Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the central ideas of "Sonnet 75" by Edmund Spenser and "Sonnet 71” by William Shakespeare. Consider how structure supports the development of ideas in both sonnets.
In "Sonnet 75" by Edmund Spenser and "Sonnet 71" by William Shakespeare, both poets explore the themes of time, love, and immortality. However, the central ideas of each sonnet differ in their approach to these themes. Spenser's "Sonnet 75" revolves around the idea of immortalizing love through the power of poetry. The speaker addresses his lover, promising to preserve her beauty and their love eternally through his poetic verses. On the other hand, Shakespeare's "Sonnet 71" takes a more melancholic tone as the speaker contemplates his own mortality and frailty. The poem serves as a reminder that love, though immortalized in writing, is still subject to the passage of time and can ultimately be forgotten. Both poems employ a similar structure of fourteen lines, a strict rhyme scheme, and iambic pentameter. However, while Spenser utilizes a traditional sonnet form with an ABABBCBCCDCDEE rhyme scheme, Shakespeare follows a more distinct pattern of ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme and also uses a more sparse and direct language. The structural choices in both sonnets support the development of the ideas presented by each poet; Spenser's structured and consistent rhyme scheme creates a sense of permanence and order, mirroring the speaker's desire for immortality for his love, while Shakespeare's varied rhyme scheme and simpler language amplify the sense of melancholy and vulnerability expressed in the poem.
