mid-18th century, Shakespeare’s work had become a bible for Americans, and a treasured, felicitous reminder of their linguistic and cultural heritage.
Maybe the fact that America teaches Shakespeare's works and that Shakespeare's works are widely known contribute to this comment, but I would not agree that they have become a "bible" for America.
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