Question Completion:
(A) apparent self-reproach for using poetic diction he has used before
(B) ambition to earn fame by being in the vanguard of poetic movements (C) yearning for a wider range of themes in order to develop his poetic skill
(D) reluctant acknowledgement that he is no longer as prolific as he once was
(E) disgust with his inability to write in a more polished, conventional poetic form
Answer:
1. In context, the question in line 5 ("Why write... ever the same") conveys the speaker's
(E) disgust with his inability to write in a more polished, conventional poetic form.
Explanation:
Line 5 of Sonnet 76 was authored by William Shakespeare and published in 1609. The line conveys the speaker's frustration that he was always speaking on the same subject of love and too often with words that are easily recognizable as his because of their literary features. Sonnet 76 is titled "Why is my verse so barren of new pride," depicting a fruitless womb. But we know that the words of the acclaimed wordsmith have remained prolific ever since. Instead, like the poet, we realize that the description of love remains the same since time immemorial because love has no duplicates or counterfeits.
