Compare and contrast Sir Phillip Sidneys Astrophil and...

The Strange Thing Called Love Despite the complexity of the sonnets that William Shakespeare and Sir Philip Sidney create, one is left with a feeling of total admiration for the rich language in each poem that forces its reader to pay very close attention to detail. The sonnets differ in the focus of metaphors for love and how this passion affects the poets; however, both of the poems intrigue their audience through their integration of ornate imagery in their portrayal of beauty and love. There is perhaps no collection of English poetry more widely known and praised than Shakespeares Sonnets. His brilliant ability to create over 150 sonnets, containing a series of related and mutually revealing metaphors has captivated his readers†¦show more content†¦This is obvious as he mentions the self-substantial fuel that is essential to produce light. Shakespeare uses this contraption of light to depict how one can use oneself up through the journey of life, implying that one will eventually die out, unless they go the right way about it by reproducing. Subsequently, while abundance is an allusion to the rich qualities of being young, famine is contrasted to refer to the emptiness that is now created as the fuel runs out. Consequently, the poet feels that the young man owes it to himself to reproduce; and will be acting as an enemy towards himself in his refusal to do so, as this will lead to extinction. Thou that art now the worlds fresh ornament, And only herald to the gaudy spring, The poet refers to the man as the principal object that has the ability to remind the world of beauty. He also infers that only an individual who is beautiful and young can bring color into the world. Spring signifies the beginning of life cycle, a rebirth after a long cold winter. These two lines imply that the only factor that can bring brightness into this world is youth and the rebirth of beauty. Within thine own bud buriest thy content, And, tender churl, makst waste in niggarding Content here means substance, most likely referring to semen, that is wasted as it is used for self-pleasure, rather than pleasure in procreation. The poet refers to the man as the sweet idiot, which shows that although he feels that the man is