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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Two sonnets
While Shakespeare's "Let me not to the marriage of true minds." talks of love that's created from trust and understanding, Millay's "What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why" speaks of a lustful love that is full of passion and adultery. I was expecting it to be the other way around considering Shakespeare had multiple mistresses. But that being said, I don't think one type of love can exist without the other. Shakespeare talks of a love that conquers all "Love is not love.. Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken." (2-8 Shakespeare) and can be easily redirected (the boat) or saved, if need be, if there are any circumstances that could threaten it. Millay's poem speaks of someone that has already lost their love and deeply regret and miss their past romances and because of that there's a sweet sorrow reading Millay's poem. They are two very different poems, speaking of the same topic: love.
Great comments and observations! Describing the love in Shakespeare's sonnet as "created by trust and understanding" is excellent, seeing as the first line reads "Let me not to the marriage of true minds"(1). And Millay's sonnet does suggest that it is the physical aspect of love that the speaker misses/lost. Which of the two is more realistic?
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