Introduction
The perceptions of love and relationship are continuously changing, and one of the easiest ways to trace this shift is through consideration of love poems. To convey the imagery of love, poets use a variety of literary techniques that allow them to share not only their views but also their contemporaries’ perspectives. Hence, the analysis of such poems would contribute to a better understanding of love and relationship at different times presented by various poets.
“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare
The first poem under consideration, Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare, is an example of a description of eternal love and celebration of the beloved’s beauty, which is compared to a summer’s day. This approach to a relationship seems purely romantic, and it is more of a platonic nature than a real connection. Shakespeare’s concept of love is a universal notion compared to natural phenomena in their eternal cycle as an “eternal summer” that “shall not fade” (Shakespeare). However, the poet’s feeling is darkened by the possibility for his lover to die just like the summer passes. Hence, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” is a bittersweet reflection on the type of love, which does not disappear over time once the person is gone.
In this poem, Shakespeare used a range of literary techniques to express his feelings for his beloved. The principal technique is a metaphor that can be found in the line “But thy eternal summer shall not fade,” comparing the person he loves with the summer (Shakespeare). Another metaphor is “gold complexion dimm’d,” and it describes the appearance of his beloved (Shakespeare). The use of metaphors is complemented by the inclusion of numerous symbols such as “the darling buds of May” or “summer’s lease hath all too short a date” (Shakespeare). They represent one’s transitions through life while keeping the beloved’s image the way it was perceived in their time together.
“To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell
The second poem is “To his coy mistress” by Andrew Marvell, and the perception of love, in this case, is much different from that of Shakespeare. There is an apparent shift from a platonic feeling to a man’s lust for a virgin girl in this poem. It can be clearly seen in the lines “Two hundred to adore each breast” and “At every pore with instant fires” (Marvell). Hence, Marvell’s concept of love is more physical as the poet pays particular attention to the girl’s beauty rather than talking about her soul. This type of love seems to lack depth and true affection.
To convey the feelings of the man, Marvell primarily uses symbols, metaphors, and imagery. The main symbols are the sun, which represents the time of human life that the two characters might spend together, and the “birds of prey,” which relate to the lovers and their relationship (Marvell). An example of metaphor is the line “My vegetable love should grow,” in which the author compares the beginning of love with a slow process of growing vegetables (Marvell). The imagery, in turn, is in the lines “Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side” and “Deserts of vast eternity,” and they contribute to the physical aspect of love through the inclusion of the description of the physical world (Marvell). Thus, love in Marvell’s poem is accompanied by the awareness of the transience of human life.
“Last Night” by Sharon Olds
The third poem about love is “Last night” by Sharon Olds, and it narrates more about the lack of thereof and suffering in contrast to genuine affection to another person and the feelings it brings. The author conveys the message that sex without love leads to the desire to forget such an experience rather than remember it (Olds, “Last Night”). However, this issue is considered through the perception of a woman, and it results in the emergence of some kind of feeling by the end of the poem. It can be different for a man, but for a woman, it is hard to distinguish between love and sex as she needs to be in love. Hence, the poem is about the difference between men and women in their perceptions of relationships.
The author’s message is transmitted through a variety of symbols and metaphors, which are typical for love poems. The first symbol is in the second line, where Olds compares love to dragonflies that refer to something unrealistic and imaginary like their night rather than a persistent feeling. Another symbol in the poem is in the line “twisting out of a chrysalis,” which relates to the stage previous to maturity and reflects the woman’s inexperience in love (Olds, “Last Night”). As for metaphors, they are contained in words “100 degrees at noon,” indicating heat and “death-grip holding to life,” describing the feeling that substitutes love (Olds, “Last Night”). Thus, the poem “Last night” represents events from a woman’s standpoint as opposed to a man’s perspective given in “To his coy mistress.”
“Sex Without Love” by Sharon Olds
The fourth poem is also written by Sharon Olds, but if in the “Last night,” the author only hinted at the lack of love, in “Sex without love,” she talks directly about it. Olds criticizes people having sex without affection and puts their faults in the central place of the poem. It is one of the examples of purely physical love, but the peculiarity is how the author transmits the message. She describes it through such beautiful imagery as dancing and ice-skating meanwhile referring to “false Messiah” (Olds, “Sex Without Love”). Hence, the theme of “Last night” is further developed in “Sex without love” through the inclusion of a rhetorical question at the beginning of the poem. In this way, the author is trying to understand how people can live without love.
The search for an answer is accompanied by numerous metaphors and irony, which set the mood and give a double meaning to specific expressions. Thus, through the use of such metaphors as “Beautiful as dancers, gliding over each other like ice-skaters,” Olds conveys the ironic message of illusory happiness, which is, in fact, impossible for people without love (Olds, “Sex Without Love”). Other metaphors that lead the reader to the understanding of the fallacy of this type of relationship are in words “the fit of their shoes” and “their overall cardiovascular health” (Olds, “Sex Without Love”). They complement the impression of a physical aspect prevailing over true love, which sets the tone for the poem.
Conclusion
The love poems analyzed above describe the same phenomenon from various aspects, depending on the author’s views and concerns. Therefore, it is no wonder that they have significant differences, but this fact only adds to the exploration of types of love and relationships as they are perceived by poets. The transition from Shakespeare’s platonic feelings to Olds’ and Marvell’s vision of relationships explicitly demonstrates how such perceptions are transmitted through poetry.
Works Cited
Marvell, Andrew. To His Coy Mistress. Poets, 2001, Web.
Olds, Sharon. Last Night. Ronnow Poetry, 2006, Web.
Olds, Sharon. Sex Without Love. Famous Poets and Poems, 2001, Web.
Shakespeare, William. Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? (Sonnet 18). Poets, 2001, Web.