An Evaluation of “Sonnet 33” by William Shakespeare

The work of art I intend to evaluate is “Sonnet 33” which is one of the 154 poems collectively known as “Sonnet” authored by William Shakespeare. The exact date of the composition of “Sonnets” remains unclear but it is believed that Shakespeare started working on these poems in the 1950s and most of them were complete by the end of the 16^th century (Ma 918). “Sonnets 33” is a representation of the Western culture, specifically during the Renaissance era. According to Ma, what made English poets distinct in the Renaissance era is that their work demonstrated spiritual love which was sacred and naturally superior compared to the sensual one (922). This is evidenced in the way “Sonnet 33” makes many references to nature. This paper evaluates “Sonnet 33” by William Shakespeare in terms of the traits that make it Dionysian.

The approach adopted by “Sonnet 33” is a Dionysian one.  To begin with, the poem dissolves the line between self and nature. Throughout the poem, the persona makes many references to nature. For instance, the persona says the “Suns of the world may stain when heaven’s sun staineth” (Shakespeare “Sonnet 33” L 14). In this line, Shakespeare is suggesting that heaven is to blame for the anger and pain he is experiencing following his rejection by his lover. At the same time, the poem “Sonnet 33” is Dionysian since it appeals to emotions as opposed to rationalism. The poem also demonstrates an aspect of sexual licentiousness. In the poem, the persona is believed to be in love with a person of his gender.  On the other hand, my response to “Sonnet 33” is Apollonian. For instance, I rely on logic to come to most of the conclusions about the poem in question. Additionally, my response of “Sonnet 33” is not structured which makes it Apollonian.

“Sonnet 33” is a good example of art. For instance, the rhyming pattern of the poem makes “Sonnet 33” interesting to read. On this note, lines 5 to 9 ends with the same sound as evidenced by words “Ride,” Face,” Hide” Disgrace” and “Shine” (Shakespeare “Sonnet 33” L 5-9). Additionally, the poem has a special message. The poem makes a superb contrast between the feeling of being lost and the occurrences in nature. This portrays the feeling of being lost as overwhelming just like the forces of nature. At the beginning of the poem, the persona is happy but things change dramatically once he loses his lover.

In conclusion, “Sonnet 33” is a piece of art by William Shakespeare in which the persona mourns the loss of his lover. I would recommend the poem to other people because of its simple diction and entertaining nature. It is easy to get the poem’s message by analyzing the references to nature made by the persona.

Works Cited

Ma, Fenghua. “The Concept of love in Shakespeare’s Sonnets.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research, vol. 5, no. 4, 2014; Pp. 918-923.

Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 33.” Retrieved from http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/33.html