



Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Community
Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts
Discover the best universities in your country according to Docsity users
Free resources
Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors
Love and time in the poem: The poem seeks to resist or fight love's enemy – time – which is ultimately the enemy of life itself as the force of ageing, ...
Typology: Study notes
1 / 5
This page cannot be seen from the preview
Don't miss anything!
Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds William Shakespeare (1564-1616) Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O, no! It is an ever-fixèd mark 5 That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark*, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom, If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
What is the poem about? What is the subject of the poem? The speaker's strong resolve to love in the face of difficulties. Who is speaking? 1st^ person narrator. What is the location/setting of the poem? Images/Setting of sea journeys, storms, navigation by stars, lighthouse, effective use of “compass”. Themes and messages of the poem: The speaker's strong resolve to love in the face of difficulties. The brightness of youth may disappear as old age advances, but love will continue even till death. Love and time in the poem: The poem seeks to resist or fight love's enemy – time – which is ultimately the enemy of life itself as the force of ageing, of falling off (out) of love and the bringer of death. The speaker makes it clear that he is aware of such “impediments” that could stand in the way of love, that could cause love to “alter”. He cannot allow such a thought to cross his mind because of his total conviction and understanding that love is unconditional, pure and complete and transcend time and even death. This conviction is expressed in his use of 1st^ person singular pronouns - “me” (line 1) and “I” (line 14). True love doesn't change: even if there may be reasons for doing so, it remains ever and unwaveringly constant. Attitudes and feelings in the poem: Emotions and feelings of the speaker: The speaker is confident, certain, passionate and self-assured throughout the poem. Tone of the poem: The poet/speaker uses a tone of confidence, certainty and self-belief throughout the poem to put across his message. “Let me not...” (line 1) Love is not...” (line 2) “Or bends with the remover...” (line 4)
Poetic devices: The poem is held together by the use of alliteration, assonance, personification and images. These poetic devices give the sonnet great power, contributing to a greater understanding of its theme. Images that suggest a sea journey: Images of journeys, storms, navigation by stars, the effect of the word “compass”. “an ever fixèd mark” and “a star to every wand'ring bark”. Both suggesting the idea of the compass (lighthouse) & its significance in showing directions during storms and immovability. Personal response to the poem (how do I feel, what impact does the poem have on me): YOUR PERSONAL RESPONSE!
Explain the idea that “Love is not love/Which alters when it alteration finds,”
change (“alter”) the attitude of love. How can love “bends with the remover to remove”?
and affection between two people.
destroy the love. Why is there a diacritical mark over the “e” in “fixèd”?
you one syllable, and the line would then consist of only 9 syllables.
transformed into 2 syllables.