Kenny Tran

Poetry Through Performance

Michael Theune"

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Sonnet Analysis (Sonnet 71)"

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I will be performing sonnet 71 by Shakespeare. This sonnet holds strong connections to
a series of four sonnets (70-74) which deal with death. Sonnet 71, Ive analyzed, is about a man
speaking to his beloved. This sonnet is complex, because its main premise is that the speaker
wishes his beloved to forget him when he is dead but by reading the poem, the reader/beloved
will remember the speaker. The poem begins with the man telling his beloved not to cry for him
when he dies. The next quatrain tells the beloved to forget him, the speaker. The next quatrain
further emphasizes the fact that the beloved should no longer remember him when he is gone,
and that while he is dead, the beloveds love for him should also decay. The last couplet is the
speaker telling his beloved that they will be mocked by those around them if they still remember
and love him. "
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The first quatrain has a tone of being reassuring, but not for the beloved. The speaker is
reassuring himself that what he is telling his beloved is what he wants. He wants his love to not
mourn him when he is dead, but the rest of the quatrain is the speaker reassuring himself that
what hes telling his lover to do is right. The second quatrain holds an overall tone of pleading,
but it still holds a slight undertone of reassurance to the speaker himself. The speaker saying
that because he loves the beloved, his beloved should forget him, because thinking on the
speaker would hurt the beloved. The third quatrain is the acceptance of what the speaker is
saying. He accepts that the beloved must let him go. The final couplet is the final conclusion. It
is the reason why the speaker believes in what he is saying and his reason for asking this
impossible deed of his beloved. In this sonnet, the volta occurs between the last quatrain and
the couplet. The poem shifts from a reassuring/convincing tone to a decisive one. "
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My opinions on how to perform this sonnet has changed immensely throughout the
process. What I originally wrote down for my original performance now seems insignificant.
Which is why Im so glad I can look back at my performance and talk about my choices postmortem."
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One performance decision I made that really impacted the tone and flow of the sonnet
was speed. I attempted to make the flow of the sonnet natural. In lines 3 and 4 of the sonnet, I
connected the lines to keep the flow normal. I also did the same with lines 7 and 8. The first
quatrain I let develop naturally. I rehearsed imagining that I was breaking up with my girlfriend.
This substitution allowed me to perform with the actual motions and vocal specificity that I would
use while trying to reassure myself that I am right in telling my beloved to forget me. I sped up in
the second quatrain. While reading the poem imaging that I was pleading to my beloved, I
realized I sped up. So thats how I framed that quatrain. The last quatrain, I slowed down from
the second quatrain. This is the his realization. The speaker has just convinced himself, and is
slowly realizing what he wants his beloved to truly do. The last couplet I originally had marked
as slower than the last quatrain, but in performance, I found that I wanted to speed up. I came to
the conclusion that the last couplet would be undecided. I would read it as a man who was sure
in himself but still hesitant and regretful. The last line in the couplet would then again hold a tone
of reassurance, but only a tiny bit. This feeling of reassurance would be overshadowed by the
speakers confidence in his final reason and decision."
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Another major performance element was the word emphasis. In the first quatrain, I made
sure to emphasize the words Surly and Sullen to make use of the alliteration. In the same
quatrain, I stressed Vile, Vilest, Worms, and Dwell. In Shakespeares poetry, he uses
worms to allude to death. I also emphasized Vile, Vilest, and Dwell to show what the
speaker thought of society and death. These specific stresses also pushed the poem forward
without me actually having to speed up. In the second quatrain, I emphasized Love in line 6,

Kenny Tran
Poetry Through Performance
Michael Theune"
because thats what this whole sonnet is about. Its about love and types of love and how to
handle love. I stressed I and Sweet thoughts in line 7. This was to show the speakers selfassociation with his beloveds mind. I made sure to strike Woe lightly in line 8. This was done
for the speakers benefit of reassuring himself. In the third quatrain, I emphasized the second
syllable of Compounded and Clay to bring about the death allusion. In line 11, I emphasized
Poor to show the speakers relationship and feelings towards himself. In the last couplet, I
emphasized Mock in the last line and also lightly stressed You and Me to clarify the entirety
of the poem and to emphasize Mock to bring about the final reason/conclusion."
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Another major performance aspect was the physicality that went with the piece. At the
beginning of my piece, I looked at the ground and breathed deeply, because what I was about to
say was not easy. I slowly moved my focus upwards, and I focused on a point on the back wall
because my poem called for a direct focus. I am speaking to a person. After the first quatrain, I
stood up to show the speakers attempt to reassure himself and to show him trying to use his
physicality to give his words power. He doesnt quite have full confidence in his words alone.
Throughout the piece, I attempted to utilize an expression that was not distraught but not too
angry. It was a determined emotion with a bit of sadness. This is what the speaker was feeling,
so I felt the need to portray this."
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Performing this poem really gave me a new view on Shakespearean English. I always
hated Shakespearean English but with this poem, I could begin to understand the way
Shakespeare used English. I never had an appreciation for Shakespeare, but now that Ive
performed one of his sonnets, I have a deeper understanding of why his works have endured
time. His understanding of human emotion and conflict is unparalleled. This poem has
presented me with new eyes with which to view literary works in the future. I mean, this poem is
about a lover asking his beloved to do something which is impossible. This seems awful of him,
but we do this all the time. We always expect and ask the impossible of those around us. How
would a person go about saying those words? Shakespeare perfectly frames the situation for
us. This is a poem I will not forget anytime soon. The emotion in the piece is so raw that even
though the language is distant from us, the message could not hit closer to home."

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Intro:"
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I will be performing Sonnet 71 by Shakespeare. This is a complex poem that explores love and
death. This poem is about a man telling his lover to forget him when he is dead, because he
doesnt want his beloved to suffer.