Tension In William Shakespeare's Sonnets

For over four centuries, the focal point of the studies of Shakespeare's Sonnets has shifted from edition, composition date, order, autobiography and other"peripheral"ones to theme, imagery, rhetoric, structure, meter and other"ontological"ones. In fact, the"periphery"studies of the Sonnets have not reached a consensus among critics and the"ontology"studies of the Sonnets fail to grasp the aesthetic features of the Sonnets as a whole in that most of their studies are based on not all sonnets but one or several sonnets.Based on former studies, this thesis unearths, via, close reading, holistic approach and taxonomy, the aesthetic features of the Sonnets as a whole from spheres of language, imagery and emotion and finds out"tension", an aesthetic feature which characterizes the Sonnets. This thesis consists of five parts. The Introduction is mainly a sketch of the studies of the Sonnets and of the definition of"tension"in line with the relevant studies of"tension"both at home and abroad, and of the statement of research methods and research aims. The Conclusion is mainly an indication of the defects in the thesis such as the lack of a more detailed classification of the tension and the shortage of a deeper analysis of the tension as a whole, and of the further efforts. The main body of the thesis consists of three chapters.In Chapter One, the tension in poetic language is revealed in diction and sound in the Sonnets. Within individual sonnets and in the cycle, the flow of dynamic references exhibits the radiation and impact of language, so does the proximity of words with similar or same or opposed references within individual sonnets; in the cycle, the varied end rhymes form a dynamic musical cosmos, so do the fickle internal rhymes and the flux of rhythm system. In Chapter Two, the tension in poetic imagery is revealed in the arrangement and the suggestiveness of imagery. The tension in the arrangement of imagery lies in many a mode of opposed imagery within individual sonnets and in two modes of opposed imagery like sacred imagery versus secular imagery and nocturnal imagery versus diurnal imagery within the cycle. The tension in the suggestiveness of imagery lies in the opposed suggestions of images within individual sonnets, and in the opposed suggestions of some key images in the cycle. As a whole, the tension in arrangement and in suggestiveness forms a tensional net of imagery. In Chapter Three, the tension in poetic emotion is epitomized by the strong feelings of the speaker in the Sonnets. The speaker's love is featured with heterosexuality, homosexuality and narcissism in that he loves at the same a woman, a man and himself. The three loves exhibit tension in love best. The speaker's hatred goes to five objects like the society, the woman, the man, the rival and himself at the same time. The five hates exhibit tension in hatred best. Then, the fact that the speaker loves and hates the woman and the man at the same time pushes the tension in poetic emotion to an apex.All in all, tension characterizes Shakespeare's Sonnets as a whole and reflects the begetter's distinct poetics and aesthetic pursuits.