The Sonnet

While studying and writing poetry, I alway found the sonnet to be the most difficult. That said I appreciate the sonnet the most. It is amazing that writers can write so beautifully while adhering to such strict rules. It is no wonder that Shakespeare had a 30,000 word vocabulary, when most have a 6,000 word vocabulary; he most definitely needed the use of all of those words to make his awe-inspiring sonnets. It is very interesting to compare Ted Berrigan's sonnet's to Shakespeare's. Berrigan has a much more modern take to the sonnet that makes his sonnets easier for a modern reader to relate to and to grasp his meaning. However, I believe that it is easy for a modern reader to get caught up in Shakespeare's language and not see the comedy or further meaning in his sonnets. The pair's styles differ but each has an amazing way with both words and the sonnet form, working within the strict rules of the medium to create beauty.