The Flea By William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, And...

Poetry has remained a visceral form of self expression for centuries. Consequently, poetry has no means of resisting the constant shifts in style, prose, and content that come with the times. This is showcased in the works by famous poets like William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, and John Donne. William Shakespeare is credited to be a wordsmith ahead of his time for crafting some of the most well known works in literature, Emily Dickinson is considered one of America’s leading female poets of the 1800s, and John Donne is recognized as one of the leading members of the metaphysical movement. Even so, their work spoke out on religion, love, death, and anything concerning society’s implication on the established perception of the world and†¦show more content†¦He refuses to compare his love in the clichà © manner he holds unworthy. In particular, published in 1609, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 is considered a more â€Å"modern† take on romantic poetry during his time. Unlike the Petrarchan love sonnets that were previously the standard form of romantic poetry for over 300 years, Shakespeare strove to challenge the status quo. However, many Neoclassical critics were willing to attribute Shakespeare’s violation of classical rules to ignorance (Lauder). Shakespeare’s work is a product of the cultural shifts during the Renaissance movement. Enlightened by society’s drift from restrictive views on religion, artists like Shakespeare were no longer anchored to the â€Å"classical rules.† This free rein allowed writers to be inquisitive about society, questioning how humankind fits into the greater aspect of the world. It is is even speculated that the muse for his sonnets was not actually a female mistress but a man. This is often an argument proposed to explain the seemingly mysterious atmosphere surrounding Shakespeare’s sonnets. Specifically, Sonnet 130’s mood is depicted as playful to showca se the raw complexities governing humanity in an entertaining fashion—something once unheard of in the English Tudor period. Ultimately, this same â€Å"ignorance† would only pave the way for future playwrights and poets. Similar to Sonnet 130, â€Å"Twas warm — at