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William Shakespeare - Poems by the Famous Poet - All Poetry

Famous poet /1564-1616  •  Ranked #3 in the top 500 poets

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, arguably the most influential writer in the English language, continues to captivate audiences centuries after his lifetime. His body of work, comprising plays, sonnets, and narrative poems, explores timeless themes of love, loss, ambition, revenge, and the human condition. His works have been translated into every major living language and are continually performed and reinterpreted around the world, demonstrating their enduring universality.

Shakespeare wrote during a period known as the English Renaissance, a time of significant cultural and intellectual flourishing. His dramatic works, performed at London's iconic Globe Theatre, were influenced by both classical and medieval traditions. He was known for his skillful use of language, weaving blank verse and prose with a mastery that breathed life into his characters and stories. Shakespeare’s poetry, particularly his sonnets, are celebrated for their lyrical beauty, intricate wordplay, and exploration of romantic love, beauty, and time.

While Shakespeare’s singular talent set him apart, he was part of a vibrant literary scene. Christopher Marlowe, known for his tragic plays, and Edmund Spenser, a celebrated poet known for his epic poem The Faerie Queene, were influential contemporaries. Shakespeare’s work also reflects the influence of classical writers like Ovid and Virgil, whose myths and stories provided inspiration for his own creative explorations.

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Sonnet 116: 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds...'

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-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering 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.

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Analysis (ai): This sonnet celebrates the enduring nature of love, contrasting it with the temporary beauty and fragility of youth. The speaker asserts that true love remains constant despite obstacles, changes in circumstances, the passage of time, and even death.

Compared to Shakespeare's other sonnets, this poem is more philosophical and less focused on personal emotions. It reflects the Renaissance preoccupation with the nature of love and its relationship to time and mortality.

The poem's language is precise and concise, with a clear and logical structure. The use of metaphors, such as love as a "fixed mark" and a "star," creates a sense of stability and permanence. The final couplet emphasizes the speaker's conviction in the truth of his argument and the universality of his experience.

Overall, this sonnet is a timeless meditation on the nature of love, its power, and its enduring quality.

The line:
It is the star to every wandering bark is a reference to a barque which was a three masted sailing ship and to the fact that early navigation was primarily done with reference to the stars in the night sky. (hide)
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287

From: As you Like It
Act II
Scene VII

  Listen to this poem

All The World's A Stage

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

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Analysis (ai): "All the World's a Stage" is a sonnet that encapsulates the cyclical nature of life as a performance, with individuals playing various roles throughout their existence. The seven ages of man, from infancy to old age, are succinctly depicted, highlighting the transition from dependence to experience and eventual decline. This analysis differs from other interpretations by focusing on the poem's structure and its reflection of the Elizabethan era.

The sonnet's construction as a theatrical metaphor is evident in its use of stage imagery and the division into seven stanzas, each representing an age. This structure aligns with the Elizabethan emphasis on the ephemerality of life and the importance of social hierarchy.

Shakespeare's portrayal of the various ages reflects the societal norms and expectations of the time period. The infant's helplessness, the schoolboy's reluctance, and the lover's passion align with Elizabethan perceptions of childhood, education, and romance. Similarly, the soldier's bravery, the justice's wisdom, and the aged man's decline mirror the prescribed roles and ages within Elizabethan society.

Overall, "All the World's a Stage" is a timeless reflection on the human experience through the lens of Elizabethan society. Its sonnet structure and theatrical imagery effectively convey the cyclical nature of life and the societal expectations within which individuals navigated their various roles. (hide)
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396

Witches' Chant (from Macbeth)

1st Witch:

Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.


2nd Witch:

Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd.


3rd Witch

Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time!
 

1st Witch:

Round about the cauldron go:
In the poisoned entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Sweated venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first in the charmed pot.


All:

Double,double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.


2nd Witch:

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blindworm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing.
For charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

 

All:
Double,double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and couldron bubble.


3rd Witch:

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witch's mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd in the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew;
Gall of goat; and slips of yew

Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,-
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For ingredients of our cauldron.

 

All:
Double,double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

 

2nd Witch:

Cool it with a baboon's blood,

Then the charm is firm and good.

 

 

 

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Analysis (ai): "Witches' Chant" from Macbeth by William Shakespeare presents an incantation performed by three witches during the play's first act. The chant's three witches invoke their supernatural powers as they gather ingredients for a concoction that will facilitate both harm and prophecy. The witches' incantation features gruesome imagery and references to various creatures, substances, and body parts. These elements combine to create a sense of evil and mystery surrounding the witches and their purpose.

The chant's structure follows a call-and-response pattern, with the first witch leading the incantation and the other two witches repeating her words. This structure enhances the witches' collective power and underscores their shared purpose. The chant's rhythm is also significant, with its repetitive phrases and use of rhyme creating a hypnotic effect that adds to the witches' otherworldly portrayal.

In comparison to Shakespeare's other works, "Witches' Chant" stands out for its unique blend of the supernatural and the macabre. While other works such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet also explore themes of fate and prophecy, "Witches' Chant" is singularly focused on the witches' dark powers and their ability to manipulate events. The chant's language is also distinctive, with Shakespeare employing a mix of archaic and colloquial terms to create a sense of timelessness and otherness.

"Witches' Chant" reflects the cultural beliefs and fears of the time period in which it was written. Witches and their association with evil were prevalent themes in early modern England, and Shakespeare's portrayal of the witches in "Witches' Chant" likely resonated with his contemporary audience. The chant also reflects the playwright's interest in the supernatural and the human condition, themes that he explored throughout his career. (hide)
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