Like several other forms of poetry, the sonnet’s level of popularity has undergone a bit of a rollercoaster ride throughout history. The sonnet has experienced both high peaks of fame and poor times of abandonment. Around the 17th century, when renowned poets like Shakespeare and Milton began to write sonnets, admiration for this form of poetry thrived throughout England. Unfortunately, over the next few years or so, the sonnet began to lose its popularity. It wasn’t until the end of the 18th century, during the Romantic era, that the sonnet was resurrected by the now-legendary William Wordsworth. The Romantic Movement birthed creativity and passion in numerous subjects, including poetry. Writing poetry in the form of a sonnet strongly appealed …show more content…
These two poets had an extremely significant influence on Romantic writers and greatly impacted their works. Like countless other writers, Wordsworth, Shelley, and Keats studied the sonnets of Shakespeare and Milton, and tried to master their ways. They admired these writers of the past and reference them in their poems. In Keats’ sonnet, “On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again,” he clearly demonstrates his admiration for Shakespeare when he has the speaker of the poem put down a dull Romance book for an intellectually stimulating work of …show more content…
Their poems cover an immense range of subjects including nature, history, romantic relationships, and their current political issues. The goal of Romantic poets was to put emotional matter into form. They were almost obsessed with nature, emotions, and passion. These sonnets were simply the moods, thoughts, and feelings of the author. They had the freedom to compose poetry not for any particular reason but just because they want to. Romantic poetry is simply the product of the author’s imagination. Romantic poets revolted against the ideas of Neoclassicism, and through the sonnet they were able to release their feelings in a beautiful