Aaron Gamble
11/10/15
English 1101
Textual Analysis Essay Draft #2
In William Shakespeareâs sonnet #30 âWhen to the sessions of sweet silent thought.â William paints a soft picture with his words, he goes on to detail a man sitting alone and reminiscing on his past, then transforms the reminiscing to regret. Regret for not completing projects and fulfilling desires he once had. William Shakespeare, a poet born in 1582 and died in 1616. William was an English poet, playwright, and actor. Some of his famous quotes are âWe are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life, is rounded with a sleep.â, âBetter three hours too soon than a minute too late.â and âWe know what we are, but know not what we may be.â In one of his most popular sonnets and maybe the saddest, sonnet #30, Shakespeare writes in a voice of a man that has deep regrets and pain. The sonnet goes on and states the manâs pain that has formed over the passing years, the pain for the loved ones that he lost, the pain that he feels when he realizes that he wasted so much time and that he hasnât completed anything that he once strived for.
Shakespeare writes from a place that everybody has, we all have those goals we set and want to complete. We donât want to end up somewhere down the line, lost and incomplete because we havenât completed any of the goals we set for ourselves. He appeals to the readerâs emotions; he makes us think about our goals. Rather they are goals about love, your career, or the most important goal, a goal of betterment of yourself. We read and feel the pain of another human being, sitting alone in silence, just thinking about their past. Feeling sad, and getting depressed about all the things that person doesnât have. When you think about that, you think about how much time you have left on this earth, and how much time you wasted on things and people that wasnât important to you. You realize that you let your life slip out of your hands, and the irony of that is when you finally stop and take a breath and look around. You look in the mirror and see this person you donât even recognize. This person that has aged and aged over the years, thatâs when the real pain sets in.
This sonnet has a perfect layer of pain, itâs like remembering the past is the blade, and realizing your failures and realizing all the time youâve wasted is the first thrust of the blade into your heart. As you start to think deeper and deeper, the pain adds up. The second thrust is remembering all the loved ones youâve lost, or even the special people youâve held close to your heart that isnât in your life anymore. We all know the pain of that, we all know what itâs like to lose someone you love, whether itâs to the Grim Reaper, or if itâs just by choice. That pain isnât something we signed up for but itâs something that comes from being human, we donât like it but itâs a part of life. Itâs a part of living, we can lose a loved one at any time but knowing that doesnât change that pain we feel. Knowing that doesnât stop the tears from falling from our eyes.
But the third layer, the third layer is what takes the cake. The third and final thrust of that blade, which tops everything off. It hits that one spot, that spot that makes you relive every single thing. You recall the times where you cried yourself to sleep over the same things that pains you now, you think to yourself, âHavenât I suffered enough? When is it going to end?â Those questions bounce throughout your mind as those tears trickle down your cheeks. All of a sudden you feel the blade retreat your heart, the pain easing up and the slow stream of tears slowing. As you relive your past, you remember that one person. Just the simplest thought of that person could end all your sorrows, and for a slight second you can get back everything youâve once lost. The pain is no more.
In this poem hides a lot of self-reflection, it makes us think about the things that is paining this particular person. Whether Shakespeare meant for this or not, Sonnet #30 is one of my favorite sonnets to this day.
