A Sonnet for the Lustful (Sonnet 129 Analysis)
An analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 129, a.k.a. the best 14 lines ever written about lust. In today's video I hope to demystify Shakespeare's poetry and reveal just how accessible it is - and even more importantly, show how much it has to offer us.
If playwrights count as authors, then Shakespeare is my favorite author of all time. I think he can be yours too, if you learn how to appreciate him (if your experience is anything like mine though, school does nothing to help with this!)
As I've personally been deeply impacted by Shakespeare's work, I'm determined to help you explore it as well, and experience all it has to offer for yourself. To this end, I've already made two other videos - they won't be the last!
Julius Caesar and the Death of Free Speech:
• Julius Caesar and the ...
Hamlet's Guide to Overcoming Fear:
• Hamlet's Guide to Over...
I also wrote an ebook on Shakespeare, which you can download for free below:
"The Bard & the Bees: What Shakespeare taught me about sex, evil, and life in our modern world"
rewirethewest.com/bard-and-th...
Lastly, below is the full text to Sonnet 129:
Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action; and till action, lust
Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,
Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight,
Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had
Past reason hated as a swallowed bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad;
Mad in pursuit and in possession so,
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe;
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.
All this the world well knows; yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.
If you want to stay up-to-date with Rewire the West and receive weekly emails where I send you paintings, KZread videos, and music recommendations, then click below to join the RTW email list. You'll get my ebook when you join!
rewirethewest.com/
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I appreciate you being a part of this channel and its community. See you for the next episode,
-Evan
Пікірлер: 27
Do you want to see more videos like this? If so, let me know in the comments below! There's a written version of Sonnet 129 in the description. If you want to see other videos I've made about Shakespeare, check out the links below: Julius Caesar and the Death of Free Speech: kzread.info/dash/bejne/f4J2pK6tiaeeXdI.html Hamlet's Guide to Overcoming Fear: kzread.info/dash/bejne/aZim2a1wnKndgpc.html Lastly, I wrote an ebook on Shakespeare, which you can download for free below: "The Bard & the Bees: What Shakespeare taught me about sex, evil, and life in our modern world" rewirethewest.com/bard-and-the-bees/ See you this weekend for another Saturday video, and the first Sunday livestream! -Evan
@billglaser8853
2 жыл бұрын
Fantastic! More sonnets, please!
@RewiretheWest
2 жыл бұрын
@@billglaser8853 Thanks, Bill! Hope to have some more for you soon
@tonytynan1955
Жыл бұрын
Yes I'd love to hear more on any Shakespeare sonnet
Has any person ever articulated the human condition like Shakespeare? Genious .Enjoyed your commentary which elucidates the nuances and subtleties of the sonnet which are needed for people like me.Thank you.
Thank you! ❤️
@RewiretheWest
6 ай бұрын
you're very welcome! 🙌
Wow so beautiful ❤️
Thank u so much
@RewiretheWest
10 ай бұрын
sure thing
I think you have a really genuine and honest ability to make people on all levels of familiarity of shakespeare feel welcome and enlightened unpretensiously. Thank you for this. Would love more of these.
Love this format!
@RewiretheWest
2 жыл бұрын
glad to know! 😃
Came to this after your apperance on gbnews as the first video i saw. Glad i watched it, my eyes would have glazed over on encountering most of shakespeare, but that was a fascinating explanation. Wonderful. Yes more please
@RewiretheWest
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much! Happy to hear it held your interest
An excellent interpretation of one of his best sonnets.
@RewiretheWest
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, Stewart! That means a lot, glad you enjoyed it
Great analysis. You have earned a fan from Brazil. I know a very interesting painting that resonates with this sonnet by the Bard. It’s called “Deliverance” by Kalervo Palsa. Please let me know your thoughts about it and its connection to Shakespeare’s 14 liner opus.
This is/was a brilliant commentary
@RewiretheWest
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Tony!
Can you define some of the words like Rude, perjured, savage? I suspect meanings shifted over time.
What does “lust in action” mean? Does it mean lustful action?
The sonnet of Antinatalism.
@RewiretheWest
6 ай бұрын
how's that?
@selimgure
6 ай бұрын
@@RewiretheWest "...none knows well to shun the heaven (sex) that leads (birth) men (humanity) to this hell (life)."
@RewiretheWest
6 ай бұрын
@@selimgure not quite - the sonnet isn't against sex at all, it's only against lust. Men don't know well how to shun the heaven (fleeting but intense physical pleasure) that leads them to hell (the destruction of their soul by sinful lust)
@selimgure
6 ай бұрын
@@RewiretheWest Neither is antinatalism. Considering the state of birth control, or the lack thereof, in the era, it would seem reasonable to shun the heaven altogether to avoid leading new people to hell. Catharism seems to have followed exactly that line of thinking. After all, "life is a tale told by an idiot, ... signifying nothing."