Compare the attitudes towards love in at least five poems from the selection studied Essay Example
Over hundreds of years, the views of poets have varied.
There has always been the desire for physical love, but also there has always been the traditional idea of purity. Nowadays though there are fewer 'everlasting loving' poems and more 'Carpe Diem' based. This is a sign of a change in the world and the lifestyles of people.In 'Dover Beach' Matthew Arnold portrays the fact that their love may not last forever using the world, and how it holds a dim future:"Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light"Arnold is trying to put across to his reader that if they do not take their chances now they shall have little chance in the future. In a couple of the early stanzas of the poem the persona gives a positive view on the relationship, bu
...t now he believes that they must hold on to love because nothing else is worth living for.
In 'To his coy mistress' it varies slightly. The persona in this poem is trying to persuade the woman to have sex by telling her that they will soon be old and he may find her ugly and unlovable:"Thy beauty shall no more be found"By the end of the poem the man has almost given up, but the voice still tries to persuade her to jump into bed with him, once again using age as an excuse:"Now therefore, while the youthful hewNow let us sport us while we mayAnd now, like amorous birds of prey"The repetition of the word 'now' suggests that he wants a passionate relationship now. He uses age and also hints that when they are young like they are they can hav
more vigorous, passionate sex. Also in 'To his coy mistress', the persona says about that if they wait her looks will have faded and he will probably not love her anymore.
'To his coy mistress' and 'Dover Beach' are both examples of 'Carpe Diem' poetry 'seize the day'. These poems are about giving in and following more physical urges that they have.In contrast the other types of poems were metaphysical, deciding with issues like true love, God and eternity. The poems that fit into this category are 'Sonnet 116', 'Loves Philosophy' and the 'Good-morrow'. All three of these poems have the traditional eternal love factor. One of the poems in particular 'Sonnet 116' outlines this very well:"Love alters not with brief hours and weeks"This is also backed up with the way Shakespeare used the traditional rhyming scheme for a sonnet.
After having the idea of everlasting love in the first four lines, Shakespeare complicates it, but then resolves it in the final rhyming couplet with:"If this be error and upon me provedI never writ, nor no man ever loved..."His attitude to love is clearly along the lines of the everlasting love, but he is stating if he has made an error then no man has ever loved truly.The other two poems 'The good-morrow' and 'Loves Philosophy' are fairly similar. They both portray love to be a passionate, affectionate embrace that will last forever as long as you work at it:"The winds of heaven mix foreverWith a sweet emotion"This, from 'Loves Philosophy' is a peaceful and romantic phrase that outlines the everlasting, passionate love.
Perhaps the best line in 'The Good-morrow':"If our two loves be one, or thou
and ILove so alike that none can slacken, none can die"This is a beautiful and warming idea. It is perfectly outlining the everlasting love theory and is very persuasive.Both types of poems are effective in there own ways. The 'Carpe Diem' ones are very persuasive and to-the-point. Whereas in the everlasting love based poems it is very heart warming and beautifully written.
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