Sonnet 64 of Spencers Amoretti Essay - 798 Words

Sonnet 64 of Spencers Amoretti Poets, in general, are fond of symbolism and figures of speech. Instead of wallowing in the concrete and the obvious, it has always been the purpose of the poet to give ... to aery nothing a local habitation and a name. The writers of love poetry are especially fond of imagery, metaphors, and similar devices, comparing their loved ones to such and such an animal or cosmic event. It is therefore of no surprise that 16th century sonnets employ many figures of speech when elaborating on the finer points of the subject. Spenser, throughout his masterful Amoretti, is especially effective at drawing forth emotions; from feelings of despair (employing symbols of storms†¦show more content†¦Of interest is the similarities between the source material - The Song of Solomon - and the beginning of the list of scents. ... how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb:... begins the Song of Solomon, Chapter 4, verse 10. In Sonnet 64, as shown above, Sydney begins with a comment on overall scent, then also begins a description of the womans many odours, beginning with the lips. From there, her other parts follow: Her cheeks smell like roses, her brow like bellflowers. Her eyes are reminiscent of pincks, her bosom of strawberries. Her neck, the scent of cullambynes, her breasts, of lilies. And finally, her nipples remind Spenser of jasmine. This is all fine symbolism, and draws forth the image of a vibrant, fruitful woman, healthy and vital. As a creature of scent, of odours, she becomes ephemeral; with the link back to the bible, which the receiver would have surely been aware of, she also attains a certain spiritual state, raised above the level of mere mortals. Furthermore, their is a seductive undertone to the sonnet, drawing from both the erotically charged Song of Solomon and the essentially sexual image