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Sonnet 49

Poem by William Shakespeare

1 min
estimated reading 2
complete sections 9.59
algorithmic grade estimate

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Words
103
Native text
872 characters
Dictionary match
83%
Revision
1224278876 · 2024-05-17T11:13:52Z
Key vocabulary

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Sonnet4 uses in this article English3 uses in this article Shakespeare2 uses in this article metrically2 uses in this article pentameter2 uses in this article syllabic2 uses in this article written2 uses in this article iambic2 uses in this article strong2 uses in this article rhyme2 uses in this article Shakespearean1 uses in this article playwright1 uses in this article suggested1 uses in this article fourteen1 uses in this article nonictus1 uses in this article position1 uses in this article sequence1 uses in this article spelling1 uses in this article strength1 uses in this article thirteen1 uses in this article

Overview

Sonnet 49 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man.

Structure

Sonnet 49 is an English or Shakespearean sonnet. The English sonnet contains three quatrains followed by a final rhyming couplet, for a total of fourteen lines. It follows the form's typical rhyme scheme, ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, and is written in iambic pentameter, a type of poetic metre based on five pairs of metrically weak/strong syllabic positions. Line thirteen exemplifies a regular iambic pentameter: × / × / × / × / × / To leave poor me thou hast the strength of laws, (49.13) :/ = ictus, a metrically strong syllabic position. × = nonictus. Line ten's "desert" would have been for Shakespeare a full rhyme with "part", as is suggested by the Quarto's spelling, "desart".

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