Poetic Devices Used To Convey The Theme Of Shakespeare's Sonnet 30

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 12th grade April 2001

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In Shakespeare's Sonnet 30, he uses a wide variety of poetic devices to help communicate the theme of the poem. The major theme that I feel the author is trying to convey is one of remembrance, mourning for a lost loved one. One of the more obvious devices used is the Metrical Pattern of the Iambic Pentameter. This is a major staple of the Shakespeare Sonnet, and commonly found in nearly every sonnet that he has written. In this essay we will focus on only two major devices that were used, and how they tie into the overall theme of the poem. The first apparatus that will be discussed is the use of imagery to show the thoughts that are going through the mind of the subject. The other major device that will be discussed is the use of alliteration at the start of the poem to set the mood of the character.

The use of these devices leads this reader to believe that Shakespeare intended a theme of grief to be portrayed. There are many references in the poem to happenings of the past, and the effect they had on the subject's mental state. The tone of the poem is very soft, and illustrates feelings of remembrance and the regret caused by these memories. This is shown in many ways, but mainly through images pertaining to death. But the major theme of the poem is grief, and feelings of mourning shown by the subject toward the deceased.

The first major device used in the poem is imagery. It comes up in many different forms YOST 2 throughout the poem, but it is perhaps the most pertinent in the form of a metaphor. The metaphor compares their memories together to the emptiness that the subject believes will be felt...