Reflection on Sonnet Two

Sonnet Two is one of my favorite sonnets that we explored in class. The imagery is so powerful, creating instant visions within the reader's head. For example, some of my favorite lines were:

"When forty winters shall besiege thy brow, And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,"

"Will be a tottered weed of small worth held:"

Both of the above lines created a clear picture within my mind's eye. I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of Shakespeare is his beautiful usage and appreciation of the English language. The ways in which Shakespeare manipulates words for syllabication and cleverly using double meanings of words are incredible. Until learning about sonnets throughout these lessons, I did not realize that Shakespeare wrote in such a restricted style of writing. Having to count out syllables and keeping the iambic pentameter (the heartbeat or ticking clock of the sonnet) surely had Shakespeare's work cut out for him. However, it is obvious that Shakespeare found ways to bend around the rules a bit and create sonnets that still are enjoyed to this day.