Poetic Criticism In William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116

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LITERARY HISTORICISM IN “SONNET 116” BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE By: ANGEN MAY FABRO-CHARCOS Faculty, Cebu Technological University-Tuburan angen08@gmail.com Abstract- Sonnet 116 is one of Shakespeare 's most famous love sonnets. Shakespeare being born during the Renaissance period,embraced Platonic idealism in his writings specifically in his sonnets. Shakespeare’s poetry is inspired by love or passion, with many poets dedicating works to their love interests. Thus, this course paper argues that William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 reveals a Renaissance signification of love in its ideal form - a portrayal of true love in its constancy and profoundness. This investigation employs the method of historicist criticism focusing on the imaginary transaction which involves the speaker speaking the poetic vision to the addressee. Historicism is a critical approach that uses the events of an author’s life to explain meaning in the author’s work. Hence, it insisted that to understand a literary piece, one must need to understand the author 's life, ideas circulating at the time, and the sociocultural milieu. Thus, the investigation reveals in the imaginary transaction that the male persona addresses the poetic vision of Platonic love to his beloved. Furthermore, Shakespeare shows that falling in love is an inescapable aspect of the human condition—indeed, expressing love is part of what makes us human. Hence, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 is a Renaissance signification of an ideal love in its