Understanding Shakespeare's Sonnet 129

A college prof explains Shakespeare's Sonnet 129 (Th' expense of spirit) line by line

[@Adeel089]

Amazing breakdown. Shakespeare manages to capture the feelings of the 'night after' so well. Like a fire it promises you light and heat, but you step too close that pleasurable heat turns into a raging burn.

[@azadmaksoudian]

Dear Rebecca, your videos are amazing. You make me discover and love english literature (I'm french). Your explainations are clear, precise, and each time, you open a window on beauty ! Thanks a lot (and don't stop posting videos on literature, please)

[@Distacca]

This is a very good explanation... Better than all explanation available in KZbin...Very interesting.... Thank you very much...🙏🙏🙏

[@laura835]

thank you so much for taking the time to explain what Shakespeare's sonnets mean

[@JalenCarr]

Thank you for this breakdown of sonnet 129. I believe that when he said "To Shun the Heaven That Leads Men to this Hell" he was referring to humans as a whole. Not just the male species. Once again thank you for the breakdown.

[@devinsparkman6688]

Really beautiful interpretation. His sonnets are incredible and visionary. I wish I could write like him, lol. The search for his references never go out, like a candle.

[@TarasDemkoTD]

the video gave me inspiration to learn this sonnet by heart. Thnx!

[@ayshapa3407]

You presented it beautifully ma'am. Love your lectures

[@justsoification]

Thanks for your very good explanation of great poems, hope you do more in due course

[@sampathjayakody9883]

Thank you very much Rebecca for the sonnet 129 explanation...I'm Sampath..from Sri Lanka

[@abooswalehmosafeer173]

A beacon A Lighthouse. Thank again and again and for ever.

[@philomenandraje2748]

Very good 👌💐

[@p33kin89]

Thank you so much! Great video!

[@leowald1]

A really interesting video. I wonder whether Shakespeare's very negative picture of sex in this sonnet could be due to a bad experience where he e.g. acquired a veneric disease after enjoying sex. At that time nothing was known about bacteria and interpreations could be that it was the "woeman" who had caused this. Perhaps the word woe (a negative word) as you explained could be understood by this? And all the negative adjectives could be relevant.

[@BillyMcBride]

Hi, Rebecca Balcarel. Your video commentary on the Sonnet 129 of Shakespeare's inspired me do just now a post with my own commentary on KZbin on the sonnet. We differ a little bit in how to read the sonnet. I wanted to introduce the idea that Shakespeare does not mean sexual lust, but a lust for the bliss of when we are spent and lie down to dream.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Interesting! Glad you told me; I'll stop by and see it!

[@nelMB95]

Thank you SO MUCH.That was so helpful.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Manel B I'm glad it helped!

[@kimyasmine4819]

can someone extract the different logos, ethos and pathos??

[@shruthi2114]

Thank you 💗

[@ohioconservatoryofballet]

Thank you for the work you do.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Aww, thank you for your kind words. You're all very welcome. It's a joy.

[@HariRauMurthy]

Before watching this video I thought of 'past reason hunted' in a somewhat different light viz. the end of the poem: The speaker knows how this is going to end up in and only in the back of her/his head. If this is something that has happened before then it is 'reasoning from the past' that is hunted(killed). My justification for reading hunted as killed is long-winded and tenuous. On one hand, since its in past tense it is after the act so it does not mean chasing - it makes sense. But hunted is also in a secondary sequence - hunting means chasing. At least 'killed' is not at odds with the rest of the text - as soon as this past reason has been hunted and killed, the speaker goes forward with what s(he) is doing. The viewpoint of this video makes a lot more sense and is certainly not as far fetched: Past all reason, the speaker went to hunt down whomever she/he was hunting down.

[@RorianTube]

Very good! A tough one!

[@alfaisal5161]

Thanks for your efforts..it has been very helpful

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You're welcome!

[@JAOB1968]

From a neophyte, this sonnet reads so modern to me. Take away some grammatical constructs and I would have thought it was written in the 20th century

[@elysebriggs1550]

PLEASE DO A REVIEW ANALYSIS OVER ANY OF HP LOVECRAFT SHORT STORIES! youre amazing and please help me!!!

[@catherineava7937]

Another good video ..

[@morsony96]

I love your videos! :D I subscribed! Cant wait for more. Can you do the last sonnet he wrote? :)

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Thanks! Good idea! I will take a look at that sonnet and do some homework on it. Thanks for the suggestion. :-)

[@morsony96]

Thanks ! :)

[@lanchuimahongnao]

Sonnet 129: Th'expense of spirit in a waste of shame BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and till action, lust Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust, Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight, Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad; Mad in pursuit and in possession so, Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream. All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

[@daianaalba8356]

I have a question

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Daiana Alba Sorry! I look at comments every so often, so I missed your message! I hope you explored your question or found an answer. :-)

[@tomaszbethell]

bit confused about how 'all' refers to a man's body parts...

[@bholaprasadkotarya7870]

Mam can you please give us useful and relevant text on basis of this poem It will really help us

[@morsony96]

or 118 :D

[@loriice9367]

😍

[@selimgure]

This is an antinatalist sonnet. We are all here to die because all of our parents didn't know to shun that heaven that led us to this hell.