Shakespeare's SonnetsDuring the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, she made notable changes in English culture. The Elizabethan era saw a great flowering of literature, especially in the fields of poetry and drama. Unlike the poetry of the Anglo-Saxon period, the poetry of the Elizabethan era established many themes such as love, old age, rebirth, and individualism that could not be seen in Anglo-Saxon literatures. William Shakespeare, the most influential writer in all of English literature, was born in the Elizabethan era. In his sonnets 130, 73, and 29, William Shakespeare reveals themes of love, old age, and wealth. In sonnet 130, Shakespeare's confession of love to his woman is very rare because he writes about love in an unconventional way. Shakespeare compares his beloved unfavorably to a number of other beauties. Shakespeare refuses to describe his woman in the form of the Petrarchan sonnet, which is “the first and most common sonnet named after one of its greatest practitioners, the Italian poet Petrarch” (“Poetic Form: Sonnet”). The women in Petrarchan's sonnet are described as ideally beautiful. Sonnet 130 mocks typical Petrarchan metaphors by telling the truth, instead of turning his woman into a goddess. For example, Shakespeare notes that his eyes are "nothing like the sun" (1). Her lips are less red than coral and her breasts are brown compared to the whiteness of snow. Shakespeare even says that “music has a much more pleasant sound” (9) than his voice. However, in the couplet, Shakespeare reverses all the disparaging comments he has made: “Yet, by heaven, I think my love is rare / As any belied with false comparisons” (13-14). Shakespeare shows his intention to insist that love does not...... middle of paper ......ve. What really matters is what's inside. In Sonnet 73, Shakespeare speaks metaphorically about old age, and notes that love with his woman becomes more intense as time is limited. Sonnet 29 tells readers that a good memory of someone's love could bring spiritual wealth and overcome a difficult situation. Shakespeare's unique stylistic devices create interest in reading his poems and stand out from conventional writings. Works Cited "Poetic Form: Sonnet." Poet.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. April 21, 2014. Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 73”. Ed. Amanda Mabillard. Shakespeare online. Network. 8 December 2012. “Sonnets”. The Middle Ages. Ed. Alfred David and James Simpson. 9th ed. New York: WWNorton., 2012. 1166-86. vol. B of the Norton Anthology of English Literature. Stephen Greenblatt, gen.ed. 3 vols. Press.