Question

1. Why might Sonnet 18 by Francesco Petrarcha be interpreted as a poem about defeat as much as a poem about love? Use specific examples from the text in your response.

Answer 1

In the beginning of the poem, the writer expresses his love for a woman with a great beauty ("Lady, though your rare beauties prompt my rhyme") but then, he starts to express anguish ("But, with such burthen on my shoulders set"), this sonnet is interpreted as a poem about defeat because the writer expresses his discouragement about not being able to describe in words the lady's beauty ("My mind, its frailty feeling, cannot climb,  and shrinks alike from polish'd and sublime"), finally in the last lines he says that the pen, hand and intellect, are defeated on the first attempt at something, referring to him being defeated while trying to write about the woman's beauty ("And oft have I the tender verse essay'd,  But still in vain; pen, hand, and intellect in the first effort conquer'd are and check'd.").

Answer 2

Yes, Sonnet 18 by Francesco Petrarcha is interpreted as a poem about defeat as much as a poem about love because in this sonnet the writer wanted to describe the beauty of his love. But, he was not able to describe the lady’s beauty in words. Through his defeat of finding words to describe his love, he shows his love for her.

Further Explanation:  

In the beginning of the poem sonnet 18, Petrarcha expresses his love for a woman with a great beauty which is evident from the text ("Lady, though your rare beauties prompt my rhyme"). He can even remember when they first met because it was the most pleasing event to happen to him. But as he tries to write down how beautiful she is, he is having trouble describing on paper just how gorgeous she is. Then he starts to express anguish ("But, with such burthen on my shoulders set"), this sonnet is inferred as a poem of defeat since the writer conveys his discouragement about not being able to describe in words the lady's beauty ("My mind, its frailty feeling, cannot climb, and shrinks alike from polished and sublime").  

Ultimately in the last lines he tells that the hand, pen, and intellect, are conquered on the first attempt at something, referring to him being defeated while trying to write about the woman's beauty ("And oft have I the tender verse essay'd,  But still in vain; pen, hand, and intellect in the first effort conquer'd are and check'd."). He's having writer’s block when it comes to the theme of this sonnet; his pen and hand are not as mighty as they always are. That causes disappointment for him. That he can't manage to write, in details, about his love's beauty. The only thing he can do is praise how beautiful his love is. Her beauty is too good for words.

Thus, we can conclude that Sonnet 18 by Francesco Petrarcha is a poem about defeat as much as a poem about love.  

Learn more:

1. How do the images of travel in part 46 of "song of myself" contribute to the poem’s theme? brainly.com/question/1998552

2. What was the middle name of the individual upon whom the fictional character Atticus finch is based? brainly.com/question/2159472

Answer Details:

Grade: Senior School

Subject: English  

Chapter: Sonnet 18 by Francesco Petrarcha

Keywords: Sonnet 18, Francesco Petrarcha, poem of defeat, poem of love, women’s beauty, sonnet, love, defeat.