Sonnets are poems characterized by the way they are structure. They have fourteen lines in which the last two lines are a rhyming couplet. However, the poems that were selected for today’s readings seem to be organized by theme. The fact that all of these poems were written either during the Renaissance or the Enlightenment period in Europe may account for the trends in theme.

                The first set of poems, those by Sir Phillip Sydney and Sir Thomas Wyatt, both have a melancholy tone and center on the love of a woman. Wyatt’s sonnet speaks more directly of suffering due to the love that he feels for the woman in question. However, lines from Sydney’s sonnets like, “might take some pleasure of my paine” and “I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe” are pretty dismal. The archaic language in these poems required me to read carefully in order to ensure that I was gathering the meaning of the poem fully.  

                The primary themes of the given Shakespearian sonnets seem to be, the unavoidable march of time, and the disparity between different societal positions. Both of these themes reflect some of the concerns that were shared by many of the people during Shakespeare’s lifetime. During the Renaissance concerns with matters of this life began to be weighed more heavily than they had been in the past when matters of the afterlife were paramount in the mind of the general public. Physical existence is almost entirely governed by time. Therefore an interest with physical existence is likely to be paralleled by a concern with all things temporal. The theme of social injustice is also indicative of worldly concerns.

                When I first read the selections from the Holy Sonnets by John Donne I assumed that they must have been written in the 1800’s during the Catholic reformation. However, these sonnets were written during the early seventeenth century. Their religious theme is more than likely an indication of Donne’s own religious anxieties regarding Catholicism and Protestantism, which were no doubt shared by many during this time.  

Mankind, as a morality play, is meant both to entertain and to teach. What is interesting about this play in particular is the way in which these two purposes create tension within the audience that mirrors the struggle that the character Mankind faces between worldly things, mischief and company, and holy things, Mercy.

The antics of Mischief and his following, Nowadays, Newguise, and Nought are the most entertaining portions of the play in the first scene. This encourages the audience to view these characters favorably despite the fact that they are set in opposition to the character of Mercy. In fact their disregard of Mercy’s requests for them to  “do way with this revel” when they dance and their open mockery of him and his “English Latin” lessen the appeal of Mercy as a character while simultaneously making them seem more amusing.

However, as the play progresses, the portrayal of the “mischief” characters shifts so that the audience views them less favorably. This shift occurs most notably with the appearance of Titivillus, who deceives Mankind and causes him to stray from Mercy. At this point Mischief and company cease to be innocuous jokesters and begin to act as agents for the ruin of Mankind.

When Mercy reappears and saves Mankind from hanging himself and offers salvation a he becomes the most favorably viewed character in the play. This reversal corresponds with the final accomplishment of the play’s teaching purpose. The plays message is fully delivered and it ends with a closing “Amen” from Mankind.