Sonnet I

SONNET I of Edmund Spenser (from Amoretti)
Rhyme:
Spenserian rhyme: the sonnet consists of 3 quatrains and 1 couplet, which make 14 lines. The order of rhyme is as follows: abab/ bcbc /cdcd /ee. With this special rhyme scheme we have connection and so make relation between the 1st and 2nd quatrain and 2nd and 3rd quatrain. In this sonnet, Spenser starts describing his beloved. In-between the lines we can find contradictory phrases or adjectives. By this special format of the sonnet, we trace a gradual decline of contrast in describing between 1st and 2nd and no contrast in 3rd quatrain. That is the poet tends to use milder descriptions towards the end.
Rhythm:
Though the very first word of the first line is / - u /, we have four /u -/in the rest of the line, so the dominant meter is iambic pentameter. Another exception in this sonnet to be noticed is in line13, which starts with 2 stressed words at first and then four/- u/.
Imagery:
The speaker is the poet; that is the lover. The situation is that the lover is striving hard to be accepted by the beloved. The image of love in this sonnet is rather harsh. It tries to show that love is strife (main image). The applied elements are: the first one; the metaphors of the sonnet are of two groups: mild and nice & harsh and sad. This brings to mind, however the beloved is beautiful yet is much superior and in fact captor. On the other side the lover is inferior with sufferings, tears, less power of spirit,…. Besides we have this contrast of the beloved as the lover tells his pages, lines and rhyme of his poem to be happy because they will be touched, read and heard by her. That is we have an image of courtship, love is like a war, one is defeated the other is victor, one is captivated the other is captor. In this state it is the beloved who has power and is capable of controlling. The second one, is the particular use of pronouns, the dominant one is "ye" that is when the poet wants to talk about his beloved, he employs "ye" and makes use of metonymy to show the distance between the two in court love. The poet himself is hidden (noticing the absence of "I" through out the poem) under the mask of "ye" as well because he fears that the beloved would not even care for him therefore we arrive at an image in which there is much more distance between the two (and this make it erotic, a part of courtly love.).
Diction:
Words such as captives, deign, victor…are all of a class in which the process of showing the harsh side of love is intended though towards the end of the poem the language turns milder.
Figurative language:
Metaphors:
Lilly hands, loue soft bands, starry light, lamping eyes, angles blessed look, heauens blis.
Dead doing might, captiues trembling, victor's sight, deign to look, sorrowes, tears, dying spright, harts bleeding book.
Line1. Hands, in softness, are compared with lilly.
Line 5. Eyes concerning their light are compared with stares.
Line 11. Being blessed and sacred, the beloved is compared to Angle.
Also there are metaphorical relations between "lines and eyes" (lines 5, 6), "rymes and beloved "(lines 9, 10)
Simile:
Line 4 captiues = pages, leaues
Metonymy:
(Line 1) hands and (line 6) eyes refer to the beloved.
Alliteration:
Use of "d" to make a harsh (and also for the sake of emphasis) in line 2: dead doing might
Also "t" in lines 4 and 8
"L" in lines 3, 4,6,11, and 12 to create soft image of either the lover or the beloved.
Refrain:
(And) happy. This helps to keep the mentioned connection.
Personification:
Leaues (pages), lines and rymes are personified.
Allusion:
Line 10. Allusion to the sacred mount of Helicon where Muses lived. ("Muses were nine in number, they were daughters of Zeus. Each had a special field; Calliope was Muse of epic poetry, Erato of love poetry, Polyhymnia of songs to the gods, Euterpe of lyric poetry and so forth. The man that they inspired was sacred far beyond any priest." mythology by E. Hamilton)
Theme, Structure and Tone:
The sonnet I of Spenser has 3 quatrains and 1 couplet. As it was pointed out before, in this particular form of sonnet, the poet connects his ideas finely and subtly between the quatrains. The subject of this sonnet is courtly love. In the 1st quatrain he states how fine and how mighty is his mistress along each other. Then in the 2nd quatrain he says again that she has starry light in her eyes though has she made his hart bleeding. Then in the 3rd, he feels much nearer and forgets all about the harsh side, thinks that she is sacred and that her blessed look lets a flow of life in his soul. In the couplet, he comes to a conclusion; he addresses the three elements, leaues, lines and rymes, and demands them to please his beloved and that if she is pleased he will care for nothing else. The poet's tone is desirous, begging and longing, likewise through his words we come to know the characteristics of his love and his beloved, however in the 3rd quatrain we understand that she is imagery and has been neatly created by the skillful hands of the poet, yet he is such a lover who finds his soul filled with heavenly joys just by her glance!

Observed also:
-There is tangible contrast between:
1. Lilly hands and dead doing might
2. Victor, captives, trembling pages and soft bands
3. Lamping eyes and deign to look
- In line 8 the poet uses a very cliché way of portraying a heart in love.
- The distance in between the two has caused his dying spright.
- in the 3rd quatrain the poet explains where his beloved come from, that is from where the poet has been inspired to write his poem; more to the point he believes her look is blessed for the simple reason that she is an angle.
- By harts close bleeding book he means the secret book of heart, which is in fact his book of poem.